Carissa Gay, MCC

Carissa Gay, MCC, is an expert in growing leaders. She is known for expanding internal capacity and teaching the conversational skills that build awareness, ignite vision, and produce lasting change. With more than 25 years of experience across nonprofit, academic, and corporate sectors, her career has been dedicated to coaching and developing high-impact leaders.

Carissa trained and managed a national team of U.S. coaches within an education startup and has designed cross cultural leadership and communication programs for government, business, and educational leaders. Her work strengthens communication, deepens leadership effectiveness, and cultivates healthy, values-driven organizational cultures.

In 2017, Carissa founded Courageous Leaders, a coaching and training organization specializing in leadership development, communication, and organizational effectiveness. Organizations seek her out not only for her highly engaging presentations, but for her ability to shift mindsets, inspire behavioral change, and translate insight into action.

Carissa also serves as Director of Coach Development for the Center for Coaching Excellence, where she provides customized feedback and development support to advance coaching mastery. An ICF Master Certified Coach (MCC), she has completed more than 6,000 hours of coaching and mentor coaching, supporting leaders and coaches in creating meaningful and sustainable change.

Carissa holds master’s degrees in both Counseling and Organizational Development and Leadership, along with certifications in emotional intelligence, team effectiveness, and neuroscience, all part of her mission to equip leaders with vision, courage, and the capacity to make a significant impact.