Gabby Nelson specializes in client relationships and business expansion as well as people development. She is a member of the change and transformation discipline, serving as a senior counselor and point of contact for existing clients. In her role, Gabby also drives new business opportunities among potential and existing clients and supports team performance through professional development and coaching. She serves as a director, people management & client delivery within Gagen MacDonald (an APCO Company) and is based in Minneapolis.
Prior to joining Gagen MacDonald, Gabby founded a consultancy focused on leadership, transformation and change management, internal communications and employee engagement. Clients included NTT Data and onsemi Semiconductors. She also held senior roles at Cargill – the largest private company in the US – overseeing corporate communications, including change management and internal communications, for the IT, Finance and HR functions. Before joining Cargill, Gabby managed all communications (corporate, employee, financial, crisis, PR, digital, social, influencer, etc.) for Sleep Number, a market leader in specialty-sleep products. Gabby began her career working for Weber Shandwick and FleishmanHIllard in the marketing communications practice groups.
Gabby is a member of Mixing Board – a communications think tank based in San Francisco that focuses on evolving the professional through shared best practices. A supporter of helping women and POC more quickly ascend to leadership roles, Gabby also is a member of ELLA/The Fairway and is on the board of directors for Leaders of Today and Tomorrow (LOTT). She recently co-authored a chapter for the book Winds of Change: The Story of Powerful Women, which provides early-in-career women with insights and tools to help them reach their full potential.
Gabby holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. She lives in a 103-year-old house with her husband, Peter, and her dog, Spot. Hobbies include reading, yoga, biking, cooking, traveling and laughing… a lot.
