Organizational culture shapes strategy more than many leaders realize. This session explores how cultural assessment data can reveal strengths, surface risks, and directly inform strategic positioning and decision-making.
This panel discussion will feature Tonya Keim, Chief of Staff at Bluestem Communities and Nikki Rineer, Senior Consultant at AQORD Consulting.
Tonya Keim serves on the Executive Leadership Team of Bluestem Communities as Chief of Staff. She manages organizational communication, strategic interests, stakeholder engagement, legislative priorities, and integration projects. Tonya works alongside the CEO to implement initiatives for organizational growth. She especially enjoys resident interaction and opportunities for employee engagement. She collaborates with community partners in the many Kansas counties Bluestem Communities serves including chambers, colleges, businesses, and cooperatives. Tonya earned her degree at Bethel College. She lives in Hesston with her three teenage children.
Nikki Rineer is a Senior Consultant at AQORD Consulting and the firm’s Culture and Leadership Specialist. She brings over 25 years of leadership experience, with deep expertise in organizational culture, leadership development, and executive assessment. Her tenure as Executive Director of a senior living campus and as President of a national research and consulting firm — where she guided C-suite leaders across more than 350 organizations — gives her a rare ability to evaluate potential leaders not only for competency, but for cultural resonance and long-term leadership fit. In succession and transition engagements, Nikki serves as a trusted culture and assessment resource; her background in stakeholder engagement, organizational health, and data-informed leadership assessment strengthens the process from first discovery to final decision. A respected national speaker, Nikki brings a thoughtful, people-centered approach to every engagement — grounded in her conviction that organizations remember how a transition felt long after they have forgotten how it was managed, and that protecting people’s dignity through change is not a soft skill; it is the strategy.
November 17, 2026, 2:30-3:30 p.m. EST