Your Critical Friends and Consulting Co-Pilots.
Our Mission for Mission-Driven Orgs
We seek to partner with mission-driven organizations to provide strategic counsel for leadership, uncover opportunities for improvement, build up teams, develop community, and facilitate the path forward.
Clients we serve
Faith-Based:
Churches, Religious Governing Bodies,
and other Faith-Based Orgs.
Public Sector:
Governing Entities, Universities,
School Districts, and Private Ed. Orgs.
Private Sector:
Individuals, Start-Ups,
SMBs, and Enterprises
Non-Profits:
Social-welfare Organizations,
Charities, and Foundations
Services
Org Effectiveness Evaluations
“But are we actually effective?” is one of the most important (but least asked) questions that can be faced. We are specialists at uncovering the honest answers and diagnosing how things can improve. Included here is our secret customer/visitor services!
Second Brain Sessions
In an age of information overload, pulling in a second brain to help find clarity can be invaluable. However, not all conversations are made alike. We are specialists at crafting dialogues for facilitating the insight and outcomes you need the most.
Professional Facilitation
Meaningful progress usually requires getting lots of people to understand each other and “buy in” to a plan of action. We are highly experienced at leading groups to build consensus, generate new insights, and chart the path forward.
Planning & Project Management
Intentional impacts are often the result of responsible planning, but the success of a plan depends on execution. Our aid in both planning and project management can help your team aim true and remain accountable for staying the course.
Team Building - Games, Events, & Retreats
Helping teams have fun together, feel valued, and develop the trust needed to speak honestly is not a distraction—it’s a vital part of the foundation. Our games, events, and retreats help build resilient, tight-knit teams that are able to execute.
Other Business Services
The Marlette Consulting network is able to provide a variety of other commonly requested services. This includes Digital Marketing, Content Production, Data Analysis, Grant Writing, Software Development, Recruiting, and more!
About Us
Simply put, we exist to help organizations thrive and make a difference in the world. Whether your organization is part of the private, public, or non-profit sector, or is a faith-based organization, the team at Marlette Consulting is prepared to enhance your mission and effectiveness by offering an array of professional services.
The Core Team at Marlette Consulting consists of Nathan Marlette, Stephen Marlette, and Brock Fierge. Each bring a complimentary mix of skills, experience, and credentials to the table—enabling us to expertly provide our core services and make an impact both for and with our clients. More about our backgrounds can be found below. We would love to get to know you as well!
Nathan Marlette, MPA
Owner & Founding Consultant
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Nathan's professional experience has entailed some form of consulting for most of his career. In the early years, he worked for a small consulting company and was given the opportunity to grow by wearing many hats — working as a Project Manager, Planner, Technical Writer, and Research Lead.
From there his journey took him to work for a local municipality in the North Dallas area where he was tasked with running the city's Managed Competition Program — an initiative that required him to lead small teams to thoroughly analyze and observe each city department to, essentially, determine if they were doing a "good" job, whether they were competitive with similar services offered by the private sector, and how they might innovate or become more effective. Of course, this required defining what "good" meant — a much more philosophical task than might be expected on first glance. This process developed his skill in synthesizing qualitative information from discrete investigations, direct job shadowing, employee feedback, and management interviews with quantitative data like KPIs, financial reports, staffing composition metrics, and external benchmarking.
These years as an "internal consultant" were invaluable to developing his prowess for driving organizational effectiveness. This experience eventually provided him the opportunity to do similar work for a Fortune 100 company as an Organizational Effectiveness Advisor, where he also found opportunities to grow his knowledge bases in strategic workforce planning, organizational design, leadership development, and employee engagement as well.
His unique mix of data literacy, critical thinking, and facilitation prowess soon opened up a door for him to step into a new role as a Sr. People Analytics Consultant where he began to lead teams of analysts to diagnose problems, craft solutions and analytic products, and evaluate internal programs. This also required skill at engaging high level leaders and serving as the "bridge" between technical staff and executive audiences.
His ability to uncover issues, synthesize disparate information into a coherent narrative, and lead teams to solve problems soon caught the attention of others — opening up doors that lead to the founding of Marlette Consulting. Nathan's passion for making a truly effective impact has turned many client engagements into long-term partnerships. We would love to come alongside you and help you make a difference as well!
