“WHETHER IT’S IN INSTITUTIONS OR NOT, IN HOMES OR STREETS OR WHEREVER, WHETHER IT’S SCHOLARLY OR WHETHER IT’S EXPERIENTIAL, THERE IS A KIND OF PROGRESSION. WE MOVE FROM DATA TO INFORMATION TO KNOWLEDGE TO WISDOM.” - TONI MORRISON
HI, I’m DENALI
I'm good at a lot of things, just ok at some others (ask my kids), but there's one thing I do exceptionally well:
I'm great at making sense of things that are hard to measure.
I founded Higher Ground Data to put this unusual skill to work, clarifying complex constructs so human service professionals can measure what matters. I create tools, frameworks, processes, and workshops that unpack and celebrate the rich and sometimes messy things that make transformative work with people worth doing. I draw inspiration from a wide range of fields from child development to commercial catering (really) and from fifteen years in applied research, policy, and advocacy.
I specialize in participatory research, data exploration, mixed-methods and geospatial analysis, and implementation studies. I've partnered with government agencies, nonprofits, researchers, foundations, elected officials, practitioners, community members, families, and young people to understand the natural course of human life and improve the imperfect systems we’ve created to manage ourselves and each other.
My goal is to channel the unique perspective and expertise of everyone at the table into meaningful communication that supports learning and collaborative action in service of a just, caring, and cooperative future for all.
