Testimonials
EQUITY AUDIT
“Dr. Wise and her team far exceeded our expectations. From walking us through the process to implementing both phases (assessment and focus groups) of our audit, the Wise team demonstrated supreme expertise and focus. We had a number of special requests, including increasing our focus group participation, throughout the process that they willingly and expertly accommodated. They have helped us lay the foundation for building on our DEIB efforts and I highly recommend the Wise Group.”
– Pamela M. Wheeler, Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, NFP
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
“We have had the pleasure of having Val lead professional development and training twice this year at our school. Val is a gifted speaker and has a wealth of knowledge about children, learning, and best practices for teachers. Her sessions are engaging, informative and encouraging. Val has a deep knowledge about, and a respect for, early childhood and early childhood professionals, and always makes teachers feel valued and supported. We have taken to calling her “Val the Validator” as she encourages teachers to share their ideas, be secure in their knowledge and belief in their abilities. As an early childhood educator, learning together with Val has been a highlight in my professional development experiences. She brings expert knowledge, humor, and heart to every session. I am already looking forward to the next time we get the opportunity to have Val on our campus!”
— Maura Rice, Junior K Lead Teacher, Congressional School
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
This was my first experience with such professional consulting. When your team came in to run the interviews, our staff responded with great positivity. They enjoyed the focus groups, the professionalism of your staff, and they felt like they could respond well to the selected questions. One veteran teacher of 30 years said, "That is the best professional development we've ever done.” The final report was on a whole other level of excellence. I found it to be deeply constructive and revealing. The structure of the report, which included robust research to support the findings and give impact to them, organized the findings and helped set a process in place. The clarity with which the strengths and challenges were presented helped give a strong purpose to the recommendations. And also, it feels possible and feasible to begin acting on those recommendations. I appreciate so much how you offered this level of support to our school.
— Mara Nicastro, Head of School, The Nora School
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
“From pre-readings to facilitated discussions to group breakouts, her work with our board to cultivate a racial equity lens for our organization was invaluable. She accounted for differences in each individual’s knowledge base and life experience, pushed us to understand other perspectives, and laid a foundation for our staff and board to carry the work forward beyond our day with her. Her knowledge base is extensive and she’s adept at reading the room, allowing her to know exactly when to step in, when to step back, and when a conversation needs a little more time or facilitation.”
— Wendy Shenk-Evans, Executive Director, Montessori Public Policy Initiative
Awards & Recognition
2023 Montessori Innovator Award - American Montessori Society
The Montessori Innovator Award honors up-and-coming individuals for their original contributions to the practice and experience of Montessori education.
2022 Top 10 Emerging Diversity and Inclusion Companies - Manage HR Magazine
Manage HR features companies with expertise in state-of-the-art Diversity and Inclusion solutions, using innovative tools and resources that organizations need to accelerate their business growth and improve bottom lines.
