ABOUT US
Thanks for visiting our website! We offer a range of services to help organizations and educators to expand their capacity, work effectively with diverse groups, and lead confidently through challenges.
We are a local business based in Santa Maria, California, which is located on unceded Chumash lands.
LEADING WITH EQUITY
The effects of historical and contemporary injustice are everywhere. Our services center equity from start to finish and help clients to identify equity gaps in their own work.
RESPONSIVE AND COMMUNITY-ENGAGED
We specialize in working with hard-to-reach and underserved communities, providing key insights from years of experience developing community relationships and amplifying marginalized voices.
DR. MARIO ESPINOZA-KULICK
Mario was born in Modesto, California, and raised in an immigrant and Indigenous family (Purépecha). He earned a BA in Comparative Ethnic Studies from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo in 2016. He went on to earn his MA and PhD in Sociology from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2018 and 2021. During his graduate work, Mario trained as a Health Policy Research Scholar with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to translate research and scholarship into equitable policy change. His work has appeared in academic venues like Oxford University Press, the Carnegie Education Blog at Leeds Beckett University, and regional newspapers like El Latino, Santa Maria Times, and the Santa Barbara Independent.
DR. ALEX ESPINOZA-KULICK
Alex Espinoza-Kulick was born and raised in Michigan and currently lives in Santa Maria, California. He has years of experience developing creativity, community connections, and collective power for underserved communities. These projects have focused on topics like mental health, domestic workers, incarcerated populations, and LGBTQ youth. Some of this work is published in Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology, Journal of Community Practice, Children and Youth Services Review, Sexuality Research and Social Policy, and Global Social Welfare. He holds a PhD and MA in Sociology from the University of California, Santa Barbara and earned his BA in Women’s Studies from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.