PROGRAM AND POLICY INSIGHT - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Founder of Vachon Coaching
- PPI Associate
Jennifer (Jen) Vachon, founder of Vachon Coaching and Consulting, has over 25 years of experience in leadership and team development. She holds several advanced coaching credentials and has additional certifications and advanced training in facilitation, organizational change management, and leadership development. Over her 18+ years in public sector management consulting, she rose to the level of Regional Vice President and served as an executive sponsor for all People Services (which is inclusive of coaching, team building, leadership development, and more) before starting her own leadership development company. While coaching through BetterUp, Jen achieved the "Premier Fellow Coach" designation, the highest of four tiers based on client engagement and satisfaction. Jen provides executive coaching across diverse industries, including public sector, tech startups, finance, manufacturing, construction, and higher education. She specializes in helping leaders and their teams elevate their skills, build high-impact teams, and foster extraordinary organizational cultures, particularly during periods of transition and change. Jen believes that investing in, supporting, and developing people and culture is essential for long-term success. Her coaching approach is strengths-oriented and grounded in behavioral science. She brings an authentic, practical, and direct style that helps leaders increase self-awareness, develop new skills and approaches, and create lasting impact. Jen received her Master in Applied Behavioral Science: Coaching and Consulting in Organizations from Bastyr University.
Job Titles:
- PPI Associate
- President of Parsons Consulting, Inc
Kari Parsons is President of Parsons Consulting, Inc. She specializes in the participatory development of cross-sector indicators of community well-being and how they link to programs, policy, and performance in the public and nonprofit sectors. As a seasoned professional with over 20 years of consulting experience, she is a valued researcher, facilitator, communicator, and project manager. She applies these skills to all her endeavors, including her work in strategic planning, community needs assessment, program evaluation implementation, and performance measurement design. Kari is experienced in quantitative and qualitative data collection methods and analysis in a variety of domains, including human services, early childhood, transportation, workforce development, sustainability, and more. She is the lead developer of the Family Financial Stability Index (for Orange County United Way) and the Early Childhood System Performance Assessment Toolkit (for the Center for the Study of Social Policy). Kari received her Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Whitman College and her Master of Urban and Regional Planning from the University of California, Irvine.
Kendra Lodewick specializes in human services research, evaluation, and technical assistance and has expertise in workforce development, family support, post-secondary education, early care and education, and human services planning. She has broad experience in process, implementation, and impact evaluation design and implementation, and conducts applied research on best practices, implementation models, staffing configurations, and systems change efforts. She regularly conducts needs assessments and gap analysis to support program strategy, and provides capacity building services to build data literacy and evaluation fluency. Kendra is passionate about using qualitative research and facilitation to elevate the voices, experience, and knowledge of program participants and community partners, and is committed to anti-racist and equitable methods that support inclusive progress. Prior to forming PPI, Ms. Lodewick worked at national social policy research firms, including Abt Associates and Berkeley Policy Associates. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Public Policy Analysis and Management from Cornell University, and a Master's Degree in Public Affairs and Policy Analysis from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is trained in consensus building facilitation and strategic planning through the Institute for Culture Affairs and is certified in Results Based Accountability (RBA) and Prosci Change Management
Job Titles:
- PPI Associate
- Principal of Bloom Consulting
Kirsten is Principal of Bloom Consulting, which works to serve the greater good by supporting organizations of all kinds to effectively support vulnerable and underserved populations and help all people reach their full potential. Ms. Smith has 15 years of project management, needs assessment, facilitation, strategic planning, and implementation support experience with local, state, and nonprofit organizations. Kirsten has conducted projects in early care and education, K-12 education, out of school time care, child protective services, TANF, Medicaid, and disability policy as well as in the performing arts. She is prized by her clients for her commitment to ongoing, open communication and regular progress monitoring. In addition to her project management capabilities, Kirsten has extensive experience developing and implementing rigorous research plans and data collection protocols. She is an experienced strategic planner and has worked with a wide range of governmental and nonprofit agencies to define and refine organizational strategic and implementation plans. Kirsten received a Master of Public Affairs and a Master of Arts in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies from the University of Texas at Austin.
Lindsay Swain Hunt has over 20 years of experience leading change in organizations and health systems. Some of her specific areas of expertise include leading improvement across systems of care, leadership development for culture change, and building high-quality person-centered care. Lindsay is skilled at designing and leading innovative programs that build individual and organizational capacity to improve health outcomes. In her role as the Director of Systems Transformation at the Harvard Medical School Center for Primary Care, Lindsay led a team that designed and launched a longitudinal leadership program for Medical Directors in Primary Care that has graduated more than 500 leaders in the seven years since its inception. Lindsay is a graduate of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's Improvement Advisor program, where her work included leading a partnership with the Indian Health Service to advance the implementation of the Patient-Centered Medical Home model in rural and urban Indian Health Clinics across the country. She has a Masters in Education, Adult and Organizational Learning from Northeastern University and a Masters in Healthcare Transformation from University of Texas at Austin.
Job Titles:
- Founder of Apis Conslulting
- PPI Associate
Melissa Davis, founder of Apis Conslulting, has provided leadership development, assessment, strategic planning, and organizational change management consultation and coaching to leaders in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors for over 25 years. She believes in the transformative power of human connection and building resilience in people and organizations to achieve positive change. After two decades of public sector and nonprofit consulting, ultimately rising to the level of Vice President, Melissa founded Apis Consulting to support leaders at all levels to maximize constructive transformation within organizations, companies, and communities. Through Apis, she collaborates with a trusted network of consultants to serve clients in the areas of health and human services, child welfare, early learning, family business, nonprofit management, and philanthropy. Melissa's current projects are within the family office and philanthropic space, assisting leadership teams, boards of trustees, and family councils to develop strategy and reinforce culture, values, and legacy. A skilled facilitator and connector, Melissa thrives on fostering inclusivity and believes that the best ideas emerge from collaboration. She has a Master of Public Affairs and a Certificate in Nonprofit and Philanthropic Studies from the University of Texas Austin.
Job Titles:
- Founder of Paradigm Leadership & Consulting
- PPI Associate
Robbie Davis, founder of Paradigm Leadership & Consulting, is a transformational leader, consultant, and equity advocate with over a decade of experience driving organizational growth and fostering inclusive practices. She has dedicated her career to educating and supporting youth (birth to 21), coaching professionals, and empowering BIPOC and underserved communities. As the Founder of Paradigm Leadership & Consulting, LLC, Robbie partners with organizations across public, private, and nonprofit sectors to implement strategies that center diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) while building leadership capacity. She holds a Master of Science in Education from Portland State University and brings expertise in culturally responsive practices and leadership, educational equity, and the application of inclusive pedagogical frameworks to enhance learning and organizational development. Robbie's work has delivered measurable impact in equity, community engagement, and leadership development, particularly in historically underserved communities. She has contributed to national initiatives focused on equity-centered leadership pipelines and coached leaders across sectors to achieve transformative outcomes. Through Paradigm, Robbie is committed to empowering individuals and organizations to thrive and lead with equity at the forefront.