Chris Neilands

Chris Neilands is a leadership coach and consultant with more than 20 years experience supporting the personal and professional growth of others. Chris founded Affinity Leadership Group, a coaching and consulting practice based in Atlanta in 2011. She works with a wide range of organizational and individual clients across North America and has a solid track record of helping her clients raise the bar and realize greater leadership potential and impact. When she isn’t working, Chris enjoys climbing in beautiful parks and discovering new places off the beaten path. 

Chris enjoys working with clients with different backgrounds including artists, engineers, teachers, entrepreneurs, writers, physicians and business executives. Chris dedicates time to understand her clients and their personal aspirations. She works with them to create a roadmap; identify potential obstacles; and take bold actions that propel them towards their desired outcomes. She is known for her personalized service and unwavering support on the journey.

Chris brings extensive work experience from corporate and university settings. She spent 16 years working for two major universities in leadership roles. She worked in the MBA programs at The University of Georgia and Purdue University in marketing, career management and leadership development. In these roles, she had extensive experience leading teams and projects involving a wide range of stakeholders. She has managed the coaching component of the EMBA program at the University and has served as a coach for the past eight years. Chris also has five years of human resource consulting experience with Lincoln National Corporation. She provided human resource expertise to line managers on a range of issues from: recruiting, staffing, training, performance management and employee relations. She has designed and delivered workshops, training programs and distance learning content. 

Chris earned her bachelor’s degree in human resource management and master’s degree in higher education administration from Purdue University. She completed a rigorous training program through the Coaches Training Institute (CTI) and is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC). She is also certified as a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) through the International Coach Federation and has more than 1200 coaching hours under her belt. Chris is certified in The Leadership Circle Profile (360 Assessment), The Leadership Circle Culture Survey and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. She resides in Atlanta, GA.