How One Visionary Helped Bring Coaching into Government

Dorisse Shakirullah
23 hours ago
2 min read

Updated: 23 hours ago

Tribute to Dr. Juanita S. Stein, EdD, PCC, AcademyGMC Director of Education (Retired)

Dr. Juanita S. Stein is known for changing how leadership is developed in government, but her story is really about helping people grow. Throughout her career, she naturally stepped into roles where she built learning programs that helped people see new possibilities for themselves and their work. At the Defense Logistics Agency, Sue created numerous career development programs to support employee growth in their careers. At the Department of Defense level, she designed leadership courses for high-performing leaders at the Defense Acquisition University, shaping how future government leaders learned and led. She worked with educational accrediting organizations to gain college credit for many courses. Later, at the Pentagon, she helped run an intensive leadership program for senior executives, the Defense Senior Leadership Development Program. But what always stood out most was not the titles she held—it was her passion for helping people change, stretch, and succeed.

That passion led Dr. Stein to co-found and grow more than one coaching education program with talented fellow coaches who shared her vision. Together, they created learning spaces where coaches were not only trained, but supported, challenged, and inspired. She was an early innovator with the Federal Coaching Network. From this network and the growing number of coach education programs a strong community of professionals who now serve across government, the military, nonprofits, and beyond emerged. Through this work and through the Academy of Government and Military Coaching, Dr. Stein has supported hundreds of clients on their personal and professional journeys. She helped leaders find clarity, confidence, and direction during some of the most demanding moments of their careers. A lighthouse of energy.

What makes Dr. Stein special is the way she connects deeply with people while keeping her focus on lasting impact. She helped build coaching programs that stayed strong over time, and believed that coaching should be practical, ethical, and grounded in real life, not just theory. As a lifelong learner, she continues to explore how people grow, how leadership is changing, and how coaches can better serve those they support.

Beyond her formal work, Dr. Stein is generous with her time and heart through coaching, simply because she loves helping people move forward. Whether working with a senior executive or a student coach, she meets people where they are and walks alongside them toward their goals. Through the coaching education programs she helped build and the hundreds of lives she has touched, Dr. Juanita S. Stein has created a legacy that is deeply personal, practical, and lasting.

Dr. Juanita “Sue” Stein announced her retirement from the Academy of Government and Military Coaching (AcademyGMC) team as of January 2026. We celebrate the legacy of Dr. Juanita S. Stein for your extraordinary vision, impact and influence.

Thank you Sue!