I’m an immigrant kid who has spent my life bridging worlds and reading everything I can to understand why we, as humans, do what we do. I believe systems of oppression have stifled a vast amount of human potential for connection, creativity, and collective brilliance. At Dragonfly Partners, I’m passionate about helping client-partners recognize how oppression shows up in our hearts, minds, and organizational cultures, and offering the tools and support needed to shift those patterns. My work has been shaped by deep roots in movement spaces. I’ve served as a rape crisis counselor, an interpersonal violence prevention educator, and an organizer with INCITE! Women and Trans People Against Violence. I’ve organized for climate justice with 350.org, supported community-led change as a grant maker and capacity builder at Bread & Roses Community Fund, and facilitated strategic planning with American Friends Service Committee. These experiences ground my commitment to healing, solidarity, wealth redistribution, and transformative strategy. I earned a Ph.D. in Community & Prevention Research in Psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago. What matters most to me is helping people recognize the patterns, habits, and internalized messages that shape how we relate, so we can make different choices and build something better. I’m also a poet, singer-songwriter, and former theater director. Creativity is at the heart of my work.

I have decades of experience bringing folks together around shared goals. I’m fueled by a vision of collective liberation, and I carry that into every collaboration. My sweet spot is helping to bolster resource generation and mobilization work, building the skills and power needed for communities to fund their own movements. At Dragonfly Partners, I love helping groups and individuals connect with their fire, rediscover what drives them, and unlock new or renewed paths toward their goals. Beyond my work at Dragonfly, I co-created and co-facilitate Securing the Roots, a fellowship dedicated to resource mobilization and reclamation. I previously worked at the American Friends Service Committee, supporting social movements globally, and I was a lead organizer of the first U.S. Social Forum in Atlanta in 2007–a powerful moment in our social justice movement history. I’ve also served on several boards in Philadelphia. I earned my BA from Earlham College and my MA in Sustainable Business and Communities from Goddard College. Born and raised in Philly and part of the Kalmyk Mongol diaspora, I enjoy exploring the intersections of food, gentrification, race, class, and storytelling. I love sharing my explorations with my children. What matters most to me is helping changemakers start their impact from within. I believe in shifting narratives, deepening relationships with people and with nature, and moving toward collective liberation, together. I continue to speak Spanish whenever possible, dabble in Russian, run often, go birding when I can, and paddle sometimes with a Dragon Boat team in Philly’s Chinatown.

My work is rooted in creating possibility and exploring the unknown in service of healing and liberation for myself and others. As a radio host and filmmaker, I use story and information to spark connection and change. At Dragonfly, I am a coach, facilitator, and strategist helping individuals and organizations express their full power for personal and collective transformation. I combine pragmatic wisdom with a somatic approach that integrates self-awareness, meditation, and ritual. I am especially passionate about coaching leaders of color and guiding social justice organizations to align strategies with values and foster collaboration. As Board President of the Leeway Foundation, I led efforts to divest from fossil fuels and include trans and non-binary artists as grantees and leaders. Past roles include directing development at About Face, an anti-war veterans’ organization, and serving as associate director at the Youth Health Empowerment Project, focusing on youth HIV prevention and leadership. I host a weekly radio show on WURD, Philadelphia’s Black woman-owned station, exploring politics and healing from a Black, progressive, feminist perspective. My advocacy has included peace, reproductive rights, criminal justice reform, and public education. I hold a B.A. in Africana Studies from the University of Pennsylvania and a Graduate Certificate in Diversity Leadership from Temple University. I am a Certified Professional Coach, trained mediator, fundraising trainer, and Usui Reiki Master. Raised by Black hippies in the Hudson Valley, I bring a deep commitment to healing and transformation, informed by navigating chronic illness and exploring both traditional and alternative medicine.

