Hi, I’m Gaia.

I am a collaborator and a mother.

Frozen shoreline with snow and ice, calm water, distant trees, and a clear blue sky.

Grace Lee Boggs once said, “Love isn't about what we did yesterday; it's about what we do today and tomorrow and the day after.”

Services

Gaia is a Michigan-based consultant who partners with communities in the social impact space.

  • Facilitation is the art of navigating meaningful conversations. Often, we seek to learn something new, make a decision, or shift our perspective by engaging in intentionally designed discussion.

    I facilitate impact in the following ways:

    • Meeting Design

    • Brainstorming Sessions

    • Guided Decision-Making

    • Community Conversations

    • Focus Groups

    • Key Stakeholder Interviews

    My approach to facilitation seeks to listen deeply and respond with care. I will often lean into Human Centered Design principles, Augusto Boal’s Theater of the Oppressed techniques, Collective Impact, and Liberating Structures to welcome diverse perspectives and center lived experience in the work.

  • Research begins with asking powerful questions. Through research we explore the current landscape of the challenge, look to other best practices, and use evidence-based insights to inform and strengthen our own work.

    I partner with clients to produce:

    • Issue Briefs and Reports

    • Focus Group & Key Stakeholder Synthesis

    • Case Studies & Connections

    • Presentation Development & Delivery

    My approach to research seeks to weave together qualitative and quantitative data to tell important stories about the people at the heart of the work. My experience in national and international contexts enable me to pull from a wide net of case studies and connect practitioners, organizations, and communities engaged in adjacent social impact work.

  • This service melds together facilitation, research, grant writing, and project management to support strengthening, scaling or starting a new initiative or program.

    Program Co-Design work is crafted in partnership with clients.

    My approach to program design seeks to use consciously engage with AI-supported tools to support rapid sourcing, prototyping, and iteration. In my work, I engage with the following AI tools:

  • Grants are unique opportunities for innovation, strengthening, or scaling work. These investments are typically not sustainable and provide an entry-point for individual, or organizational development and growth.

    For those with pre-identified grant opportunities, I support the grant application process by:

    • Concept Alignment & Drafting

    • Requirements Review

    • Letter of Interest (LOI) and Request for Proposal (RFP) Development

    • Finalization and Submission

About Gaia.

Close-up of a smiling woman with long red hair wearing a tan tank top and a delicate necklace, standing in a room with blue walls and a lit lamp.

Education

  • MA: International Development Management, University of Bradford, UK

  • BA: Theater, Peace & Conflict Studies, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI

Fellowships

Classes, Networks, & Certifications

Hey, I’m Gaia.

I help brilliant people work together to solve complex problems.

I am at my best when navigating ambiguity, building partnerships, and translating complex concepts into clear plans that help people make positive ripples that resonate in their communities - especially in the places and spaces people hold closest to their hearts. I’ve found a niche in the world behind the scenes - designing and leading thoughtful meetings, conversations, and initiatives in partnership with change-makers.

My background spans consulting, program development, grant writing, community engagement, professional cat wrangling, and meaning-making. I've worked across local, state, national, and international contexts, giving me a deep appreciation for local expertise and lived experience.

I have a strong passion for supporting rural communities and believe lasting change happens through relationships.

My greatest inspiration in this world is my grandmother, who grew up in a one-bedroom home in the rural Upper Peninsula of Michigan and went on to become a stellar public-school educator and Principal.

My Mom is also an educator, a writer, and a change-maker who shaped me into who I am today. Her work centers deeply on the role that place plays in all of our lives.

I have two kids and one amazing husband.

Let’s create something beautiful together.

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Featured Projects

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Lifelong Learning Account Cohort

Spearheaded a national cohort that partnered with local communities to design and launch innovative financing initiatives for workforce development and training as a part of a $1 million philanthropic investment.

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$8.5 Million Program Redesign

Partnered with the Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative (COSI) to design a statewide program that provides underserved students with critical wrap-around services and financial aid.

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Workshop Design & Facilitation in Bogotá, Colombia

Received a US State Department YLAI Fellowship to design and facilitate workshops informed by Theater of the Oppressed for youth in Bogotá, Colombia focused on peace education.

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Co-Designing a Native Business Incubation Curriculum

Leveraging Human Centered Design to create a Native American business incubation curriculum that supported the launch of Kombucha company, Bailey’s Farms.

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