The Chaos Wrangler
Operations | Systems | Strategy | Leadership
Head down the dusty trail and get to know me, Courtney Ficek, the woman behind the chaos.I've spent my career untangling complicated plans, building systems people actually use, and figuring out who left the gate open.Take a little ride through the projects, people, and plot twists that got me here. You'll see how I keep things moving, herding chaos one cat at a time.Giddy up. 🐎
about
The Woman Behind the Buckle
The titles changed. The habit of figuring things out stuck.I've worn a lot of hats over the years. Some came with fancy titles. Others came with a radio, a spreadsheet, and a problem nobody quite knew what to do with.From nonprofit operations to live entertainment, executive leadership, and consulting, I've spent my career making complicated things work. I've led teams, managed events, built systems from scratch, and occasionally wondered how an entire organization survived without a shared folder.Here's a look at where I've been, what I've done, and a few things I'm particularly proud of.
Experience
The Trail So Far
Where It Started
Fargo Air Museum | 2011–2016
I started as an intern at the Fargo Air Museum and worked my way up to Director of Operations. Along the way, I learned a little bit of everything: marketing, communications, event planning, managing people, and keeping the daily operation running. It's also where I discovered that when a system doesn't exist, sometimes you just have to build the damn thing yourself.
Into the Wild West
Jade Presents & Jade Companies | 2016–2026
What started with producing festivals and major events turned into ten years of increasingly complicated responsibilities. I went from Director of National Events to Vice President & Communications Director, eventually earning the very real title of Vice President & Boss of Chaos. By the end, I was helping lead operations across three companies, building systems, managing teams, and figuring out how to keep the whole circus moving. Sometimes literally.
Making My Own Trail
Three Wands Consulting | 2026–Present
After years of solving problems inside organizations, I decided to take my particular brand of organized chaos on the road. Through Three Wands Consulting, I'm helping businesses untangle workflows, build useful systems, and turn ambitious ideas into actual plans. I'm also continuing my work in ticketing while exploring the next opportunity to roll up my sleeves, join a great team, and make things work better.
Projects
Taking the Bull by the Horns
I've spent a good chunk of my career taking complicated problems and figuring out how to make them work better.Sometimes that means building a new system from scratch. Other times, it's untangling a process that's been held together with spreadsheets, good intentions, and the institutional knowledge of one very tired employee.Here are a few things I've built along the way. And because I'm a big believer in showing my work, you can actually take a look around.
Building the Roughrider Event App
Airtable · Event Operations · Workflow DesignPlanning a three-day tattoo and motorcycle convention involved a ridiculous number of moving parts, including a nine-page checklist. Yes, NINE.I turned that checklist into a trackable Airtable table and built an event management system around it, bringing artist management, vendors, logistics, and planning into one organized place.Less hunting for information. More time getting things done.👢 Walk The Line to Demo
Giving the Company a
Digital Home
SharePoint · Information Architecture · OperationsWhen company information is scattered across shared drives, inboxes, and individual computers, finding anything becomes its own full-time job.I built a seven-site SharePoint intranet, migrating over 1TB of company data and bringing departmental documents, training resources, and everyday tools into one organized home.Less digging through digital junk drawers. More information where people actually need it.👢 Walk The Line to Demo
The SOP & Training Center
Documentation · Training · Knowledge ManagementIf the only person who knows how to do something is on vacation, you've got a problem.I built a centralized training library with 50+ SOPs, walkthrough videos, and practical instructions so employees could find answers without tracking down the office historian.Initial hands-on training went from about a week to half a day, with new hires continuing to learn independently.👢 Walk The Line to Demo
Kind Words
Word Around the Campfire 🔥
I've told you a little about what I do and how I work. But don't just take my word for it.Over the years, I've been lucky enough to work alongside some pretty wonderful people. The kind who trusted me with big ideas, complicated projects, and the occasional five-alarm dumpster fire.A few of them were even kind enough to put some nice things in writing. And since talking about myself this much is already getting a little uncomfortable, I'm more than happy to hand them the microphone.Here's what they had to say.
Former Boss
Jade Presents
Jade saw me grow from managing major events into helping lead the companies behind them. After ten years of working together, he knows firsthand what happens when you hand me a complicated problem and let me run with it.
Former Direct Report
Jade Presents
Jami experienced my leadership from the other side of the desk. Her perspective means a lot to me because I've always believed good leadership is about giving people the tools, trust, and support to do their best work.
Colleague & Collaborator
Jade Presents
Emily and I have worked together on everything from big-picture strategy to the messy details of making ideas happen. She knows my habit of asking a hundred questions, finding the holes in a process, and figuring out how to fix them.
Contact
Call the Cows Home
These Boots Are Made for WalkingI've spent my career building things, fixing things, and occasionally figuring out what the hell happened to the original plan.Now I'm looking for my next adventure.Whether you're building a team, tackling an operational headache, looking for someone to turn a big idea into something real, or just think we'd work well together, I'd love to hear from you.I'm open to leadership opportunities, consulting projects, creative collaborations, and conversations that start with, "So, we've got this problem..."Those are usually my favorite.Until then, I'll be over here herding cats. - Giddy up.