Hi. I'm Tara.
Let me introduce myself.
My passion is working with organizations who are willing to ask hard questions.
My goal is to serve as both an external, objective facilitator and a natural extension of your organization's team, as we look at both the forest and the trees to figure out what's working and what can be improved.
This kind of work is often described as capacity building, and I aim to build the capacity of both your organization and your team. My goal is for you to maintain a sense of ownership–these are we projects, not me projects. I'm always happy to teach you how I work and develop your capacity to answer questions in the future.
I believe that with your expertise in your mission and my expertise in nonprofits, process, and problem-solving, we can navigate through big questions together and develop plans that are useful and usable for moving forward.
I have served in every type of nonprofit role–Executive Director, program staff, board member, intern, volunteer, donor, and even client. I've been a nonprofit consultant for more than a decade and am the co-founder of Nonprofit Ombuds. This means I can relate to and work with everyone involved in our nonprofit community.
Some other things about me
I'm a licensed attorney.
I am a stalwart fan of the Oxford comma.
I think communication is often both the root of the problem and its solution.
My favorite color is blue, and my first word was "light."
I enjoy asking questions, making connections, and solving puzzles.
I'm looking forward to getting to know you and your mission!
Some more traditional details...
Some of my past jobs:
Some boards I've served on:
Some boards I've served on:
- Principal and co-founder, Nonprofit Elements
- Senior Consultant, Greenlights for Nonprofit Success and Mission Capital
- Executive Director and Director of Operations, YouthLaunch (now Urban Roots)
- Interim Executive Director, CASA of Travis County
- Director of Human Resources, Enspire Learning
Some boards I've served on:
Some boards I've served on:
Some boards I've served on:
- Between the Pages (runs Camp Half-Blood Austin)
- Generation SERVE (formerly Little Helping Hands)
- Executive Transition & Leadership Continuity Affinity Group of the Alliance for Nonprofit Management
- Leadership Austin
- Capital Area AIDS Legal Project at AIDS Services of Austin
Some of my education:
Some boards I've served on:
Some of my education:
- University of Texas School of Law
- University of Texas at Austin, Plan II Honors Program
- Instituto Universitario di Lingue Moderne (Milan, Italy)