I am an Organizational Development coach and consultant who thrives on helping people navigate change with clarity and courage. I support clients in understanding how group dynamics, particularly resistance to change, are showing up in their organizations. I love creating tools, workshops, and ideas that help calm the chaos and chart a clear path forward. I am a realist. Change is messy, uncomfortable, and often slow, but it is possible when we create space to really see what is happening. At Dragonfly Partners, I coach and advise clients, and I also help our team develop new ideas and approaches that deepen our practice. I work with organizations on a wide range of issues. I have coached leaders and supported major change efforts with organizations like Greenpeace International, Fair Share Housing Center, and the Leeway Foundation. My work includes executive coaching, strategic planning, systems design, evaluation, and racial equity alignment. I ground my approach in adaptive leadership, which I studied at the Harvard Kennedy School. I help people step back, gain perspective, and then return to the work with greater insight. Change often involves a shift in values, and I believe this is necessary for real transformation. I am from Northern Ireland. Conflict, building ways out of conflict, and the impact of colonialism are all deeply familiar to me. Before Dragonfly, I led strategic work in Belfast’s city government and was Executive Director of a national nonprofit advancing health equity. I am also a writer and painter, exploring a creative side it took me a long time to find.

I provide comprehensive financial and business planning to LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs running mission-driven companies. I understand the added challenges that come from navigating business ownership as a person of color and member of the LGBTQ+ community. My goal is to help lift some of that weight by sharing knowledge and strategies that may not always be accessible. Because of my work supporting the LGBTQ+ community, I was honored with the Inspiring Leader Award from the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) in 2018 and recognized on InvestmentNews’ “40 Under 40” list the same year. I’m also a senior contributor to Forbes and the Efficient Planner column in NAPFA Advisor Magazine. You can learn more about my story in my New York Times profile and a podcast interview featured on The Huffington Post. I graduated cum laude from DePauw University and earned my Juris Doctor from Boston University School of Law. I hold a Certificate in Financial Planning from Boston University’s Center for Professional Education, earned my CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ designation in 2012, became a Registered Life Planner through the Kinder Institute of Life Planning in 2020, and certified Profit First Professional in 2021. Outside of work, I enjoy working out, cooking (and occasionally baking), and exploring Chicago, the best city in the world.

I design the systems, rhythms, and financial strategies that help our team move with clarity and purpose. My work is rooted in liberation, cultural integrity, and aligning values with practice. I came to this work through lived experience, on-the-ground learning, and years of managing the moving parts that keep people and projects thriving. Before stepping into my current role, I supported grassroots organizations and cultural initiatives in operations, finance, and team care. I joined Dragonfly in 2016 as Office Manager, became Operations Manager in 2020, Director in 2022, and a partner in 2024. For me, operations is about building systems that serve people, not the other way around. I see it as the process of turning values into practices that can hold people, pressure, and change. Business, to me, is a practice of collective care and future-building. Outside of spreadsheets and strategy, I’m known as “The Plant Doctor.” I love the slow, steady care it takes to help plants thrive and bring that same patience and attention to my work. Whether nurturing a finicky monstera or shaping a complex budget, I’m driven by finding the right conditions for growth.

I grew up on the land of the Wabanaki (Dawnland Confederacy) in rural Maine, on a solar-powered organic homestead. My family was rooted in the belief that we each have a role to play in healing the world. My ancestors left their homes in Lithuania to escape oppression, and their resilience continues to shape my commitment to a world where all beings can live with safety, dignity, and health. I find joy in supporting people as they grow, change, and discover new possibilities. For over two decades, I’ve worked as an organizer, facilitator, and coach, helping movement leaders navigate difficult conversations, supporting teams to adapt to shifting political landscapes, and guiding organizations to make decisions that are transparent, inclusive, and aligned with their values. At Dragonfly Partners, I help people and organizations get “unstuck,” moving through strategic, organizational, and interpersonal challenges. My past work includes roles at Greenpeace India and MoveOn, where I led campaigns focused on health care, climate action, and media accountability. I serve on the advisory boards of The Organizing Center and the People’s Tech Project. I hold a B.A. in Religion from Amherst College. Like people, organizations need support to thrive. I approach my work with the patience of a lifelong gardener—planting seeds, tending soil, and trusting that transformation unfolds in its own time.

