A life shaped by developing others
Alan Cleveland didn't come to coaching as a second career — he arrived as someone who has spent a lifetime creating spaces where people could grow. From leading a congregation of over 1,100 people for more than two decades, to his current role as Executive Director for Church Strengthening with Converge Great Lakes — working alongside more than 100 churches across Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula — every chapter of his life has been anchored in one consistent conviction: that people are capable of far more than they realize.
After 40 years in ministry — including 28 years as a Senior/Lead Pastor, serving 7 years in Michigan and 21 years in Wisconsin — Alan now channels that depth of experience into professional coaching through Cleveland Leadership Coaching. He holds the Associate Certified Coach (ACC) credential from the International Coaching Federation and completed his coaching certification through the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He is also trained in group and team coaching, enabling him to work with both individuals and leadership teams with equal effectiveness.
His coaching draws on a rare convergence of disciplines: a Doctor of Ministry, service as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army, a career-long commitment to leadership development, formal coaching training, and certified expertise in Working Genius® team dynamics. He brings particular depth to leaders navigating complexity, transition, and the pressure to perform at levels that require more than skill — they require clarity of identity and purpose.
Alan is also a cancer survivor — an experience that sharpened his conviction that life is too brief to lead without clarity and too meaningful to navigate without support. That urgency, combined with genuine warmth and hard-won wisdom, defines every coaching relationship he enters.
Alan and his wife Susan have been married for over 40 years and are proud parents of four daughters, three sons-in-law, and six grandchildren. When he's not coaching, you'll find him reading history or losing track of time as a self-described "fair-weather star gazer."