Marty Sinnott is a senior nonprofit consultant and former nonprofit chief executive who focuses on supporting organizations during periods of leadership transition, financial pressure, and organizational strain. He brings nearly five decades of experience in health and human services, including eleven years in senior government leadership roles and 34 years as CEO of four nonprofit organizations. In July 2025, Marty retired from Child & Family Services of Rhode Island after twelve years as President and CEO and is now available for consulting and interim leadership assignments.
Marty works with nonprofit boards and executive teams when clarity, stability, and disciplined execution are needed. He brings a steady, transparent leadership style grounded in evaluation, accountability, and trust. He partners closely with boards to clarify roles, assess organizational risk, and align governance and management around near-term priorities while longer-term decisions are made.
His consulting work emphasizes organizational stabilization, financial discipline, and mission-critical execution. In a constrained nonprofit environment, Marty helps organizations assess reality, strengthen analytics, make difficult but necessary decisions, and realign resources with core mission outcomes. Over the course of his career, he has led organizations through both significant growth and necessary contraction, always with an emphasis on sustainability and credibility with funders, regulators, and staff.
Culture is a central focus of Marty’s work. He emphasizes respect, candor, and shared responsibility—resetting expectations while preserving morale. When leadership, strategy, and culture are aligned, organizations regain momentum and confidence, even in the midst of change.
Marty began his career in Chicago as a counselor in an independent living program for youth aging out of foster care. That frontline experience continues to inform his work, grounding executive decisions in their impact on the people served. He has led complex organizations with broad geographic reach, multiple funding streams, and diverse stakeholders, and has extensive experience with mergers, acquisitions, executive succession planning, and board leadership transitions.
Marty lives in Newport, Rhode Island with his wife, Janet. They have three children and five grandchildren. Outside of his professional work, Marty enjoys travel, backpacking, and a wide range of athletic pursuits. He is available for consulting and interim CEO assignments nationwide.
Areas of Interim & Transition Strength:
- Rapid organizational assessment — identifying financial, operational, governance, and cultural risks
- Board partnership and alignment — strengthening trust and clarifying roles during transition
- Financial stabilization and capital structure — cash-flow management, cost containment, debt restructure, forbearance/ workout with lenders, and tax-exempt bond financing
- Leadership transition support — maintaining continuity while boards prepare for permanent
- Execution under constraint — prioritizing critical decisions and restoring forward momentum
- Staff stability and morale — clear communication, expectation-setting, and cultural reset
- Funder and stakeholder confidence — credible engagement with public agencies, donors, and partners
- Succession preparation — positioning organizations for successful leadership handoff
LinkedIn: Marty Sinnott