Reimagine Possibilities

"I've had the pleasure of collaborating with Kimberlin across multiple initiatives aimed at enhancing philanthropic practices, including the Funder & Evaluator Affinity Network and the Causal Pathways Initiative. Most recently, she served as an advisor on Engage R+D's participatory learning guide, where she contributed crucial insights on foundation readiness for community-centered work. Kimberlin is a trusted and innovative advisor whose dedication and expertise are not only inspiring but also profoundly impactful."

Clare Nolan, MPP, Co-Founder & Co-Executive Director
Engage R+D

"Partnering with Kimberlin on the Causal Pathways Initiative in general, and co-designing a Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO) National Conference session [and convening] in particular, has been an exceptional experience. Her insights and strategic vision were invaluable, and her role as a trusted thought partner and collaborator has greatly contributed to the success of these efforts. Kimberlin's ability to foster meaningful dialogue and drive impactful outcomes makes her an outstanding partner in any initiative."

Matthew Carr, Ph.D, Strategy, Learning, and Evaluation Program Director
Walton Family Foundation

"Kimberlin is a thoughtful and inclusive collaborator. I appreciate how she creates spaces to reimagine and move away from 'business as usual'. She is willing to ask hard questions and fosters creativity in service of advancing equity and centering community."

Kim Ammann Howard, Ph.D, Director of Impact Assessment & Learning
The James Irvine Foundation

"Kimberlin served as my agency's point of contact in the U.S. Department of Education, providing us with guidance and access to resources and technical assistance in our efforts to work across multiple sectors on a large scale placed-based initiative. She offered extremely valuable insight on cross-sector management and collaborative strategies based on her wealth of experience in these fields and sincere interests in contributing to better outcomes for children and families. She always did exactly what she said she would do and could be counted on to promptly reply to any form of communication. We valued her contributions to the Indianola Promise Community and miss her involvement."

Josh Davis, Vice President of Public Policy and Partnerships
StriveTogether

"I had the great joy of working with Kimberlin for several years after recruiting her to Grantmakers for Education from Atlanta. She is driven by a strong vision of educational excellence for all young people, and she works tirelessly toward that vision, fueled by her endless reserves of enthusiasm and a strong sense of possibility. In addition to her strong planning and communication skills, she brought a thoughtful and deft approach to building the capacity of GFE's funder networks."

Chris Tebben, Former Executive Director
Grantmakers for Education

"Kimberlin combines a high level of professionalism in relationship building while also serving as a great thought partner. She has the capacity to construct and nurture strong teams by recognizing diverse assets and building on each team members' strengths. Kimberlin inspires teams and individuals to reach farther and move their work to the next level. She is a strategic thinker that can move quickly and competently from a concept phase to implementation, is accountable to timelines and deliverables, and sensitive to the value of each person's input. In addition, Kimberlin is reflective about her own contribution and brings her best effort to the table."

Linda Thompson, Former SVP, Grants Administration and Organizational Learning
Helios Education Foundation

"I had the pleasure of working with Kimberlin while I was the Director of Strategic Initiatives, Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education at the U.S. Department of Education. Kimberlin went out of her way to help the Office of Strategic Partnerships on several projects at ED.. In particular, her assistance on the Office's chronic absenteeism work was major - she used her professional and personal connections with several national philanthropic organizations to help us plan for and conduct follow-up for the meeting. Her deep knowledge of these organizations and their portfolios was critical as we solidified the post-meeting partnerships. I also was lucky enough to work with her on place-based initiatives, and a technical assistance contract, in particular. Her help summarizing the scope of work for philanthropic stakeholders helped us secure their involvement in ED's work. Overall, Kimberlin is not only a fabulous professional but she gets the work and its impact on the neediest and most vulnerable communities. I hope to have the opportunity to work with her again soon!"

Danielle Goonan, Vice President, U.S. Economic Opportunity
The Rockefeller Foundation