About my coaching

Are you a federal worker, consultant, or grantee ready for change?
Do you feel overwhelmed by the sea of nonprofit opportunities, or struggle to frame your federal experience so it resonates with mission-driven employers?

You’re not alone. Many federal professionals encounter challenges like:

• Feeling unsure how your skills translate outside government.

• Being overqualified for entry-level nonprofit roles but lacking guidance on positioning for leadership opportunities.

• Struggling to identify roles that match both mission and skills, amid a crowded job market.

• Uncertainty about how to rebrand your experience so employers understand the value of federal and policy expertise.

• Feeling anxious about cultural fit and whether their work style will mesh with nonprofit or philanthropic organizations.

• Not knowing where to start with networking or which organizations are actively hiring for their skillset.

You don’t have to navigate this alone.

I’m Chitra Kumar — a career coach and mentor who has walked this path myself. After 21+ years in federal service at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the White House Council on Environmental Quality, I made a successful transition into the nonprofit sector. Today, I serve as Managing Director of the Climate & Energy Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists and currently serve on the board of the Environmental Protection Network (EPN). Along the way, I’ve launched new initiatives, like Mindful EPA and UCS’ MindLab, and coached and mentored hundreds of professionals navigating career growth and transitions.

Now, I bring that experience to help you build a bridge from where you are to where you want to be.

With me, you’ll learn how to:

• Translate complex public-sector skills into compelling, nonprofit-ready narratives

• Align your unique expertise with the missions that matter most to you

• Gain the confidence to present yourself as a mission-driven leader, not just a practitioner

• Navigate the nonprofit job market strategically and efficiently

• Build a network and positioning plan that gets you noticed
  
  

✨ You’ve already built an incredible foundation. Let’s make sure the world sees it.

For more detailed listing of services, click here.