About Innovate Planning & Co. 

Allyson Friesen, Principal of Innovate Planning & Co., is a sought-after Lean Six Sigma Black Belt consultant, Prosci® Certified Change Practitioner, Registered Professional Planner, and highly skilled facilitator. She shares more than 20 years of experience in leadership and mentoring, business planning and process improvement, community parks, recreation and culture master plans, programs and policies, and customized training programs.

As one of the first recreation planners in Canada, her qualifications include a Master of Arts – Leadership and Training (Royal Roads University), Bachelor of Physical Education – Leisure and Sports Administration (University of British Columbia), Diploma in Public Sector Management – Local Government (University of Victoria), and Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (Villanova University). She is a Prosci® Certified Change Practitioner, Registered Professional Planner (RPP) with the Planning Institute of BC, and Member of the Canadian Institute of Planners (MCIP).

Allyson has led multiple master and strategic planning, change management, process improvement, and training initiatives at the Township of Langley, cities of Dawson Creek, Surrey, Richmond, Coquitlam, Abbotsford, and District of West Vancouver as well as other private organizations, including those that work with or serve local governments. She also coached executive-level Lean Six Sigma Green Belts in health care projects ranging from workflow optimization to reducing patient intake and discharge wait times in health care settings. She is a passionate advocate of purposeful change to help organizations and communities create the transformation needed to achieve their goals and peak potential.

Specialties: strategic planning & implementation, organizational development, change management, business & process improvement, curriculum development, and local government.