We are consultants who have been in your shoes leading nonprofits.

We believe the status quo isn’t an option.

We listen deeply to our clients and their constituents and never stop learning.

We care about delivering results for our clients and creating real change for the communities our clients serve.

We are an anti-racist organization committed to diversity, equity, and social justice in our work and partnerships.

Leadership

FOUNDER + PRINCIPAL

Belinda Lyons-Newman, MBA

Belinda (she/her) has centered her career on her passion for advancing social and economic justice, equity, and inclusion. She has 30 years of experience serving nonprofit organizations. Prior to founding Lyons-Newman Consulting in 2011, Belinda served for 10 years as executive director of a San Francisco mental health policy advocacy nonprofit and several years before that as a counselor supporting formerly unhoused adults in San Francisco’s Tenderloin District. Belinda is a first-generation American with the privilege of calling the San Francisco Bay Area home for the past 25 years.

Belinda Lyons-Newman, MBA (she/her) has more than 30 years of experience in all aspects of nonprofit leadership, organizational development, fund development, group facilitation, and strategic planning. Belinda brings to her work a deep commitment to and decades of experience working on equity, and social, environmental, economic, and racial justice.
Belinda’s experience includes 10 years as executive director of the Mental Health Association of San Francisco. In this role Belinda oversaw the Supportive Housing Advocacy Project, launched nationally recognized programs, and led the organization through a successful operational and financial turnaround, overseeing expansions in programs, budgets, and impact. Belinda also helped to develop, and led the San Francisco campaign to pass California Proposition 63, the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA), which continues to raise more than two billion dollars each year for behavioral health care across California.
A skilled group facilitator, Belinda brings cultural sensitivity and a diverse set of tools and facilitation methods to her work with teams. She has completed training in facilitation and multi-stakeholder collaboration from Community at Work, the Center for Strategic Facilitation, and the Interaction Institute for Social Change. She also studied Liberating Structures and trained in Design Thinking methods and human-centered design from the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business. Belinda is trained as a coach and facilitator with the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business Coaching Institute.
Belinda earned her MBA in nonprofit management at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business and her BA in psychology and women’s studies at McGill University.
Belinda received the 2006 National Mental Health Association Innovation in Programming Award and a 2010 Public Health Hero Award from the City and County of San Francisco Department of Public Health.
Belinda has served a member of the Chinatown Community Development Center Board of Directors, as a member of the San Francisco Mayor’s Behavioral Health Innovations Task Force, as commissioner and chair of the City of Berkeley Homeless Commission, and as a member of the Research and Evaluation Committee for the State of California Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission (MHSOAC). She currently serves as a board member of the Berkeley High School Development Group, and an advisory board member at the UC Berkeley Greater Good Science Center.
Belinda has a passion and deep gratitude for the San Francisco Bay Area. She lives in Berkeley with her husband Dan, who is the president and co-founder of a democracy nonprofit, and their two daughters. In her spare time Belinda loves reading, swimming, hiking, and being in nature, seeking out and taking in beauty everywhere, and traveling, immersing herself in new places and cultures.

SENIOR CONSULTANT

Erica Harrell

Erica (she/her) is a skilled strategy consultant who is passionate about advancing equity and building authentic connections. With experience in both the nonprofit and for-profit sectors, she brings a unique perspective to her work serving nonprofit leaders. She has worked at global consulting firm Oliver Wyman as well as the nonprofit organization Consumer Directed Choices. Erica is proud to leverage her expertise to create meaningful, positive impact in service of our clients.

Erica (she/her) is a skilled strategy consultant who is passionate about advancing equity and building authentic connections. With experience in both the nonprofit and for-profit sectors, she is a versatile strategic thinker who brings a unique perspective to her work serving nonprofit leaders.
Before joining Lyons-Newman Consulting in 2021, Erica honed her consulting skills at global consulting firm Oliver Wyman where she partnered with Fortune 100 clients to solve their strategic and operational challenges. She also previously supported operations at Consumer Directed Choices, a nonprofit serving people with disabilities.
Erica has expertise in quantitative and qualitative analysis, project management, and research. She has led many initiatives centering diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging within and outside of the workplace and continues to make these efforts a top priority in her life.
She is proud to serve our nonprofit clients, leveraging her expertise to create meaningful, positive impact to advance their missions.
Erica graduated from Fordham University's Gabelli School of Business with a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting.
She is from upstate New York and currently lives in Chicago. Outside of work, Erica enjoys traveling around the world, cultivating her own wellness through yoga, pilates, and meditation, and watching women’s soccer games.