In my role, I support the consultants by managing scheduling and other administrative tasks, creating the structure that allows deeper client work to thrive. I value building a supportive container behind the scenes so the generative, relational work at the heart of Dragonfly can unfold. My path into administration came through a background in volunteer coordination, where I discovered the necessary puzzle of back-end systems and the way they hold space for meaningful connection. I earned my B.A. in Women’s and Gender Studies from West Chester University, with minors in Communication Studies and Youth Empowerment and Urban Studies. While working at Dragonfly, I completed my M.A. in Counseling Psychology at The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology and now also work as a therapist. I find deep value in maintaining an ongoing awareness of how I am shaped by context and getting curious about what’s next. Administrative work isn’t just logistics, it’s a way to create conditions for collective liberation and relational change. Outside of work, I’m a hobbyist through and through. I love learning and building new things, growing plants, photographing the world around me, and bowling. Each of these practices reminds me of the joy in experimentation and steady care.

I’ve been coaching political actors and activists through change, challenge, and conflict since 1995, helping individuals and organizations make strategic and relational choices with integrity. I pay close attention to power dynamics and human relationships. For fourteen years, I taught in the Peace & Conflict Studies program at West Chester University and one semester at Harvard Law School. My 2021 book, “When to Talk and When to Fight: The Strategic Choice Between Dialogue and Resistance,” offers a clear, accessible framework for when to negotiate with, or go up against, oppressive systems. My favorite engagements include facilitating difficult group conversations, designing organizational strategies, and coaching white anti-racist leaders and long-time executive directors. I bring creativity to imagine what’s possible, analytical rigor to chart what’s reasonable, and enthusiasm to help clients tell new stories of change. I earned a Master of Public Administration with a concentration in conflict management from Harvard Kennedy School and a B.A. in writing and politics from Barnard College. I am a white, non-binary, able-bodied queer secular Jew. Outside of work, I’m a weekend carpenter with a distaste for jargon and a silly sense of humor, helping me stay grounded, lighthearted, and committed to the work of making change.

I'm a queer, white Jewish elder, and a proud parent and grandparent. For over three decades, I have been a coach, facilitator and organizational development practitioner, in organizations where I was employed, and as a consultant. I am driven by a deep commitment to social justice. My passion lies in supporting individuals and groups to realize their vision for a more just world. I love facilitating challenging conversations that can transform conflict within organizations, ultimately freeing them to do their best work. Before joining Dragonfly, I served as VP for Organizational Learning at PHI, a national healthcare advocacy organization. I've had the privilege of working with a diverse range of organizations, from grassroots movement groups to Fortune 500 companies. My academic background includes an M.Ed. from Temple University and a B.A. from the University of Cape Town in South Africa. I'm also certified in the Gestalt approach to organizational development. Born and raised in South Africa, I became an anti-apartheid activist at a young age, and my commitment as a white person to racial justice remains strong. I see myself as a bridge-builder, helping people to understand multiple perspectives, address inequities, and collaborate on creative problem-solving. My specialty is fostering the capacity to bridge divides and navigate difficult conversations, always integrating an awareness of interconnected systems of oppression and power dynamics. I visit often with my adult children and grandchildren in Brooklyn, and share my life in Philadelphia with my partner and our autistic daughter, who continuously inspires us to see the world with fresh eyes.

I’m a marketing generalist who thrives on building authentic connections between mission-driven organizations and the people they serve. At Dragonfly Partners, I lead marketing efforts that help the team communicate with clarity, purpose, and heart. I’m especially drawn to work that advances equity, compassion, and community power. I bring years of experience leading marketing for both small businesses and social impact organizations, with a focus on strategy, messaging, and audience engagement. My background includes work in veterinary healthcare, nonprofit consulting, and creative entrepreneurship. I’m the founder of Em Dash Communications, a firm that helps values-aligned organizations grow through strategic, accessible marketing. My approach is shaped by a blend of practical business knowledge and a lifelong commitment to social justice. I believe that good marketing is about listening and observing first and communicating with intention. I value honesty, empathy, and creative problem-solving, and I’m always thinking about how storytelling and systems thinking can work together to create change. I’ve long believed that marketing is not just a business function, but a form of relationship-building. When I'm not working, I'm a Reiki practitioner, cook, baker, vintage film enthusiast, avid music listener (with a preference for standard jazz), and an observer and commentator on politics and world affairs. One thing I really like about myself is that I can find interest in almost anything. Dragonfly Partners' marketing operations is powered by Em Dash Communications.