Our Founder

Hello, and welcome!

While working at the US  Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, a committee member once exclaimed,  “You’re like a social worker for scientists!”  That’s a pretty accurate description of my not-so-easy-to-describe career.  They didn’t realize it, but I happen to have a Master’s degree in social work from the University of Pennsylvania.

Lean-to Collaborations builds on my 12-year career at the Academies as a senior program director and program officer for the National Academies Keck Futures Initiative (NAKFI) – a $ 15-year, $40 million interdisciplinary team-based conference and grants program.   Though NAKFI came to its planned conclusion in 2019,  people in the team science and convergence research world know me for that work.  

(SIDEBAR: If you’re curious about all things NAKFI, the book Collaborations of Consequence is the official summary of NAKFI’s history, model, and results. There’s even a helpful “How to Think Like NAKFI” chapter to get you started in creating a NAKFI-style workshop of your own.)

Increased focus on convergence research, integrating more diverse ways of knowing into scientific teams,  and an expectation that researchers will be incorporating “team science” in grant proposals have made that experience more relevant than ever. 

 What I do.

I help researchers and research administrators use simple structures to launch and lead vividly connected, highly effective, always improving teams. We create workshops, we gather insights, and we work in ways that go beyond how “research as usual” is done. 

Most importantly, the highly trained, super-smart people I work with unravel how to create an effective team, practice new skills, and get back to work on solving societally relevant problems.

Why I do it.

Because we don’t have time for research teams and leaders to be stuck, confused, and overwhelmed when the world is falling apart.  

Backstory and Professional Memberships.

Evaluating, facilitating,  and convening interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, and convergence research teams have been the focus of my work for 20 years- since I witnessed my first interdisciplinary “ah-ha!” moment working in a research position at Cornell University.

My training in program evaluation, facilitation, team coaching, and awareness-based systems change is inspired by the needs of researchers I have encountered during my career.  In addition to a deep knowledge of team science, I use techniques and tools from the Art of Hosting, Theory U, Appreciative Inquiry, The Work that Reconnects, and systemic team coaching in client engagements. 

I am a member of the International Network for the Science of Team Science, the International Association of Facilitators,  the National Organization of Research Development Professionals,  and a Lifetime Member of Girls Scouts of the USA.