Ready to Support Your Journey
Why Destino
Destino means destination — the place you are working toward.
At Destino Strategy Consulting, we help organizations clarify where they are going and align leadership and strategy to get there.
Our work focuses on turning strategy into practice - strengthening how decisions are made, how roles align to priorities, and how direction moved across the organization.
We believe organizations move forward more effectively when leadership is shared, expectations are clear, and people are aligned around what matters most.
That is how strategy becomes something lived, not just written.
About Our CEO
María A. Fernández, Ed.M (she/ella)
Welcome! I’m glad you’re here.
I am a strategy, governance, and leadership advisor with over 28 years of experience helping organizations and coalitions move from vision to sustained impact.
My work focuses on clarifying direction, aligning leadership, and strengthening the capacity needed to carry strategy forward in practice. I partner with nonprofit, philanthropic, public, and education leaders to improve decision-making, strengthen alignment, and build systems that support implementation.
Over the course of my career, I have:
Led a $1M+ capacity-building initiative supporting 39 nonprofit organizations
Designed and facilitated multi-year leadership cohorts for executive leaders
Managed national training teams delivering 17 leadership programs annually across the U.S.
Built and guided cross-sector coalitions ranging from 3 to up to 135 organizations
Led strategic planning and community engagement processes in the areas of health, education, and the arts
Delivered workshops and trainings nationwide on leadership, governance, and organizational capacity
Coached leaders to step into public leadership roles, including in policy, advocacy, and elected office
Before founding Destino Strategy Consulting, I served as Capacity Building Program Director at the H.E. Butt Foundation, where I led a multi-year initiative to strengthen nonprofit leadership and organizational effectiveness. This work included coaching executive leaders, facilitating cohorts, and building partnerships with other local foundations to expand philanthropic investments in our region.
Earlier in my career, I held leadership roles at national organizations such as Leadership for Educational Equity and spent over a decade since its inception at the John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities at Stanford University. These experiences have informed my community-centered approach to leadership, strategy, and systems change.
Our clients describe my approach as thoughtful, well-prepared and deeply responsive. I bring strategic clarity, strong facilitation, and practical tools that help leaders translate ideas into action.
I am bilingual in English and Spanish and design engagements that are culturally responsive and grounded in the realities of the communities organizations serve. I hold a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Stanford University and a Master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, along with a Certificate in Diversity & Inclusion from Cornell University and a Certificate in Nonprofit Board Consulting from BoardSource®.
A proud native of Los Angeles, California, I’ve been based in San Antonio, Texas for the past 13 years with my family, where I partner with organizations, locally, nationally, and internationally.
I look forward to connecting with you!
Collaborators
We partner with a vetted network of trusted consultants to build the right team for each engagement. Each brings deep expertise and a shared commitment to quality.
We are also happy to recommend these collaborators for direct partnership, depending on your needs.
Kelli King-Jackson, ACC
Leadership Coaching, Facilitation, and Strategic Philanthropic Advising
Jose Luis (Jay) Saldivar Jr., Ph.D.
College Readiness & Education Consulting and Grantwriting
CREO: College Readiness and Educational Opportunity Consultants, LLC