"Patrick really understands current workforce planning issues and what it takes to resolve them. What I find most interesting and helpful about working with Patrick is how he's able to relate his real-life work experience to our specific challenges. The Mejorando Group impressed us in the competitive selection process, and they came through in a timely manner with a systematic and comprehensive workforce planning program, and Patrick is continuing to consult with us as we put his recommendations into place."

Keith J. Hunke
Assistant City Administrator
City of Bismarck, North Dakota

"After a citizen survey revealed great dissatisfaction with City services, we hired Patrick Ibarra and the Mejorando Group to harness and focus the energies of employees who were committed to change. He showed our employees the opportunities the survey results presented, created an employee task force, and helped them present a report to senior management, complete with actionable recommendations. Everyone who worked with Patrick loved his style, his stories, and the high bar he set for them to continually improve."

Janet Schneider
Administrative Chief
City of Richmond, California

"Law enforcement is continually challenged to recruit and retain the best people, especially since Generations X and Y don’t show the strong interest in the field as Baby Boomers have. Patrick Ibarra's Succession Planning workshop was the right program at the right time for our department. He lays a very solid and understandable foundation regarding the importance of succession planning, and actually helped us craft a vision for the best way to grow our own strong workforce and leadership. Patrick's delivery is full of energy and humor. He gave us the complete package."

Ellen Hanson
Chief of Police
Lenexa, Kansas

"We knew that we needed a comprehensive, practical approach to succession planning and employee development, but we didn’t know how to get there. Patrick Ibarra looked at our specific circumstances and helped us develop an effective program to develop employees, keep valuable knowledge within the organization, and improve the city’s recruitment efforts. City Councils can be very difficult to sell on things, but Patrick’s professionalism and expertise (not to mention his humor) made him credible and trustworthy from the very beginning. We’re very pleased with the work he’s done, and would recommend him to any organization looking to establish an effective succession plan."

Kelly Cooper
Human Resources Director
City of Colleyville, Texas

"We felt from the beginning that Patrick Ibarra was the right person to lead a comprehensive assessment of our human resource functions. He came specifically and enthusiastically recommended, and he proceeded to educate us, motivate us, and help us get real about change. At the end of the project, Patrick provided us with something we could really use — not just a technical analysis but also a detailed implementation plan that’s empowering the department to take bold action. Patrick’s passion for bringing agencies and individuals up to the level they’re capable of is contagious, and our organization is positioned to become much better because of it."

Julie C. Cardillo
Senior Executive Analyst
Executive Department Housing Authority of the County of Santa Clara

"When it comes to improving customer service, it’s easy to do the little stuff — like create a mission statement and put a policy manual together. But it takes leadership to inspire cultural change. Patrick Ibarra showed up at exactly the right time, and has used his passion, vision, and caring nature to help us become leaders, be more responsive to our customers, and make real, positive changes within our organization."

Loretta Kearns
Revenue Manager
City of Bullhead City, Arizona

“The rapport between Mr. Ibarra’s team and our staff was phenomenal. Mr. Ibarra was a great project manager and constantly sought ways to disrupt the status quo. His team’s recommendations will surely help us achieve our goal of becoming a full-service Human Resources Department.”

Richard Greek
HR Director
San Luis Obispo County, California

"The Leadership Academy was challenging and compelling. The best part was being able to practice techniques for managing employee performance. Now I'm more confident than ever about providing feedback to my team, and I'm better at addressing issues in a timely manner. This training has been extremely helpful to me."

Brian Caminada
Fire Battalion Chief
City of Newark Fire Department

“I’ve never attended a workshop so rich with valuable information. Patrick provided real-life experiences I could relate to, because he knows the challenges and frustrations of people in government. After the workshop, I created my own ‘cheat sheet’ to remind me how to masterfully handle any difficult situation I walk into.”

Lenka Diaz
Community & Human Services Analyst
City of Newark, CA

“Patrick Ibarra is a trainer we’re going to keep. Before conducting a two-day workshop on Presentation Skills, he took the time to understand our organization and the City Manager's goals for the training. We’ve already seen an overall improvement in presentations at our Council meetings, and Mr. Ibarra continues to provide valuable follow-up.”

Julie Carter
Assistant to the City Manager (Personnel Officer)
City of Dublin, CA

“Patrick Ibarra’s training sessions always get rave reviews. Our people find his workshops really valuable, and they like that he’s genuinely interested in their success. For example, he does great follow up. Months after the classes are over, he still e-mails tips and suggestions to workshop participants!”

Robbin Lou
Human Resource Technician
East Bay Municipal Utility District
Oakland, CA

“Hearing Patrick Ibarra speak was extremely worthwhile. He zeroed in on the important issues and imparted his ideas in a dynamic, succinct, and valuable way. He was by far the best speaker at the conference!”

Denese Wilson
Human Resources Director
City of Moreno Valley, California

“Fundamentals of Human Resources” was one of the first workshops I've attended where I truly felt our agency got its money’s worth—and more. Mr. Ibarra is extremely knowledgeable. I wish I could spend a week just picking his brain!”

Michele Martin
Sr. Personnel Analyst
Human Resources
City of Visalia, CA

"I've taken a lot of management related training courses during my 32 years in the Fire Service, and Patrick's Leadership Academy ranks among the best in terms of developing practical, useful techniques for dealing with managerial and employee issues."

Don Wilson
Fire Battalion Chief
City of Newark Fire Department

“I found Patrick Ibarra's workshop on Succession Planning extremely helpful. His thought-provoking presentation made me aware of how critical it is for any organization to plan for and groom the next generation of leaders.  Especially with the approaching retirement of much of the baby boom generation. I'm already using his ideas and strategies to ensure the long-term performance and competitive position of my department."