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Much of Nathan's early experience in faith-based settings came from playing music in church worship bands, which he has now done for almost 20 years. He was also formed by the rigorous training required by participation for 12 years in a program called Bible Quizzing, a program that requires youth to memorize large portions of scripture and come together as teams for academic "bowl style" competitions to correctly quote, cross reference, and answer questions about the material. Not only did these experiences contribute to his early spiritual formation, they also developed his ability to lead teams, honed his mind, and ignited a passion for working in the Church.
As his abilities developed, the Lord opened doors for him to grow in his involvement within the local churches he attended. He started with serving on staff for his Youth Group, soon growing into Youth Worship leader, and eventually the becoming the Band Director for the main congregation. Other roles have included Quizzing Coordinator, Church Administrative Secretary, and Young Marrieds Director. He even started a church judo club, and has thrown himself into dozens of other adhoc projects and initiatives. In short, he has spoken from the platform and run the cable underneath it. He has organized everything from ministry budgets to men's softball teams.
His passion for making an impact has also developed an aptitude for teaching. For over 15 years he has served as a formal mentor for individual students and a teacher for Sunday School, new member orientations, discipleship courses, leadership trainings, and dozens of home Bible studies. Earlier in his youth, he also served as a Boy Scout Troop Guide and Patrol leader — positions requiring leading and training younger scouts in the development of life skills and resilience.
One particular responsibility that has especially shaped his thinking has been his role as Director over his local church's Serve Day Initiative — an annual project that requires extensive planning and organizing teams of leaders over 200+ volunteers to partner with dozens of local non-profits for a day of community service. These efforts have only strengthened his conviction about the dormant strength of the Church and the need for leaders to invest in making the Church (and other faith-based organizations!) the most effective that they can possibly be.
With this perspective in mind, Nathan has sought to apply all of his professional experience and formal education as a Church consultant. Many faith-based clients have successfully utilized his unique experience and background to help them discover where they can improve. Regional religious governing bodies have also used his facilitation services to moderate discussions, help craft their foundational values, and analyze their strategic growth initiatives. If you are a faith-based or mission-driven organization, Nathan would love to bring his passion for impact together in partnership with yours!
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Degrees:
Masters of Arts in Public Administration
University of North Texas - Denton; GPA 4.0
Passed UNT Final Comp Exams with "Distinction", the highest rating available.
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology - Minor in Business Administration
University of Missouri - St. Louis
Graduated with Honors from Pierre Laclede Honors College.
Associates of Arts in General Studies
Florissant Valley Community College
Placed in 99th percentile in Critical Thinking portion of CAAP ACT Exit Exam
President of FVAC Business Club
Credentials:
Quality Driven Management Expert
American Society for Quality
Six Sigma Black Belt
The Council for Six Sigma Certification
Eagle Scout
BSA Troop 884
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Nathan's greatest joys in life are found in faith and family. Nathan and his wife Kalyn are based in the suburbs of Dallas Texas and have been given the gift of two beautiful, amazing children — Miles and Celeste. When they are not spending their time wrestling with Dad in the living room, the Marlette family can be found taking walks and exploring, going on playdates with friends, asking a million and one questions to Mom and Dad about the world, and devouring yogurt tubes and chicken nuggets. Kalyn has a long career as a Licensed Professional Counselor and now has taken a well-deserved break to be a stay at home mom for a little bit. Say a prayer for her sanity with the kids.
Nathan's passion for making an impact and improving the Church have already been outlined elsewhere as part of the Faith-Based section of this bio, but his other interests include playing spikeball, volleyball, softball,… and dungeons and dragons — or, well, any type of RPGs or board games with his friends. Outside of these hobbies Nathan also enjoys playing guitar and having people over to drink coffee and chat late into the night.
He is unashamedly a people person and enjoys getting to engage in deepening his relationships with others. For him, it's not just "what he does" — it is also "who he does it with." True impact is often based on a bedrock of trusting relationships and we sincerely hope that you will considering partnering with us to form relationships that can make a difference!
