About Colibri - Who we are and what we're all about
"Vanessa has provided great feedback on our job descriptions, hiring process, and extended our reach to identify great candidates. She's been a great collaborator, and someone I'll reach out to again. Vanessa knows our space and has a great network."
GreenLight Fund
About CCG & Company Values
Colibri Consulting Group (CCG) partners with equity‑driven nonprofits and social impact organizations to design human‑centered talent and culture supports, people operations processes, and practices that honor people, advance equity, and sustain mission-driven efforts. We also take a personalized, people-centered approach to provide career, leadership and executive coaching to diverse leaders working in the nonprofit and social sectors. We prioritize building trusting and authentic partnerships where we lead our clients on a journey of transformation and self improvement to achieve professional results and meet their maximum potential.
We are:
- Diversity, equity, and inclusion advocates who help keep our clients aligned with their values while centering care and belonging.
- Super organized, detail‑oriented partners who follow through, follow up, and turn big intentions into concrete people operations practices.
- Direct and transparent, yet kind and friendly guides who help you navigate challenging decisions with clarity, courage, and compassion.
Drawing inspiration from “el colibrí“ (which translates to hummingbird) we also try and emulate the hummingbird’s spirit and core values including:
- Accountable Precision: We keep projects moving and our clients honest while bringing hummingbird‑level focus to every detail. We design clear, structured, and practical practices – and we gently, firmly hold leaders accountable to the commitments those practices are meant to serve.
- Agility: Providing customizable solutions, we adapt with intention as conditions change, iterating and adjusting while staying anchored in equity, care, and clarity for the needs of our clients.
- Connection Across Difference: We build bridges across identities and perspectives, creating safe spaces where people can be heard, seen, and engaged in co‑creating solutions together.
- Integrity: We say what we mean, do what we say, and tell the truth with compassion. Our work is grounded in honesty, alignment with our values, and respect for everyone involved.
- Joy: We believe joy is a form of resistance and a necessary ingredient for sustainable social impact work. We bring warmth, playfulness, and celebration into the process – even when we’re navigating hard, complex challenges.
- People‑First: We put people at the center of every engagement, building equitable practices and approaches that honor dignity, care, and humanity – especially for BIPOC, women, and other underrepresented leaders.
Our Founding Story
Colibri Consulting Group (CCG) was born in 2017, when Founder Vanessa Ramirez embarked on a deep season of self‑reflection about the kind of impact she wanted to have in the world. After years in nonprofit and social impact spaces – often leading without the mentorship, coaching, or structural support she needed – Vanessa became clear that her work would center creating the kind of people and culture support she wished she’d had as a leader. CCG was created to partner with equity‑driven organizations on talent, organizational culture, and people development, and to provide coaching that breathes confidence and clarity into leaders and job seekers so they feel rooted in their values and equipped to navigate any professional challenge.
A lifelong lover of nature who finds meaning in the smallest details, Vanessa felt a powerful pull toward one tiny but resilient animal: “el colibrí” (the hummingbird) – whose name appears in more than 25 languages and whose spirit shows up across cultures as a symbol of joy, persistence, and connection. For Vanessa, el colibrí is not just a beautiful creature but an ancestral and cultural symbol, a living tribute to her grandmothers and the wisdom, strength, and tenderness they passed down. Inspired by the hummingbird’s ability to move lightly yet make a profound impact, CCG aims to embody its spirit – precision, resilience, pollination of ideas, and connection across difference – in every client engagement and every coaching relationship.
Our Founder
Vanessa Ramirez, SHRM-SCP
Vanessa Ramirez (she/her/ella) brings over 20 years of cross-sector experience across the nonprofit, government, and private social impact sectors. As the founder of Colibri Consulting Group (CCG), she is a dedicated advocate for social justice, diversity, equity, and organizational effectiveness. Her professional approach is deeply informed by her lived experience as a woman of color and a trailblazer committed to leadership development and community empowerment.
Prior to founding CCG in 2017, Vanessa held leadership roles at national education nonprofits, including Education Pioneers and College Summit, where she scaled programs and built diverse recruitment pipelines. Her background also includes serving as a political strategist with The Raben Group and as a United States Congressional aide through the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute.
A two-time first-generation college graduate, Vanessa holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy and a Political Management Certificate from the University of Southern California, as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from UC Berkeley. She is a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) and a lifelong learner.
Originally from Fontana and currently based in Los Angeles, Vanessa remains active in the community through mentorship and professional associations such as PIHRA, HOPE, Lean In Latinas, and NLBWA-LA. In her personal time, she enjoys wine tasting, attending football games, and spending quality time with her friends and family.
"Vanessa is amazing with exceptional organization, communication and follow-up skills. She built trust and rapport quickly and was so responsive she made us feel like we were her only client."
Californians Together