We are truly saddened to announce the passing of our dear friend and colleague, Maggie Klenke. Maggie was a true pioneer in contact center workforce management, but beyond that, she was a wonderful friend and a mentor to so many workforce management professionals around the world.
Maggie spent her entire career helping others become the best they could be. She started out as a single mom working at the phone company, where she even went to “pole-climbing” school – one of her funniest stories! She also got her start in the contact center environment there. She later moved to Nashville to serve as Vice President of Consulting at TCS Management Group, where she led an amazing team of contact center consultants. Her role as teacher was further solidified when she co-founded The Call Center School with Penny Reynolds. Maggie and Penny taught thousands of students through groundbreaking online programs. After selling The Call Center School, Maggie was semi-retired, but continued to teach new workforce managers through a partnership with the Society of Workforce Planning Professionals (SWPP). She continued to share her knowledge and expertise by educating members through web seminars, online courses, and sessions at the SWPP Annual Conference.
In her later years, Maggie found many hobbies and organizations to dedicate her time to. She was a fabulous quilter, won multiple blue ribbons at quilt shows, and enjoyed fellowship with fellow quilters in different guilds and even on cruise ships. Maggie also volunteered with Quilts of Valor, an organization that provides quilts to veterans and service members touched by war. She was an Examiner for the Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence, the state version of the national Malcolm Baldrige awards for business excellence. Most recently, she worked with Heifer International to help end poverty and hunger in Africa.
Here are just a few of the tributes to Maggie from SWPP members:
“Maggie had a significant impact on my career in WFM and I will be forever grateful. She’s touched thousands of lives through the SWPP conference or through her involvement in the industry.”
“Maggie’s approach to workforce planning, teaching, and, most impactful, being a wonderful human, will live on through an amazing legacy.”
“Maggie was the first person I ever approached with a question at my first SWPP conference and she was the kindest and most knowledgeable person imaginable. Everyone I took to the conference in subsequent years I made sure to introduce to Maggie and encouraged them to attend one of her workshops. I have nothing but respect and admiration for the legacy she leaves behind and can’t imagine the number of lives she touched in her years in workforce.”
“Pioneer is a great word to describe Maggie. She made a huge impact on my career and we should definitely honor her legacy.”
“Our whole WFM team is deeply saddened by the loss of Maggie who played a pivotal role in shaping Workforce Management world as we know it today. Her passion, and dedication helped many of us build our WFM foundation.”
“Maggie is a respected legend in the contact center space. I’ve always appreciated her wisdom, expertise, and humor. There never has been and never will be another one like her.”
“I am very thankful and especially honored that I knew Maggie! She was a true WFM legend like no other. She will be remembered always!”
“She was an incredible person and will be so very missed. She was a personal blessing in my life and I was blessed to share many sessions with her, learn from her, and to glean additional tips from a shared hobby together. She was a shining beacon in the WFM community.”
We are so thankful that Maggie was a part of our association. A memorial service will be held for Maggie in the spring of 2026.