Michael Sills-Trausch
Senior Management Assistant/Field Operations
City of Glendale, Arizona

“Patrick Ibarra is helping our department develop closer relationships with our customers, so we can build trust and be more of a business partner. We're implementing the strategies and tactics recommended by the Mejorando Group to more effectively meet the needs of our clients in the areas of selection and staffing, employee development and training, labor relations, technology application, classification and compensation, and other human resource issues. The solutions provided by Patrick Ibarra and his team have made us eager to do what we do even better."

Woodrow Jones
Human Resources Director
City of Tacoma, Washington

“When evaluating proposals for conducting a training workshop for newly appointed managers, Patrick Ibarra's was right on target. From the start, Patrick demonstrated that he asks the right questions and listens to people's needs....And then he delivered. His workshop, The New Manager, was wildly successful. Patrick gave our supervisors- and managers-to-be important tools they're using now to gain fast credibility with and support from the new teams they're leading. Patrick covered a wide range of topics, and kept the session lively and engaging. All attendees found the workshop to be extremely valuable, and it's great to know that we have Patrick as a skilled and responsive resource for our future training needs."

Aileen Evans
Organizational Development Manager
Port of Oakland

"I was impressed with Patrick Ibarra’s style of instructing and facilitating. He has all the right stuff and really helped coalesce our new team, which has been charged with recommending ways for the City to increase its level of customer service. During our first meeting, Patrick helped us determine exactly what we need to do, and helped us put together a detailed roadmap. This was particularly useful because people came into the meeting with different sets of expectations. Due to Patrick's never-ending enthusiasm and insightful guidance, we all left the meeting motivated to work hard and work together to achieve our goals."

Shannon Mertz
Senior Management Analyst
Parks & Recreation
Department
City of Oceanside, California

"Our succession planning workshop was timely, valuable, and motivational.  Patrick Ibarra has that wonderful ability to inform, engage, and entertain all at the same time.  We were quite impressed!”

Kim van Ekstrom
Manager, Marketing & Transportation Programs
City of Redmond, Washington

“Our group of charter school administrators needed to work better as a team and communicate with each other more effectively. In response to our particular needs, Patrick designed and facilitated a wonderful two-day workshop that included lively discussions, individual and group goal-setting, and highly participatory activities. With great professionalism, Patrick created a positive atmosphere that allowed us to identify areas for improvement and overcome obstacles to our continued growth.”

Kathi McCulla
Visions In Education
9-12 Academy Administrator
Carmichael, CA

“The Mejorando Group was instrumental in helping us improve our customer service, both for internal and external customers.  Patrick Ibarra provided us with specific recommendations as to how to best move forward, and took everything one step further by helping us build, motivate, and guide an employee team to shepherd the recommendations from concept to reality.  Patrick is energetic, creative, and strategic, and we will continue to build on the customer service foundation he helped create."

Martha Clark Lofgren
City Manager
City of Folsom, CA

"I'm fairly new at managing staff, and was somewhat intimidated by my colleagues who had more experience. Patrick Ibarra's Leadership Academy helped me identify my strengths and areas for improvement, and gave me the time and place to practice important skills. I now feel extremely comfortable using the techniques Patrick taught me, and I look forward to getting better all the time!"

Sheila S. Allen
Recreation Coordinator
City of Newark, California

“Patrick Ibarra's Time Management workshop was extremely valuable, and I immediately began to apply the tools and techniques I learned. For example, I'm constantly improving my ability to get projects done and still be accessible to people... Patrick knows his stuff and thinks on his feet to tailor the material to the specific needs of each group. I look forward to more of his workshops and will recommend them to other City departments."

Mary Rose Parkman
Housing Programs Analyst
City of Concord, CA

“When the City of Folsom set its sights on improving customer service, we wanted to engage a consultant who would take the time to understand our unique situation and give us a completely customized solution. Patrick Ibarra's Performance Needs Assessment method was exactly what we were looking for. Working with Patrick resulted in breakthrough strategy, training and process improvement recommendations that have aligned the City’s organization, business processes, and employees, and have allowed us to build on our existing knowledge, skills, and abilities."

Evert Palmer
Director of Administrative Services
City of Folsom, CA

“Patrick’s informative workshop on Facilitation Techniques gave me new insights and ideas for success on many levels. It was really enjoyable, too. I’ve already used several of the techniques on paraphrasing, giving and receiving feedback, and asking questions. As a result, my involvement at staff meetings has greatly improved.”

Carole Perry
Administrative Services Director
City of Dublin, California

“I've been teaching leadership for many years in a business that demands it. As a participant in Patrick Ibarra's Leadership Challenge workshop, I learned many new approaches to leadership and management that will help me create a stronger, more effective police department. I highly recommend Patrick Ibarra."

Dave Snowden
Chief of Police
City of Beverly Hills Police Department

"The key word in the title of Patrick Ibarra's "How To Make Effective Presentations" workshop is 'effective.' I'm now more aware of my hand motions and facial expressions while speaking, and I look at other public speakers in a different light. I'm a strong believer in always improving yourself regardless of what position you hold, and I know this workshop has given me the skills I need to be a better presenter."

Christine Tien
Deputy City Manager
City of Stockton, CA

"The best thing about Patrick was how he tied together his own professional experiences with what we encounter on a daily basis. This connection, and his great delivery, created a high-energy workshop on Effective Facilitation. I was particularly impressed with the way he facilitated the workshop, which has proven to be valuable for me even beyond the tools and ideas he gave us. Since attending the workshop, my confidence in my own ability to facilitate staff trainings and orientations is high, which is absolutely critical when you're responsible for your organization's continued success."

Steve Voorhees
Parks & Recreation Program Manager
City of Concord, California