Our Team

Julie has over 15 years of experience designing adaptive management initiatives, leading collaborative problem solving processes, facilitating community- and people-focused development, and advancing strategic learning in complex contexts. She has led learning initiatives in over 13 countries. Her expertise lies in gathering stakeholder input, synthesizing information, and incorporating contextual understanding into actionable strategic plans. Adept in facilitating inclusive strategic and learning processes, she helps organizations working across sectors including food security, resilience, conflict prevention, civil society strengthening, governance, and health.

Danielle brings more than 15 years of experience leading strategy, learning, and organizational change initiatives that strengthen mission-driven organizations and amplify community leadership. At USAID, she directed strategy and learning for the $500 million Local Works program, supporting teams in more than 50 countries, and co-designed regional localization initiatives totaling over $300 million. She has managed multi-disciplinary teams, guided research portfolios exceeding $20 million, and facilitated collaborations among government leaders, grassroots organizations, and philanthropic partners. Drawing on systems thinking and participatory approaches, Danielle helps organizations align vision with operations and lead through complex transitions with integrity and care.

Megan has more than 15 years of experience in evaluation, learning, and strategic communications, Megan specializes in participatory research, adaptive learning, and impact storytelling. She’s worked across Africa, Asia, and the U.S., helping organizations align goals with action. Her work spans the full spectrum of key performance indicators and evaluation, designing and implementing robust organizational systems that integrate data-informed insights and operational decisions. She brings a proven ability to translate findings into narratives that resonate with diverse audiences, from grassroots partners to global stakeholders, helping organizations not just measure impact, but amplify it.

Jen brings more than 15 years of experience helping teams connect evidence, learning, and strategy to drive organizational effectiveness. She has led multi-stakeholder initiatives that supported evidence-based decision making across $1B in social impact projects spanning 30+ countries. At Headwind Partners, Jen supports clients in aligning vision, structure, operations, and digital systems to turn information into actionable insight. Known for her collaborative, pragmatic approach, she helps organizations navigate the challenges of complex change and strategic transformation.

Jen co-directed an $80 million program for a federal client, supporting 100+ client teams in 30 countries to strengthen capabilities for data-informed strategy, design, and learning. She supervised 30 staff supporting USAID teams in process improvement and data collection, management, and use. In addition, she has designed and delivered professional development curricula focusing on advanced data-informed decision-making, such as courses on cost-based analysis. With over 20 years of experience, she guides teams through coaching and mentorship to transform information into insights that support decisions. 

Todd brings more than 20 years of experience strengthening monitoring and evaluation systems for high-profile U.S. international development initiatives, and presenting reports and syntheses that have directly influenced legislation, billion-dollar strategies, multi-sectoral program implementation, and external communications. With field experience primarily in Latin America and the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa, he flourishes in multicultural settings, is deeply committed to using interdisciplinary approaches to address priority evidence needs, and has a knack for hands-on coaching and peer-to-peer learning.

Sarah Leppert is a business development executive with 17 years of international development experience, securing multimillion-dollar contracts in 30+ countries valued at over $750 million. She has advanced programs in healthcare, climate change, agriculture and food security, and democracy and governance, and is recognized for cultivating high-value partnerships, navigating complex procurement processes, and strengthening organizational capacity. Skilled in proposal development, pipeline management, and market trend analysis, Sarah is adept at leading and mentoring cross-functional teams, engaging C-suite decision-makers, negotiating high-stakes contracts, and executing growth strategies to advance organizational success. 

Katie brings more than 18 years of experience in humanitarian policy, protection, and human rights across conflict-affected and fragile contexts. She has held senior leadership roles at Mercy Corps, the International Rescue Committee, InterAction, and Save the Children, directing portfolios spanning humanitarian access, protection of civilians, and policy reform. At Amnesty International and Physicians for Human Rights, she led investigations and advocacy leveraging GIS, open-source intelligence, and remote sensing to document violations and advance accountability. Her academic work has focused on forced displacement in counter-terrorism and armed conflict contexts, grounding her practice in rigorous, evidence-based analysis. A through line in her career has been fostering enabling environments for civil society and NGO operations in high-risk locations—navigating access constraints, championing localization, and partnering with local organizations to ensure community-driven approaches are at the center of response. She has built and led coalitions and consortia that unite diverse actors around collective action and brings deep expertise in advocacy and influence MEL to ensure policy engagement delivers measurable, lasting results. Katie is known for bridging the gap between field realities and policy corridors—translating operational and programmatic challenges into outcome-driven advocacy strategies and converting global policy commitments into practical frameworks that shape how programs are designed and delivered at the country level. Her work has shaped policy and legislation at the UN Security Council and the IASC, across the EU, UK, and U.S., and within the domestic frameworks of more than a dozen crisis-affected and humanitarian-response hosting countries.