Erica Ishida believes in the power of resilience, intention, leadership, culture, strategy, and disciplined execution, in building viable organizations and developing leaders.

Erica Ishida

YCG Founder and CEO

Erica has deep expertise as well as leadership and operational experience in various industries and size of organization, including Early and Growth Stage Technology companies and Public Accounting firms, in the following areas:

  • Leading Multi-Level Change

  • Strategic Planning and Execution

  • Leadership Development and Performance

  • Development and Leadership of High Performing Teams

  • Sustainable Organization Design

  • Change Management

  • Cultural Transformations

  • Innovation through Value Creation

  • Scaling Teams and Organizations

  • Building Human Resilience

  • Executive Coaching

In addition, Yellow Cedar Group has trusted partners, with expertise in the following areas:

  • Muti-Level Intentional Change

  • Applied Neuroscience in Leadership and Business Performance

  • Applied Neuroscience in Communication and Selling

  • Generative AI

  • Human Analytics

  • Intentional Change Theory

  • The Study of High Performing Teams

  • Whole System Change - individual, team, organization

  • Sustainable Organization Design

  • Agile Processes and Methodologies

  • Building Sustainable, Resilient Organizations

  • Disruptive Innovation

  • Human Resilience - based on findings in neuroscience, nutrition, and intentional change theory, and adult learning theory

  • Marketing, Branding, and Growth Strategies

Erica is the founder and CEO of Yellow Cedar Group, a firm that focuses on building resilience in people and organizations, to help them meet the challenges of the moment, adapt, and move towards their desired future.

Erica has been a CEO and has also been a trusted advisor to CEOs both as an internal employee and as an external advisor and coach.  She has worked with a diverse group of clients, from C-level leaders to high potentials, across a variety of industries.  She has dedicated her career to designing scalable organizations and processes, building managed cultures, coaching high-potential leaders, building highly effective teams, and managing change.   She has deep expertise in coaching, organization design, strategic planning, product and service innovation, change management, leadership as well as sales and client services.

Prior to Yellow Cedar Group, Erica was the President of Apple Growth Partners (AGP), an accounting and advisory firm in NE Ohio. She was responsible for the operation of the organization, setting and executing the firm strategy, and strengthening the culture. Prior to AGP, Erica was the Chief Operating Officer at Destination Cleveland where she led the day-to-day management of the organization, and had direct responsibility for Human Resources, Finance, Project Management and IT; CEO of  Leading Edge Alliance, the largest international Accounting Industry Association; founder and COO of LaunchVector, a technology start-up in Cleveland, OH.; and Chief of Staff at AXS/Veritix where she led the integration effort for the AXS and Veritix acquisition and integrations. Earlier in her career, Erica also served as the National Business Development Director, for BDO, USA, structuring and leading the business development function for BDO nationally.

Erica is a certified Leadership Development Coach and has had responsibilities for coaching CEOs in the companies she has worked for, and on a consulting basis.  She has experience in start-up and high growth environments as well as Fortune 500 organizations.  Erica also occasionally teaches and coaches Leadership Development courses through Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Oh.

Central to Erica’s life are her son, her husband, and her dogs.  Erica is a deep believer in the power of resilience, a driver of intentional growth and an agent of change. She loves connecting with people, animals, and nature through leadership, friendship, coaching, consulting, hiking, running, meditating, community involvement, and conservationist efforts.

  • Honors BA, Psychology, The University of Michigan

  • Masters in Positive Organization Design (MPOD), Case Western Reserve University (CWRU)

  • Certified in Leadership Development, CWRU

  • FEMA – Certified in Disaster Recovery Planning

Ms. Ishida views the coaching relationship as sacred.  All that is shared within the coaching conversations will be kept confidential, unless you, as the client, agrees and wishes to share specific details with someone from work or home.  Progress made in the coaching sessions, and resulting from those sessions, that is of interest to the client’s employer, can be discussed, but in ways that are thematic and not deeply personal, and only in ways and words that the client feels comfortable with sharing.

Confidentiality