I am a facilitator, educator, and learning designer dedicated to advancing social well-being and environmental justice through collaborative and equity-centered research, education, advocacy, and community engagement. With 20 years of experience spanning nonprofit, academic, and community-based settings, I specialize in integrating subject matter expertise with participatory methodologies for managing programs and solving complex challenges.
My current consulting with local governments, state agencies, and nonprofits in the San Francisco Bay Area is collaborative by design. Across facilitation, training, needs assessment, and community outreach services, my aim is creating inclusive processes for teams and communities to leverage existing expertise and generate new insights that support equitable programs, decision-making, work streams, and outcomes.
I started my career in the nonprofit and nongovernmental sectors, working in public policy, community development, and research, respectively, with the Center for International Policy (Washington, D.C.), the Institute of Cultural Affairs (Washington, D.C.), and OMNI Institute (Denver, CO). While in higher education, issues of equity and justice underpinned my multidisciplinary teaching and research on water and environmental governance, social movements, and public policy. I worked closely with 350 Colorado and grassroots organizations to engage in education and advocacy while a professor at the University of Northern Colorado and Lesley University – work that included leading the design and implementation of community-centered experiential and educational events related to oil and gas development, including hydraulic fracturing (aka “fracking”). I am currently serving on the Board of the Winds of Peace Foundation, which provides loans to small-scale, worker-owned coffee cooperatives in Central America.
Outside of work, I am passionate about writing, hiking, social justice advocacy, and fostering kindness and empathy in my children. For me, joy comes from connecting with neighbors, “building a bigger table,” and dancing and singing with my kiddos.
“Belonging is the end game.” ✨
💦 Check out my book!
📚 Libro en español
🍉 Facts4Palestine
🕊️Bystanders No More
