A commitment to innovative stability
Collaboration, consistency, and communication are key values to excel in high-quality service. Whether your primary customers are businesses, jobseekers, training institutions, students, communities, internal staff, or a combination of the above, strategic objectives with a implementation plan can help your organization maximize resources, minimize duplication, and provide a solution for an improved customer experience.
Whether you are in the UP or LP of Michigan, Uphold Consulting is here to support your organization’s efforts to find solutions.
A passion for building systems
Uphold Consulting’s suite of consulting services provides individualized support, specializing in workforce development, government, non-profit, and education sectors.
One-Stop Operator
Optimizing services between WIOA partners, evaluation of the customer experience, and solutions-focused information and ideas
Strategic Planning
Crafting an objectives-based strategic plan that aligns your organizational goals with actionable steps while providing fresh perspective and insights
Continuous Improvement
Benefit from an objective analysis, specialized knowledge to align with strategic priorities, develop a tailored solution, and support in execution, sustainability, and evaluation
Policy Development
Research, collect data, and analyze existing policy; develop evidence-based policy options with considerations for feasibility and impact; facilitating stakeholder engagement; and support during implementation and evaluation
Project Management
From start to finish, trajectory correction, or a sustainability initiative, Uphold Consulting will help achieve project objectives on-time and within budget
Facilitative Coaching
Facilitating a supportive environment while employing skillful questioning and active listening techniques, we guide individuals and teams to overcome challenges, enhance performance, and realize their full potential
About us
A Michigan-based, independent consulting firm with over 15 years of public sector expertise in workforce development and educational administration, and over 19 years of leadership and management experience.
Principal consultant and owner, Darren Widder, has dedicated the past 15 years to public service, including the past seven years in workforce development at the administrative organization of a Local Workforce Development Board serving 15 rural counties. He oversees operations and provides budget support for over 15 federal and state funding sources regularly. Before his career in workforce development, Darren served eight years in postsecondary educational administration at a public university.
Darren holds a master’s degree in public administration, with an emphasis on public management, and completed post-graduate coursework in educational administration. He is a Certified Talent Pipeline Manager through the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and serves on multiple industry-specific advisory committees in economic development, healthcare, and education. He is well-versed in federal and state regulations and policies surrounding workforce development programming and maintains a knowledge base of uniform administrative requirements and cost principles.
Beyond work, Darren enjoys spending time in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan with his wife of nearly 20 years, Christina, and boys, Dresden (7) and Thorin (4). They reside in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Recreationally, he enjoys backcountry hiking, kayaking, volleyball, tennis, and snowboarding.