Linda Garrett-Johnson is a Community Engagement Strategist with a broad background including consulting, facilitation and training expertise that she brings to every project she undertakes.
Linda is the CEO/Principal Consultant of The Word Applied, Inc., a consulting company that works to provide community engagement strategies, Six Sigma process improvement, organizational development, human-centered design, grant writing and management, and capacity building services for a variety of organizations including educational institutions, government agencies, corporations, for profit and non-profit entities, and foundations.
Linda’s initiative, the Community Engagement Ambassadors, is a Dakota County initiative focused on the importance of understanding and participating in local government that is based upon her framework for authentic community engagement. This initiative brings community members, leaders and elected officials across cities in Dakota County together to share their ideas and work together to positively shape the community, all while building relationships. You can follow Linda on Facebook and Instagram.
Linda has also developed the Center for Intersectional Leadership where she helps people within (and among) organizations identify how their goals and tasks are complementary or interdependent to that of each other or another organization; and become knowledgeable about each other’s strengths. She shows them how to use this information to design a coherent set of strategies and a framework to accomplish together what neither could do alone.
Linda has earned her associate in applied science degree in Business from New York University and bachelors in Organization Development from Metropolitan State University. Linda received her certification as a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt in the process improvement methodology while working as an internal consultant at Optum.
The Word Applied, Inc. is a member of the Apple Valley Chamber of Commerce.
Linda is a member of the Rotary Club Apple Valley Minnesota. 
Linda is a member of the Grant Professionals Association and the local Minnesota Northstar Chapter.
Linda is a board member of 360 Communities, a non-profit organization that “surrounds people with holistic programming that promotes safe and healthy homes, ensures school success, and supports families with community resources.”
Linda has been part of the African American Leadership Forum which is comprised of Black leaders who are committed to empowering the Black community by identifying our community’s most pressing challenges and partnering with organizations to develop community engagement projects to solve them.
Her consulting, trainer and public speaking experience are in the following areas:
- Community and Public Policy Engagement designing and implementing community engagement strategies to reach, and bring into various conversations that impact them, underrepresented groups, communities and populations. Research and track local and national public policy for the purposes of engaging with others to positively influence outcomes for communities, an example of with is a research work entitled “Reaching the Unreached” (2017). And utilizing Co-Creation principles and Art of Hosting strategies to ensure effective community engagement and involvement.
- Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt/Process Improvement Consultant collaboratively working with Executives, Senior Leaders, peers and SMEs using business process improvement methodology and statistical analytics, along with project management, and User Experience Fundamentals uncovering inefficiencies, gaps, and process streamlining opportunities in a way to positively impact the customer experience/net promoter scores within the Business Operations.
- Organizational Development Consultant working with organizations to collaboratively conduct an internal assessment to identify, design and create solutions (enhanced systems, operations manuals, cohort learning, etc.) that effectively address the identified need and build internal capacity. Utilizing Human Centered Design principles help organizations to focus on the people impacted by the process. This includes project management and facilitating community meetings to gather feedback and input from a variety of stakeholder groups, and synthesizing this information into usable reports for distribution.
- Grant Reviewer and Capacity Building Consultant (in alignment with funding priorities) reviewing grant applications, conducting site visits, and making grant recommendations determining the recipients of grants. Funding priorities included (but not limited to) Arts and Culture, Education, and Community Development. Also providing non-profit capacity building assistance to foundation grant recipients in the areas of program development, fundraising, business operations, and grants development.
- Formed the Center for Intersectional Leadership which focuses on bringing leaders and individuals of color together to work in an intersectional way to collaboratively address public policy in MN that impacts them.
- Author of the book “Seeing In the Spirit Understanding the Battle” which is written to those who are on the verge of leaving the church they attend; and to all who once attended church, but have left because of a painful relational experience with people within the church.
- Public Speaker/Trainer on topics in areas such as dealing with conflicts in church relationships, Intersectional Leadership and Advocacy, How Artificial Intelligence is Impacting Communities, or Program and Leadership Development.
Previous Boards and Committee Appointments
Linda has been involved in public policy engagement and community leadership for over 25+ years. Below are just a few examples.
- Former Neighborhood Development Alliance Board (which builds affordable, sustainable housing)
- Former Westside Citizens Organization Board (which acts as the planning council for the city of Saint Paul District 3)
- Former Nibakure Children’s Village Board member
- Former Neighborhood House Board member
- Former MN Women’s Foundation Board member
- Former TURN Leadership Board member
- Community Equity Pipeline alumni
- Nexus Board and Commission Leadership alumni
- Former MN Academic Excellence Foundation Board member
- Former St. Paul Mayor’s Public Safety Advisory Council member
- Former Umbrella Rule Advisory Cmte for DHS and Dept of Corrections member
- Former Restorative Justice Youth and Family Committee member
- Former Juvenile Justice Programming, Evaluation and Planning member