Team

Alison Skjeie White

ASSOCIATE CONSULTANT
Alison (she+they) is dedicated to promoting intersectional social justice and supporting the dignity and agency of individuals and communities. They have expertise in research, communication, and data analysis. Alison has worked as a research coordinator with the Stanford Neurodevelopment, Affect, and Psychopathology Lab and as a research and teaching assistant in the Stanford School of Medicine’s Community Health and Prevention Research Center. Alison earned their Bachelor of Arts in cognitive science from the University of California, Berkeley.
Shakema Straker

OPERATIONS MANAGER
Shakema (she/her) has a background in nonprofit strategic planning, event coordination, process optimization, and community engagement. Her years providing executive-level administrative support and project management have been instrumental in improving efficiency and deepening impact at Bay Area nonprofits, including Tenderloin Housing Clinic, San Francisco IHSS Public Authority, and Summer Search. Passionate about social justice, Shakema brings a purpose-driven collaborative approach to her work. Shakema is pursuing a Master of Social Work degree at Temple University.
Karla Guerrero, MPH

CONSULTANT
Karla (she/her) is passionate about helping social impact organizations reach their maximum impact and has a deep commitment to equity and social justice. Karla was previously a director for 180 Degrees Consulting, serving various nonprofit organizations. In addition to providing facilitation, research, and strategy support for our clients, Karla is also an associate consultant at Charles River Associates working on health care industry analysis and commercial strategy. Karla earned both her Bachelor of Arts in public health and her Master of public health at the University of California, Berkeley.
Sarah Illing

CONSULTANT
Sarah (she/her) has over 12 years of experience as a social sector consultant. She has partnered with dozens of nonprofit, government, and philanthropic organizations supporting their evaluation, research, and strategic planning. Sarah spent the first decade of her career at Learning for Action, a San Francisco-based consulting firm. She strives to bring an antiracist, queer, feminist, disability justice approach that honors the expertise and well-being of everyone impacted by her work. Sarah is fluent in Spanish and earned a Bachelor of Science in neuroscience from Muhlenberg College.
Santiago Ayón Facundo

CONSULTANT
Santiago (he/him/él) is an analytical thinker who approaches his work through a lens of cultural humility. His background includes experience in qualitative analysis, primary and secondary research, and on-the-ground experience with a variety of nonprofits. Prior to Lyons-Newman Consulting, Santiago worked at VIVA Social Impact Partners, a Bay Area based social impact consulting firm, and FSG, a global nonprofit consulting firm. Santiago graduated from Princeton University with a Bachelor of Arts in sociology and a certificate in Latino studies.
Lenita Wheeler

CONSULTANT
Lenita (she/her) is a seasoned nonprofit leader with over 20 years of experience in community organizing, advocacy, public health, public policy, and social justice. Lenita has held leadership roles in many Bay Area nonprofit agencies, governmental entities, and philanthropy, including as director, strategic initiatives at Destination: Home in San Jose, and as director of family and community partnerships at the Oakland Housing Authority. Lenita holds a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and a certification in children and society from Stanford University.
Jazmin Flores Peña

ASSOCIATE CONSULTANT
Jazmin (she/her/ella) is a first-generation Latina professional driven to improve historically disenfranchised communities through support of mission-driven organizations. She has experience with qualitative research, producing policy recommendations, and using her bilingual skills to communicate with and create content for Spanish-speaking communities. Jazmin holds a Bachelor of Arts from Georgetown University in linguistics and a Master’s in education policy and management from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education.
Kristin Barendsen

