Ciara Pressler is the founder of Pregame, a consulting industry disruptor that coaches innovators in business, nonprofit, and government on how to create their game plan and level up their team. The Pregame approach to professional development goes beyond buzzwords and short-term skill sets to teach people how to think strategically and act entrepreneurially.

When it comes to content, Ciara can’t stop/won’t stop: she’s the author of Game Plan: Achieve Your Goals in Life, Career, and Business and Exit Stage Right: The Career Change Handbook for Performers; creator and host of webseries Portland Tea Party, The Audience, and Work/Life on Digital Trends; and has published 100+ business articles in The Huffington Post and as editor of Pregame Magazine.

Pregame evolved from Ciara’s first business, Pressler Collaborative, an NYC-based marketing and PR firm working with startups and creative professionals in arts & culture, entertainment, media, real estate, tech, finance, fitness, and beyond. There, she invented the Game Plan approach to rapid strategic planning and hosted the first Goal Brunch, now in its 16th year.

Previously, Ciara led marketing and membership for Gen Art, a national organization supporting emerging artists in fashion, film, art, and music. Ciara has led professional development programs for organizations including Conde Nast, MTV, A&E Networks, Travel Oregon, City of Portland, Hillsboro Hops, and Portland Trail Blazers.

As an advocate for sustainable entrepreneurship and equitable opportunity, Ciara is the board president of Better Portland and a Governor's Appointee to the board of Oregon Humanities as well as the Oregon Racial Justice Council and its Economic Opportunity Subcommittee. She's also a board alum of Sport Oregon, Operation Nightwatch, and Oregon Entrepreneurs' Network. Ciara is the official emcee of PitchBlack, the startup competition for black founders, awarding the most cold hard cash on the west coast. More at ciarapressler.com!