PBN Leaders & Achievers Awards 2026
LARRY WARNER
L. Warner ILS Group LLC founder and managing principal
After nearly 30 years helping organizations increase their strategic impact, Larry Warner launched the L. Warner ILS Group LLC consulting practice.
As founder and managing principal, Warner supports nonprofit, government, for-profit and philanthropic organizations in three areas: impact, leadership and strategy, with expertise in program design, needs assessments and strategic planning.
“I see it as a culmination of an intersection of my various backgrounds and experiences in philanthropy, public health, community engagement, and the nonprofit and government adjacent sectors where I’ve had the privilege of working,” he said.
His previous experience with organizations like United Way of Rhode Island Inc. and the Rhode Island Foundation prepared him for this new role partnering with mission-driven organizations and leaders, guiding them toward their goals.
Warner defines his approach through three key pillars: “Impact is about defining your desired result and measuring progress. Leadership includes leadership support, strategy and coaching. Strategy is strategy design, execution and strategic planning,” he said.
A private pilot, Warner serves as director of aerospace education for the Rhode Island Wing of the Civil Air Patrol and is co-founder of the Black Pilots Association of Rhode Island, applying his aviation experience to his organizational philosophy.
“I describe impact as your desired destination; leadership as your pilot, your flight crew and the plane; and finally, strategy as the flight plan to get you there. If any of those are fuzzy, you’re not going to reach your destination efficiently or safely,” he said.
Warner’s main advice for leaders is to understand the people around them and to seek their feedback on the tools and processes they use.
“I am a firm believer in seeing employees as people before seeing them as solely an employee or a widget in a larger complex mechanism. We all have a key part and role we’re playing in organizations large and small,” he said.
Warner adds that an organization’s employees are its most valuable asset and understanding, appreciating and celebrating them is the ultimate key to success.
