Our Impact
What Our Clients + Partners are Saying
Image courtesy of The Institute for Nonprofit Practice
At Line of Sight (LOS), our work is grounded in partnership. The reflections below come from some of the current and former clients and partners we have had the honor of working with across nonprofit, public sector, philanthropic, and social impact organizations.
Erika's facilitation of our organization's Theory of Change refresh was nothing short of astounding. Her ability to hold the center while also creating space for deep reflection, keep us on task while also encouraging collaborative exploration, and move us towards a deliverable while creating a container that felt more like a conversation than a charge was impactful for all of us, not only in our vision for the future of the work, but in our relationships with each other and our own leadership.
- Dr. Julie Segovia, Chief Impact + Policy Officer
HopeWell
Working with Erika on our Theory of Change was transformative. She helped us fundamentally sharpen our organizational TOC while also building a clear, rigorous framework for our systems-change work. Her ability to manage complexity, apply national data and best practices, and bring both precision and humor to the process is exceptional. She was a true thought partner, mentor, and coach - and one of the best ROI decisions we’ve made. I couldn't recommend her more highly.
- Shaheer Mustafa, President + CEO
Erika has a deep knowledge of program codification and her expertise shows that in every aspect of our Theory of Change (TOC), Logic Model, and Frameworks. I have been trying to find a consultant firm who can understand our unique Peer to Peer model and develop an even uniquer TOC; Erika was the perfect solution for our situation. We were looking for a solution for two years and failed with three consultants who think in a very traditional systematic manner around building models and TOC that are designed to serve our communities. Erika took the time to understand me and adapted to the need we had for the Razing the Bar community.
- Dontae Lartigue, Founder
Razing the Bar
As a new Executive Director, I needed to host a successful, but potentially contentious staff retreat to get input from my team about the direction of our organization. Previous retreats we'd held were often ineffective and left the team feeling disengaged, so I was concerned about replicating those issues. Working with Erika and the LoS team was incredibly valuable - not only did they have the insight and skillset to successfully manage my passionate staff, they also identified really essential trends and core needs that I didn't notice myself. Their work has fundamentally shaped how we will structure our work.
- Dave Rini, Executive Director
Prisoners’ Legal Services of Boston
When our Research and Evaluation team received the funding to triple in size, we were faced with the 'good problem' of rapid scaling - a challenge that required transitioning a brilliant evaluator into a first-time leader of a large, complex department. Dr. Erika Van Buren was instrumental in navigating this transition. She partnered with me to clarify the team’s core functions and define how they integrated with the other departments I oversee as COO. Erika’s guidance on facilitating high-impact sessions and translating our goals into a logical team structure was invaluable. Beyond the organizational design, her 1:1 coaching provided our leader with the essential support needed to manage growth confidently, while her work in developing senior researcher competencies established a clear roadmap for long-term career development. Dr. Van Buren didn't just help us hire more people; she helped us build a sustainable, high-performing foundation for our research future.
- Tamara Johnson, COO
Per Scholas
We worked with Erika to support programs throughout California to improve their ability to help opportunity young adults to reach their goals for employment. Erika’s energy and enthusiasm for supporting programs in meeting their learning goals is infectious! In presentations and workshops, she pull her audience in and gets them talking and learning in real time. Erika is a pleasure to collaborate with. Her nuanced understanding of evaluation, quality improvement, and direct services make her an amazing thought partner for researchers and practitioners alike.
- Kyla Wasserman, Research Associate
MDRC
Working with Erika helped clarify a very unique and complex theory of change for our organization. She was also able to educate us on its use and energized the entire team through the process.
- Deanna Van Buren, Executive Director
Designing Justice Designing Spaces
Erika Van Buren integrates a rare combination of firm rootedness in practice with both broad and deep theoretical grounding to her work through Line of Sight. Erika and LOS seamlessly travel between the worlds of communities and systems, providers and policy to ensure both program and data models reflect what people need to achieve their aspirations and that the systems that serve them are changed for the better: to replicate more equitable outcomes over time. Moreover, Erika moves through the world with a love-forward approach that makes working with her joyful and easeful.
- Steven LaFrance, Principal
Head + Heart Advisory
Erika was an invaluable partner in helping us create a new measurement, evaluation, and learning (MEL) framework. She was a joy to work with and highly responsive to our needs. She designed a thoughtful facilitation process that allowed staff to bring their perspectives and input. Erika also provided her own insights and wisdom to the creation of the MEL framework that guides how we approach our work. I highly recommend partnering with her.
- Nick Stuber, Director of Learning
The GreenLight Fund
New Door was at a moment where we needed to strengthen our internal capacity and evolve from doing good work to becoming a more intentional learning organization. Erika and Line of Sight Consulting helped us lean into that shift by building our internal systems, clarifying processes and practices, and creating structures that support reflection, accountability, and continuous improvement. The result is an organization that is not only more aligned and disciplined in how we operate, but better positioned to scale our impact for young people.
- Omar Butler, CEO
New Door Ventures
I’ve had the pleasure of working with Erika for four years and she is the best at what she does. She has the rare ability to transform organizations into being impact driven leaders in the field. Her ability to drive meaningful change for staff and clients is demonstrated through decades of experience and knowledge of program design, change management, and turning strategy into action. Erika is a dynamic leader in her approach to getting the best out of organizations and people no matter what level or stage they are at in their journey. She is one of the best people to work with, because she meets you where you are at and tailors her approach with flexibility, care, and a learning mindset. Her vast skill set ranges from analyst, researcher, program practitioner, strategist, leader, coach, and change agent. At New Door, the impact she has had has completely transformed how we think about our relationship to data, our delivery of programs and program design, and how we innovate. Erika is a truly one of a kind person and leader in this field and I have no doubt that she will get the best out of any organization she works with.
