Impact Stories
Establishing shared priorities to focus investments
Throughout her career, Deborah has served as a connector — helping organizations that serve the same people or who have connected missions collaborate, establish shared priorities, and together, agree on investments that will advance their common agendas.
As a research fellow for a statewide non-profit organization, she brought together data owners, researchers, and policymakers who had a common interest in advancing young children's well-being. Through a series of interactive meetings, the group defined a research agenda that would serve multiple organization's needs.
Through large federal contracts, Deborah brought together several groups to partners on high priority topics. For example, she brought together a group of leaders from small town school districts serving large numbers of families living below or near the poverty line and a group of three state agencies that served the same students at different times in their educational careers. By taking time to understand mission, goals, and operations, Jonas and colleagues created workshops to help these groups establish priorities and support investments in research, adult learning, and continuous improvement that supported their needs and helped each participating organization move closer to achieving their goals.
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