The Chandler Henley team, headed by Dr. Angela Spranger, brings extensive experience in human resource management, training and professional development, executive leadership and coaching, and Board management and development - we help organizations navigate complex HR and culture challenges, move towards inclusive excellence, and - most importantly - achieve measurable, sustainable results.

I am Donna’s daughter, Phil Chandler and Alfreda Henley Chandler’s granddaughter, and a child of both the Midwest and MidAtlantic. I am a woman who loves music and dancing; I am rendered awestruck in libraries and museums; and I seek out bodies of water for peaceful restoration and reset.

Professionally, I am an architect of engagement, inclusive leadership strategist, and culture builder with 15+ years of experience helping organizations realize equity-focused change and authentic belonging. As owner and principal consultant of Chandler Henley Consulting, I empower leaders to align people, purpose, and performance—ensuring everyone feels seen, safe, and valued.

My journey has taken me from executive HR leadership and academic administration to community advancement—including roles as Managing Director for the Minnesota Business Coalition for Racial Equity, Human Resources Director at Pillsbury United Communities, and Senior Diversity Officer at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management. I am a Gallup-trained Strengths Coach and have held multiple senior-level certifications in the Human Resources field (SPHR, SHRM-SCP). More importantly, I am dedicated to fostering workplaces and communities where every person matters.

I've been recognized as an “Influential Woman” (2025), “Notable BIPOC Executive” (Twin Cities Business, 2023) and as one of “200 Black Leaders in the Twin Cities” (Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, 2023)—but my proudest moments come from connecting, coaching, and learning with others who are equally committed to justice and positive change. An example of this was my partnership in June 2025 with NACD and others to bring a screening of OnBoard to the Twin Cities.

Selected Publications

Books

• Why People Stay: Helping Your Employees Feel Seen, Safe, and Valued (Routledge, 2018)

• Don’t Take the Monkey: A Facilitator’s Guide to Problem Ownership and Team Accountability (with Keith Spranger)
  [See “Works” for details and links]

Book Chapters

• “A Framework for the Sustainability of WOC DEIA+ Practitioners: A Queen’s Collective.” In Chief Diversity Officers in Higher Education Today (Routledge, 2024)

• “Reigniting Demotivated Employees: Reversing Career Entrenchment.” In Cases on Critical Leadership Skills (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2024)

• “The Inclusive Leader’s Toolkit.” In Policy and Practice Challenges for Equality in Education (IGI Global, 2022)

Selected Journal Articles and Conference Proceedings

• “The Ideology of Acceptability: How Considerations of Ethnography Inform the Doing of Leadership.” Journal of Biblical Perspectives in Leadership, 2011

• “Women’s Perceptions of Working with Women: A Qualitative Study.” Academy of Human Resource Development International Conference in the Americas, 2018

• “Workforce Diversity: Visible, Safe and Valued.” Nonprofit Professional Performance 360, 2015

For more, please visit my Works page.