my story

I grew up a middle-class, suburban kid in the southeast U.S. going on family vacations to Florida, but I always knew that big adventure and travel were in my future. And making things work – I have always loved to make things work! For as long as I remember, I have visualized problems and their solutions in spreadsheets and flow charts; it was tough to be such a nerdy kid but, it’s a great skill to have as an adult! Moving homes and changing schools 9 times before I finished high school, I was a young pro at adjusting to change and quickly assessing relationships, organizations and systems.

psychology

I went to graduate school in Washington DC and soaked up clinical psychology training like a sponge. Once again, I wanted to do everything: I took classes, taught classes, conducted psychological testing, trained as a therapist, and conducted research projects. I also learned how to downhill ski during some spring break trips to West Virginia. After three intense years of graduate school, I moved to Oregon for some additional adventure (including the fun of a long-distance dissertation!). By the time I finished my PhD a few years later, I saw opportunities to improve the organization and delivery of behavioral health services. In looking for how to “intervene upstream,” I found public health, and I was hooked.

consulting

After nearly 20 years in academia and having worked all over the world, I’m now leading Wisdom Consulting to help leaders and teams get things done. I know even really smart people can’t always see far enough ahead, and I can help light the way. I have worked with complex health care, government, and educational organizations including the following:

• U.S. Veterans Health Administration (Minneapolis and Palo Alto)

• Africa Population Health Research Center (Nairobi, Kenya)

• University of Michigan

• Columbia University

• Johns Hopkins University

• Harvard University/Brigham Women’s Hospital

• Instituto Nacional de Salud (Lima Peru)

• Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou (Belo Horizonte Brazil)

• Instituto Nacional do Câncer (Rio de Janeiro Brazil)

• Association of American Medical Colleges (Washington DC)

• CODA Inc. Substance Abuse Treatment Center (Portland OR)

• University of South Florida College of Public Health (Tampa FL)

• George Washington University (Washington DC)

I am a member of the American Public Health Association, Mixed Methods International Research Association, American Psychological Association, and the Society for Psychologists in Leadership, and I have been on the faculty at Columbia University in New York, Oregon Health & Science University, George Washington University in Washington DC, and the City University of New York. I am active in the National Speakers Association and I’m a Distinguished Toastmaster.