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Consulting and Coaching

consulting & coaching

We support community changemakers in achieving greater impact.

Inquire about Consulting See our Workshop Options

The Tamarack Advantage

We draw upon our 20 years of experience leading community change and advancing practice to support municipalities, funders, non-profits, and community leaders through on-demand coaching and consulting, in-person and digital training, and by offering resources, tools, and the latest thinking to guide change efforts.

Investing in Tamarack Institute Consulting Services has the following benefits:

CO-DESIGNED APPROACH

All consulting services are customized and co-designed ensuring outcomes that meet needs.

CONTENT KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE

We are respected international thought leaders who regularly research, test and publish new content.

EXPERIENCE IN PRACTICE

We bring practical experience and skill to translate the theory of community change into action.

AN ENGAGED NETWORK

Tamarack leverages our global network of over 40,000 community change practitioners to access proven approaches to address a range of complex issues in creative and innovative ways.

INVESTING IN BUILDING CAPACITY

As a registered charity, Tamarack reinvests the funds generated by clients and learners into providing content and tools on an open-source platform to build capacity in the field, share resources, and support each other to achieve and accelerate impact. 

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Danya Pastuszek

President & CEO, Tamarack Institute

Danya is a mother, daughter, wife, sister, neighbour, community-builder, and runner—identities that have shaped her passion for belonging and financial inclusion in community. Her career has also included refugee resettlement and criminal justice reform.

She spent a decade with the Promise Partnership of Salt Lake, co-designing school, neighbourhood, city, and regional partnerships advancing work on financial inclusion. From 2022 to 2024, she served as Co-CEO of the Tamarack Institute, an inaugural Schwab Foundation Collective Social Innovation Awardee, before being appointed President & CEO in December 2024.

Danya is a published author whose work has appeared in the National Observer, Social Innovation Journal, and World Economic Forum. She is also a lifelong learner and holds an MBA, an MA in Psychology, and certifications in Systems Change, AI Stewardship, and Centering Equity in Climate Action. She is recognized as Utah Business Magazine’s CxO of the Year (2021). She is proud to serve on the advisory board for the Canadian Centre for Nonprofit Digital Resiliency and the board of Future of Good.

Danya is a requested speaker, moderator, and podcast guest who brings warmth to conversations on economic mobility, belonging, and the role of community in systems change.

Speaking & Advisory Expertise: 

  • Data strategy & collaborative improvement
  • Alignment across local, regional, and national scales
  • Place-based approaches
  • Community engagement
  • Strategic planning
  • Resourcing collective work

Want to book Danya?  Contact tamarack@tamarackcommunity.ca. 

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Rochelle Ignacio

Equity and Anti-Racism Strategy

Rochelle Ignacio (she/her) is an equity strategist, facilitator, public speaker and community builder who guides organizations and individuals through meaningful equity and anti-racism journeys. Grounded in an intentional, relational, and care-based framework, she fosters environments where belonging, reconciliation, and transformative change can take root.

Since 2021, she has led Tamarack Institute’s inaugural Equity & Reconciliation team, spearheading the Seeds of Transformation, a loving framework for equity, belonging and reconciliation. Rochelle embeds equity into organizational culture by shaping policies, leading training programs, and coaching teams. She is experienced in developing equity strategies and coaching teams on developing disaggregated employee engagement dashboards.

Beyond consulting, Rochelle advances Black mobility and belonging through developing economic opportunities for Black entrepreneurs in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Specializes in:

  • Equity and Anti-Racism Strategy Facilitation, Leadership and Support
  • Equitable Systems Transformation
  • Policy Review and Development
  • Anti-Black Racism & Intersectional Frameworks
  • Engaging with Diverse Communities
  • Equitable Data Collection and Management Practices

Rochelle's Office Hours
Tuesdays 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. MT
15-minute free consultation

Book a 15-minute session with Rochelle

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Lisa Attygalle

Community Engagement

In her role at Tamarack, Lisa works with cities, organizations and coalitions to improve the way they engage with their communities. Over the last seven years, her work has focused on creating authentic engagement strategies and building the culture for engagement, integrated communications planning, and the use of technology and creativity for engagement. Lisa constantly advocates for simplicity in infrastructure, frameworks and design and loves applying the principles of marketing, advertising, loyalty, and user experience to community initiatives.

Specializes in:

  • Community Engagement
  • Community Innovation
  • Collective Impact

Lisa's Office Hours
Thursdays 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. EST
15-minute free consultation

Book a 15-minute session with Lisa 

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sonja miokovic

Community Innovation

Sonja Miokovic is the Consulting Director of the Tamarack Institute’s Community Innovation Area. She is a dynamic educator, social scientist, and innovator with over 16 years of experience in the sector. Having lived, worked, and played in over 80 countries, she has a broad spectrum of international experience that cuts across the public, private and civil society sectors. Sonja is a long-standing advocate for community-led innovation and development. Known for bringing larger-than-life initiatives into being, Sonja thrives on helping communities connect the dots in innovative ways to tackle persistent problems.

Specializes in:

  • Community Innovation
  • Co-Design
  • Community Engagement

Sonja's Office Hours
Wednesdays 9:00–11:00 a.m. EST
15-minute free consultation

Book a 15-minute session with Sonja

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sylvia cheuy

Collaboration

Sylvia is a Consulting Director of the Tamarack Institute’s Collaboration practice area. She is passionate about community change and what becomes possible when residents and various sector leaders share an aspirational vision for their future. Sylvia believes that when the assets of residents and community are recognized and connected they become powerful drivers of community change.