Stephen Marlette, PhD
Sr. Advisory Consultant
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Stephen Marlette brings over 30 years of experience in education, leadership, and curriculum design to Marlette Consulting. Currently serving as a full professor at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, he has taught in three nationally accredited teacher education programs across North Dakota, Kansas, and Illinois. Throughout his career, Stephen has developed a reputation for his deep knowledge of assessment systems, curriculum design, and instructional effectiveness, with particular expertise spanning PreK–12 education.
His journey began in the classroom as a middle school science teacher, where his passion for inquiry-based learning and his STEM background laid the foundation for a lifelong commitment to equipping both students and educators. Over time, his professional focus expanded to include program evaluation, teacher preparation, instructional coaching, and strategic planning at both the institutional and regional levels.
As the Director of Assessment for all initial certification teacher education programs at SIUE, Stephen plays a vital role in ensuring ongoing accreditation through the development of key performance indicators, evaluation systems, and quality assurance processes. His work includes grant writing, team leadership, and the design of face-to-face, hybrid, and online curricula that meet both state and national standards.
He has also consulted for school districts in rural, suburban, and urban settings—supporting district leaders and classroom educators alike in their efforts to improve instructional quality and student outcomes. From teacher coaching to professional development to organizational review, Stephen brings an educator’s heart and a systems thinker’s mind to every engagement.
Stephen has authored and co-authored numerous scholarly articles and presented at major national conferences. He has received several research grants, including awards from the National Science Foundation and state-level education boards. His published works focus on teacher education and preparation, curriculum development and STEM integration, instructional mentoring, assessment reform, and teacher change. He has also served on editorial boards and wrote and led several grant funded initiatives. These efforts have contributed to the development of formative assessment tools, interdisciplinary curriculum models, and strategies to support pre-service teachers in high-stakes testing environments. However, no matter the setting Stephen’s core approach remains the same: equip people to ask better questions, build more effective systems, and make authentic connections.
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Stephen’s dedication to equipping others also extends deeply into his faith life. For more than three decades, he has faithfully served in a variety of ministry roles within churches of all sizes—living out his belief that we are called to “bloom where we are planted.” He is a licensed minister within his denomination and his leadership experience includes work as a youth minister, adult and youth teacher, director of evangelism, small group leader, and church board member. He has taught home Bible studies, led cell ministries, organized community outreach efforts, coordinated transportation and altar ministry teams, and even served as a van driver when needed.
One of his unique contributions has been helping faith-based organizations integrate professional tools—like data collection practices and literature reviews—into ministry development. He has also worked with district-level leadership on strategic planning initiatives.
Last, but not least, he has also served as Scout Master of Troop 884, mentoring dozens of boys—including many Eagle Scouts—through leadership development and community service projects.
Stephen’s background as a Bible Quiz Coordinator, Scout Master, and College-and-Career Teacher reflects his long-standing commitment to the discipleship of all generations. Whether through public speaking, or behind-the-scenes service, he brings the same humility and effectiveness to faith-based work that he’s known for in academia.
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Degrees:
Ph.D., Curriculum and Instruction
Kansas State University
Masters of Education, General Pedagogy
North Dakota State University
Bachelors of Science, Life Science Teaching
Moorhead State University
Specializations:
K–12 Science Education
Middle School Curriculum
Inquiry and Project-Based Learning
Assessment and Evaluation
Curriculum Design
Team-Based Problem Solving
Teacher Research
Academic Titles & Roles:
Professor of Education, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Director of Assessment for Initial Certification Programs
Director of Elementary Education Program
More Credentials:
NSRF Trained and Certified Critical Friends Facilitator for Learning Communities or Communities of Practice
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Stephen and his wife have been married for over 38 years — successfully raising five children together. Now proud grandparents, they enjoy traveling the country to spend time with their growing family. They also enjoy cooking together and their home is often filled with the warmth of good meals and deep conversations shared with friends.
His hobbies include visiting antique stores, tinkering in his workshop, and even dabbling in metal detecting. Stephen also enjoys exploring, fishing, camping, and leading outdoor retreats and has affectionally been given the trail name of "Chef Steph" by many of those who he has guided through wilderness adventures.
Stephen is a connector at heart — energized by collaboration, dialogue, and solving problems as part of a team. Whether in a classroom, a church, or a community space, Stephen brings a steady presence, a servant’s heart, and a mind sharpened by decades of research and real-world leadership. He is excited to bring his blend of faith, scholarship, and practical expertise to the work of Marlette Consulting.
