The shingle is up!

Storefront sign with logo

It is safe to say that everybody in Los Angeles knows somebody who has been impacted by the recent wild fires in the area. I have been fortunate, thankfully suffering little more than frazzled nerves. I am grateful for the outreach from folks near and far -- please keep my neighbors in your thoughts and prayers right now. I find tremendous hope in seeing the angels of this city take care of each other.

Most folks reading this know that I recently decided it was time to pursue some new endeavors. I am excited to let you know that I am creating my own consulting firm, with the goal of helping equity advocates, education researchers, and education policy leaders use data and evidence to find, tell, and ultimately change the stories of their students and communities.

In the 15 years I have been doing this work, I have had the privilege of working with organizations and individuals who have inspired me, given me new lenses through which to see problems and solutions, and helped me continually improve my approach toward my ultimate goal: seeing more students from minoritized backgrounds achieve their goal of earning a college degree.

In this new capacity, I will be able to work more directly with many of these same people and the nonprofits, foundations, and other organizations supporting their efforts to build a more equitable education system. As I launch this firm, I am grateful to count the RP Group and the Institute for Higher Education Policy as partners, and I look forward to adding to that list in the coming weeks!

I am still ironing out the finer points, but broadly, I'm focusing on three larger pieces to my approach:

1. Enhancing Capacity. I look forward to working with a variety of organizations to provide external research capacity. My hope is to support my partners' efforts to build the research bases that can support their efforts to make evidence-based policy change, with a focus on racial/ethnic gaps in access and success. I look forward to publishing work on a broad range of topics related to education equity with partners whose work I have long admired.

   
   

2. Enabling Leadership. My work to date has also taught me the difficulties of doing high-quality, impactful work with limited time and resources. I look forward to working with organizations to help them develop and fortify their own capacities to marshal data and evidence in support of their policy goals and priorities.

   
   

3. Exploring Data. Finally, I am excited to lead conversations with leaders in institutions and in the community about the data and stories from their own contexts.

I will also be working with Michele Siqueiros to synthesize what we have learned over the past few years into an book that will be useful for higher education leaders who seek actionable strategies for creating equity amid a challenging political climate. I have a few other projects in the works too...watch this space!

Ultimately, the vision for my consulting firm is to be a catalyst for transformation within the educational landscape, ensuring that every student has the opportunity to thrive and reach their full potential. Let me know if you think I can support you, and thanks to all those who have supported and helped me get to this point!