Specializes in:

  • Collaboration
  • Collective Impact
  • Community Engagement
  • Community Innovation

Sylvia's Office Hours
Tuesdays 2:00–4:00 p.m. EST
15-minute free consultation

Book a 15-minute session with Sylvia

Chúk Consulting

Chúk Odenigbo

(Consultations aussi disponibles en français)

Dr. Chúk Odenigbo (PhD) is the Consulting Director of Evaluating Impact at the Tamarack Institute. A recognized changemaker in Canada, Chúk’s formal education centres the environment, chemistry, public health and medical geography. With more than a decade of experience in environmental activism, adult education, project management, community engagement and co-designing towards the future, Chúk’s work is not only informed by his academic background but also his lived experiences as a Black Francophone in what is currently Canada. Outside of Tamarack, he is involved in several councils, committees, conferences and movements to reimagine and recreate systems for the well-being of all beings, human and nonhuman. 

Specializes in:

  • Collaborative governance
  • Co-creation
  • Evaluating Impact  
  • Community engagement
  • Equity and inclusion
  • Community innovation 

Chúk's Office Hours
Wednesdays 1:00–3:00 p.m. MT
15-minute free consultation

Book a 15-minute session with Chúk

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heather keam

Asset-Based Community Development 

Heather is the Consulting Director of Asset-Based Community Development and Belonging at Tamarack Institute. She has a passion for the power of people and believes that people and communities are the solutions to local problems. She believes that in building a sense of community belonging people feel connected to their community, and their place within it and get involved in decision-making. She also believes that municipalities need to shift the way they show up in community from doing “for” to supporting communities to do themselves.  

Specializes in:

  • Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD)
  • Asset Mapping
  • Community Development
  • Building Community Plans

Heather's Office Hours
Mondays 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. EST
15-minute free consultation

Book a 15-minute session with Heather

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Shanese Green

Shanese Green (nee Steele) (she/they) is a bridge-builder, advocate, and equity-driven community animator dedicated to fostering spaces of belonging and transformation. As Senior Community Animator, Equity and Reconciliation at Tamarack, she brings 14 years of experience in collaborative community development, collective capacity building, and place-based learning.

An Afro-Indigenous femme of Métis, Trinidadian, and Grenadian descent with Anishinaabe familial ties, Shanese’s work is deeply rooted in relational strategies for conflict navigation, 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion, reconciliation, and decolonial practice. She is passionate about equitable policy development, transformative curriculum design, anti-racism, and systemic equity, particularly in the context of youth leadership, community engagement, and gender-based violence prevention. Shanese's work weaves together traditional knowledge, intersectional frameworks, and community-led action, always centering a decolonial, queer, feminist, and pro-Black approach. A published writer, her work can be found in Xtra Magazine, The Trent Arthur, Global Indigenous Youth: Through Their Eyes (Columbia), and Nutmeg and Sage Blog.

Specializes in:

  • Building Collective Capacity
  • Place-based Learning
  • Relational Strategies for Conflict Navigation
  • 2SLGBTQIA+ Inclusion & Equity
  • Reconciliation & Decolonial Practice
  • Equitable Policy Development
  • Transformative Curriculum & Educational Design
  • Anti-Racism & Systemic Equity
  • Youth Leadership & Community Engagement
  • Gender-Based Violence Prevention & Response
  • Collaborative Community Development

Shanese's Office Hours
Wednesdays 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. EST
15-minute free consultation

Book a 15-minute session with Shanese

Yas Hassan

Yas Hassen

Learning and Development

Yas is an Associate Director at Tamarack Institute’s Learning Centre. They are dedicated to community development and engagement, prioritizing ethical co-creation and collaboration. With an MA in Adult Education and Community Development, their focus lies in effecting tangible systems change by innovatingly bridging gaps across various fronts including Black liberation, Indigenous sovereignty, anti-racism, belonging, anti-poverty, and climate justice, all in pursuit of just futures.  

Specializes in:

  •  Community Engagement
  • Learning and Development
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Integrating Meaningful EDIJR Frameworks

Yas' Office Hours
Wednesdays 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. EST
15-minute free consultation

Book a 15-minute session with Yas

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duncan field

Strategic Planning and Communications

Duncan is an Associate Director at Tamarack's Learning Centre. Duncan leads the development and management of e-learning courses, provides both leadership and support for consulting contracts, and contributes to the creation of learning resources.

Specializes in:

  • Community Engagement and Consensus Building
  • Collective Impact and Backbone Operations
  • Learning and Development
  • Digital and Measurement Strategy
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daren okafo

Collective Leadership

Daren Okafo is the Consulting Director of Collective Leadership at the Tamarack Institute. He focuses on a community-centric, collective leadership practice that centres dialogue and participation with a crucial focus on collective futures, power, race, and coloniality. Daren is passionate about how communities envision and co-create just and equitable futures together, and the ways in which leaders come together to learn and grow. 

Specializes in:

  • Community Futures
  • Collective Leadership
  • Community Engagement

Daren's Office Hours
Tuesdays 1:00–2:30 p.m. EST
15-minute free consultation

Book a 15-minute session with Daren

get in tOuch

We’re happy to answer questions, discuss community issues and direct you to trusted resources. Get in touch with a specific team member or submit a general inquiry.

Team Directory General Contact
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