Brock Fierge, MAED
Coach and Consultant
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Brock’s career has always been centered around equipping others — whether in the classroom, on the court, or in the living room of a house he helped restore. For nearly a decade, he served as a classroom teacher in St. Louis Public Schools, helping shape gifted young minds while developing the leadership and communication skills that would carry into every other domain of his professional life. Alongside teaching, he became a respected coach, leading high school basketball and baseball teams across multiple schools and pouring into the lives of young athletes both on and off the court.
Brock’s professional journey also includes work as a Data Analyst for C.Saucy Inc., where he developed insights to help drive company performance for five years. During this time, he also worked as a personal assistant to the owner of a home improvement company, giving him exposure to the how businesses are operated on front end and formed on the back end.
That experience is mirrored by his own hands-on entrepreneurial ventures. Brock has purchased, rehabilitated, and sold multiple residential homes in the Missouri and Illinois areas. His work spans everything from window and door installations to managing full residential rehab projects — including pouring concrete and overseeing construction teams.
In addition, Brock's entrepreneurial ventures include being a certified Ramsey Solutions Financial Coach and the founder of Plans to Prosper Financial Coaching, a service-driven business where he works with individuals and families to establish strong financial habits, reduce debt, and plan for the future. This unique blend of educator, builder, coach, and financial mentor reflects a life driven by impact and transformation — whether in people or properties.
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Brock’s involvement in ministry is both deep and broad, spanning teaching, preaching, mentoring, and music. He is a licensed minister with the United Pentecostal Church International (UPCI) and has served as a facilitator for the UPCI Missouri District, helping district leaders from across the region identify and articulate their foundational values. Whether moderating deep conversations or guiding congregational teams, Brock thrives in environments where clarity, collaboration, and accountable execution are needed.
Locally, Brock has served in his local church in a variety of roles for over a decade. In the past he has served as a longtime youth staff member and is currently a dedicated small group leader and a frequent speaker for both youth and adult gatherings. He is also a lead teacher for his church's discipleship courses and has poured years into developing the church’s Bible Quizzing program, serving as a coach for 11 years and as Director for 3 years.
In addition to his speaking and teaching roles, Brock also has a heart for worship. He spent 5 years leading youth music and choir teams at The Sanctuary and has privately taught music for over a decade — mentoring students in drums, piano, guitar, and beyond. His ministry experience reflects a deep desire to serve across generations and in a variety of ways.
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Degrees:
Master of Arts in Gifted Education
Lindenwood UniversityBachelor of Science in Elementary Education
Missouri Baptist UniversityCertifications:
Missouri Lifetime Teaching Certification (Grades 5–9, Middle School Math)
Ramsey Solutions Certified Financial Coach
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Brock and his wife Chloe live in the greater St. Louis area and are the proud parents of two beautiful daughters, Zara and Vera. Chloe is also an entrepreneur and runs a thriving small business — making theirs a household full of creativity, energy, and vision. Rounding out the family is their beloved (and furry) companion, Teddy the dog.
Brock is a lifelong learner and a self-professed research nerd when it comes to personal finance and investing. He is constantly diving into new material, whether books, podcasts, or interviews, to understand how the world of investing works and how people can properly steward their resources. He enjoys coaching others, especially when it comes to helping people move toward growth.
Outside of work and ministry, Brock enjoys a good game of basketball or floor hockey, playing a variety of instruments, and spending time with friends. Known for his strong work ethic, quiet discipline, and heart to coach others toward their potential, Brock brings value to every room he walks into — often without needing to say much at all.
Marlette Consulting’s Extended Team
To comprehensively serve the needs of our diverse clients, the extended team at Marlette Consulting consists of an assembled network of professionals from across many backgrounds, including data analysts, CPAs, professors, producers, designers, developers, clergy, non-profit executives, and many others. We specialize in connecting our clients to the right person to help guide them towards the solutions they need.
CONTACT US
Please feel free to reach out with any inquiries you may have or just to start a conversation! We would love to hear from you, share ideas, and learn how we can best serve you.
Feel free to call us, send an email, or use the form below!
Main Phone: (314) 503-9308
Main Email: nathan@marletteconsulting.com