EDITOR
Kristin (she/her) is an award-winning writer and editor who helps organizations craft messaging, refine mission and vision statements, and edit strategic plans. She has published more than 100 stories in magazines and newspapers and copyedited more than 150 nonfiction books. Kristin also produces politically-themed spoken word and music events on environmental justice, immigration, feminism, and LGBTQ equality. She is a recipient of the Academy of American Poets Prize and two Southwest Writers writing awards. Kristin studied creative writing and studio art at Stanford University.
Tori Fukumitsu

ADVISOR
Tori (he/him) brings to every project an analytical mindset and a deep commitment to the social sector. He has expertise in quantitative and qualitative research methods and analysis. Tori previously worked for global nonprofit consulting firm FSG. Tori also previously served as a Resident in Social Enterprise (RISE) Fellow with New Sector Alliance, where he worked as a project manager at TechSoup. Tori completed his undergraduate studies at Hamilton College with a concentration in English literature. He is currently pursuing an MBA at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business.

Item 1 of 9

Belinda’s Founding Story

“I reached an inflection point after 10 years leading a nonprofit public health advocacy nonprofit in San Francisco and then completing my MBA at Berkeley Haas. I wanted to use my on-the-ground nonprofit leadership experience and business training to support social impact leaders to navigate the inherent challenges to leading change, organizing community around a collective vision for change, and create roadmaps for organizational and sector impact. I founded Lyons-Newman Consulting in 2011 and since then have had the privilege of partnering with an array of Bay Area nonprofits, foundations, and government agencies to help make the world a more just, kind, and beautiful place for all. Our clients work with me directly along with one or more of our accomplished consultants who bring a diverse range of skills, talents, and cultural backgrounds to our work.”

Select Clients

Our Values

Social Justice

We are committed to consciously practicing anti-racism and standing up against injustice and discrimination. We work every day to advance social justice, embodying this value in how we do our work, what work we choose to do, and our efforts to eliminate disparities and promote equitable outcomes. We believe in advancing justice by building the power of leaders, organizations, and movements to transform systems.

Empathy

We lead with kindness and compassion in our interactions with our clients, within our team, and with the broader community. We listen deeply to our clients’ and their constituents’ needs, priorities, concerns, and hopes. We center our decisions on the perspectives and experiences of our clients and the people and communities they exist to serve.

Innovation

We are constantly learning. We stay current with the latest research and best practices and use creative collaboration tools to foster creative thinking throughout our projects, which are customized for each client. We are curious and versatile, and we ground decisions in data and the experiences of those directly impacted. We iterate on ideas collaboratively with our clients, test ideas, learn from them, and test again.

Impact

In partnership and solidarity with our clients, we strive for meaningful change to make the Bay Area, our country, and the world a more just place for all. We are passionate about the Bay Area, in particular, not only because it is our home, but because it serves as a model for social change.

Joy

We love what we do and we feel honored to support the inspiring leaders and organizations we have the opportunity to partner with. We are optimistic about the future and the possibility for social change. We are passionate about making our world a more just, kind, healthy, and beautiful place for all.

Integrity

We honor our commitments and stay true to our word, building trust through consistent and compassionate actions. We approach every relationship with sincerity and transparency, ensuring our clients and partners feel valued. By upholding our promises, we create a foundation of trust that empowers collaboration and lasting partnership.

Ready to deepen your organization’s impact?

Proud member of the National Network of Consultants to Grantmakers and the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP)

Meaning “woman teacher of peace,” the MaestraPeace Mural stands five stories tall and is the jewel of San Francisco’s Mission District. MaestraPeace was painted in 1994 by Bay Area muralists: Juana Alicia, Miranda Bergman, Edythe Boone, Susan Kelk Cervantes, Meera Desai, Yvonne Littleton and Irene Perez.

One of San Francisco’s largest and best known murals, MaestraPeace serves as a visual testament to the courageous contributions of women through time and around the world. We share it here as a reflection of the women in our leadership, and a celebration of all the changemakers of all identities who courageously work toward a better world.