While I may not have realized it at the time, I was about to become immersed in a very different approach to evaluation than what I had experienced in the UN system. There have been many projects at OMG that reflect this radical change for me, but two stand out as emblematic of our methods and philosophy.

Early in my tenure, I worked on a project with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, focusing on rural policy development in Central Appalachia.  This investment was conceptually complicated, as we evaluated a variety of communications and advocacy efforts to make that region more economically competitive. We offered practical, actionable feedback to the foundation and grantees about how to provide technical assistance and better support cross-grantee collaboration. This was a real mind shift for me. At the UN, we collected data and produced reports, guided by the goals of monitoring and compliance. In this project, our work contributed directly to a social change strategy in that economically fragile region.

I also worked on a project that defined the importance of integrating different voices to shape an evaluation – the Lumina Foundation’s Partnerships for College Access and Success initiative. This was OMG’s first project in the postsecondary field. The initiative was composed of eight very different communities, each with a variety of grantees. In Chicago, for instance, the Little Village Community Development Corporation (LVCDC) had scant experience in the college access and success space, but was a strong advocate for schools in contributing to a community development strategy. Interacting with LVCDC, and understanding its perspective on college access and success, was fundamentally different from working with organizations in other communities, such as Sacramento and Chattanooga.  Based on this experience, it became clear to me that in order to design, implement, and refine these types of evaluations, you must view the issues from a diversity of contexts.

Along with practicing a new mode of evaluation at OMG, I have witnessed unprecedented growth in the social sector’s focus on evaluation and innovation. Faced with an increasing urgency to address social challenges at scale and sustainably, the field has exploded with an array of organizations, thought leaders, and practitioners. This growth also has resulted in a dizzying rise in the number of firms and individuals specializing in philanthropic advising, social strategy, and evaluation. As we continue to evolve and position OMG in this fairly crowded space, there are three founding values that continue to define who we are and the perspectives we bring to every engagement.

Interdisciplinary perspectives drive social innovation: Over the years we have weighed the options of becoming a single content firm – in education or community development, for example. Yet, many of the most innovative efforts we have worked on have drawn knowledge and inspiration from other fields, sectors, and stakeholders. For instance, if we look at how the health care community addresses disparities, we can glean new ideas to address educational inequity. I value this multi-disciplinary approach, and I think it is a perspective that will continue to set us apart.

Collaborative approaches increase the likelihood of learning and change: We pride ourselves on working intimately with our clients to ensure that what we learn resonates and has direct application. When we authentically engage stakeholders in the evaluation or philanthropic process, and create opportunities to learn together, our clients are more likely to own the emerging lessons and apply them to the task at hand, increasing the likelihood of change and impact.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion matter, even when the discussions get difficult: Over time, due largely to the passion and foresight of our Founding Director and past President Gerri Spilka, we have deepened our thinking about what race and equity mean for leadership development in the social sector, for our evaluation practice, and how our clients design and implement programs. We have grappled with increasing our own culturally relevant approach to consultancy, as well as building a more diverse and inclusive organization.

So as I assume the leadership of OMG, what might this mean for our next chapter? For starters, it is important to build on our strengths – deepening our expertise in areas where we do our best work, such as evaluation, and enhancing, even reshaping, our approach to philanthropic services. At the same time, I hope to bring a different energy to the organization, and to build its next generation of leaders. As we move forward, we will expand thought leadership and contribute more publicly to the fields and sectors we care about most. We will continue to more meaningfully engage diverse stakeholders in our evaluation and philanthropic services work. And, we will identify new ways to deliver on our mission, to help social sector organizations test new ideas, shape innovations, and pilot different approaches to investing that are respectful of the nuances of driving social change. I am thrilled to write this chapter alongside such a talented, diverse, and fiercely sharp group of colleagues, and look forward to an exciting future for OMG.