# Cortez Consulting

> Cortez Consulting is an Austin firm founded by Laura J. Cortez that spent its first decade helping public agencies, nonprofits and development teams bring overlooked residents into decisions about housing, mobility, parks, food systems and public facilities. It now applies that same listening-first method inside mission-driven organizations through fractional strategy and operations leadership, strategic-planning projects, executive retreats, board facilitation and coaching.

- **Founded:** 2015
- **Headquarters:** Austin, United States
- **Founders:** Laura J. Cortez (CEO and Founder)
- **Team size:** 12 employees
- **Products:** Embedded executive advisory, Strategic planning projects, Executive intensives and retreats, Community outreach and public meetings, Research and feedback
- **Notable:** Built a project portfolio spanning public education, affordable housing, transportation, parks, green space, food systems, aging and organizational strategy., Gathered input from more than 1,500 residents for Palm Park's preliminary design process., Led engagement for Austin's 2015 aquatic planning process, which informed the later Aquatic Master Plan.

## Products & services

- **Embedded executive advisory** — Three-, six- or twelve-month engagements, on site one to three days per week, in fractional Chief Strategy Officer, Chief Operating Officer or Chief of Staff roles.
- **Strategic planning projects** — Hands-on workshops that turn a new initiative into a roadmap, practical milestones and an implementation plan.
- **Executive intensives and retreats** — One-day wellness resets, executive retreats, board facilitation and reconnection, and executive coaching.
- **Community outreach and public meetings** — In-person, virtual and hybrid outreach, meeting design, facilitation and logistics intended to reach a wide range of residents and stakeholders.
- **Research and feedback** — Focus groups, interviews, surveys and qualitative and quantitative analysis used to produce engagement findings and inform project decisions.
- **Public relations and communications** — Press releases, advertising, media outreach, multilingual materials and communication strategy for public-facing projects.

## Achievements

- Built a project portfolio spanning public education, affordable housing, transportation, parks, green space, food systems, aging and organizational strategy.
- Gathered input from more than 1,500 residents for Palm Park's preliminary design process.
- Led engagement for Austin's 2015 aquatic planning process, which informed the later Aquatic Master Plan.
- Public feedback during St. John redevelopment engagement led to more family-friendly units and stronger connections between residential buildings and the park.
- Certified as a women- and minority-owned business and as a Historically Underutilized Business.
- Won or participated in multiple public contracts, including a 2015 City of Austin engagement contract capped at $180,340, a 2020 contract capped at $253,750 and a 2025 navigator program capped at $1,418,300 across two contractors.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — The firm's current website presents a new executive-advisory focus: embedded fractional leadership, strategic-planning projects, retreats, board facilitation and coaching.
- **2026-01** — Austin's expanded Displacement Prevention Navigator Program contract began, with Cortez Consulting and El Buen Samaritano named as providers.
- **2025-10** — Laura Cortez and engagement consultant Nirali Thakkar presented community-engagement work for Austin's Quality of Life Study to the Commission on Aging.
- **2025-09** — Austin approved two navigator-program contracts worth up to $1,418,300 in total across Cortez Consulting and El Buen Samaritano.
- **2024-07** — City records listed Cortez Consulting as a subcontractor on an 18-month, $300,000 Quality of Life Study for Austin's aging population.

## Links

- Website: https://www.cortezconsulting.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cortez-consulting-services
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/cortez_services
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCibf-gQfOQcfPXt6vMTf2Lg
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cortezconsulting/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cortezconsultingservices

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/cortez-consulting
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-19