- Tim Choy, Director of Evaluation + Learning
Erika is a stellar evaluator, facilitator, and thought partner. She partnered with Bright Research Group to design and conduct a 2+ year developmental evaluation for my team at Blue Shield of California Foundation. She’s smart, engaging, and blends creativity with technical rigor. As a former evaluation consultant myself, I have high standards for who I work with – and I’d work with Erika again in a heartbeat.
- Richard Vezina
Blue Shield of California Foundation
After hiring a new leader in our evaluation group, we engaged Dr. Van Buren for leadership coaching and to help the leader craft an evaluation strategy for the agency. Her work with this leader was transformative for him and had a substantial impact on the implementation of our ongoing outcome evaluation process. I strongly recommend Dr. Van Buren and Line of Sight Consulting. Her strong commitment to learning and using data effectively is evident in thoughtful manner and approach.
- Dr. Sarah Hurley, Managing Director of Data Science
Youth Villages
Erika has a rare ability to translate big, values-driven intentions into well-sequenced, human-centered processes that leaders and teams can actually engage with. From framing and flow to pacing and participation, her design choices consistently created clarity, trust, and forward momentum.
As a client-facing co-facilitator, Erika brings warmth, steadiness, and deep presence. She builds genuine rapport with leaders and staff alike, creating space for honest reflection while skillfully guiding groups through complexity and tension. People felt seen and respected in the process - while also being invited into deeper accountability. What sets Erika apart is her expertise in operationalizing values. She move the client beyond naming what they care about to articulating what those values mean in practice—how they show up in leadership, decision-making, relationships, and trade-offs. The result was values work that felt alive, usable, and embedded, rather than abstract or performative.
- Patrice & Kerry-Jo Ford-Lynn, CEO+ COO
Catapult Change
Erika is an amazing thought partner and collaborator. She’s sharp, adaptable, and driven by strong values. Her work with nonprofit leadership is unparalleled - she can quickly calibrate to what a leader needs and how they want the work to happen, while providing guardrails and pushing back in a meaningful way when needed. I’ve learned so much from her and have felt supported holistically - beyond just the work, I appreciate her mentorship and guidance as a successful woman of color in this sector.
- Justine Gonzalez, Capacity Building Manager
Tipping Point Community
I had the pleasure of working with Erika over several months as she supported our organization in developing our core values and bringing them meaningfully to life across our team. Through a thoughtful and highly collaborative process, she guided the development of our organizational values, partnered closely with a select group of staff advisors, and facilitated engaging workshops for our full staff that deepened understanding and connection to those values. In a large and complex organization working remotely across multiple time zones, cultures, and evolving challenges, Erika created inclusive spaces that brought people together, encouraged honest dialogue, and helped staff see themselves reflected in the values and their everyday work. Her skilled facilitation strengthened alignment, trust, and shared purpose, helping staff feel more deeply connected to one another and to the organization’s mission. Erika’s work has had a lasting and meaningful impact, and I would highly recommend her to any organization seeking to build authentic, lived values and foster strong staff engagement.
- Amina Doherty, Former VP of People, Equity + Culture
The Equality Fund
I worked with Erika during a time of organizational change, which included an increase in the scope of my position. Erika was a valuable thought partner in thinking through strategic and tactical question geared towards enhancing Kidango's ability to rely on data in its decision making processes. I also benefited in terms of my personal development as a leader. Erika facilitated a team retreat for us as well, which was very successful and productive.
- Pepijn van Houwelingen, PhD, Chief Impact Officer
Kidango
Dr. Erika Van Buren has been a long term collaborator with Bright Research Group. She has worked as a developmental evaluation and learning partner for large scale systems-change and place-based investments. Erika is an exceptional facilitator who brings joy and creativity to evaluation and learning. Her passion for learning is contagious and through her exceptional consulting services, she helps organizations and initiatives deepen their impact and strengthen their collaborative relationships. She leverages her keen intellect, creativity and over 20 years of experience in the field of applied research and consulting in service of equity.
- Brightstar Ohlson, Principal + CEO
Bright Research Group
Working with Erika over the past few years has been an exceptional experience. She brings a rare combination of practitioner insight and rigorous research expertise- a true unicorn in the evaluation field. Her work is consistently thoughtful, strategic, and highly professional. She has an extraordinary ability to connect the dots between data, implementation, and impact, helping us see both the big picture and the practical path forward. I trust her deeply and recommend her without hesitation.
- Emily Jensen, Chief Impact + Program Officer
First Place for Youth
Our experience working with Erika represents the best of what a consultant can bring to an organization in a short period of time. We are an established national network that was working on developing a unified theory of change. We know our work, our programs, our people so well, which was a strength and also a challenge. We needed someone with Theory of Change expertise that could provide the outside perspective that we were lacking. Erika stepped into this role seamlessly. She was able to quickly understand our context so that the feedback she gave was relevant and actionable. In a matter of a few sessions, she helped us move through the places we felt stuck toward a final product we were confident in! I recommend her approach and expertise to other organizations working on Theory of Change and strategic program work!
- Katie Dalbey, Director of Learning and Evaluation
Outward Bound USA