Work with me — JACOB WATSON

Work with me.

Are you looking for innovative ways to implement, measure, and sustain social impact? Do you need to design an engagement project, build staff capacity, report on your program’s outcomes, or understand a larger, field-wide trend?
For **organizations** and institutions, I offer a range of services that bring people together for thoughtful and productive exploration of complex topics.
I also support **individuals** and groups seeking to improve their self-knowledge, teaching, and leadership capacities. I provide questions, frameworks, and resources to help you think critically about your own practices and values.
Working with me offers the benefit of 10 years’ experience across the cultural and non-profit sectors — from museums, to theaters, opera companies, and universities — designing, implementing, and evaluating programs. I also bring a robust knowledge of organizational psychology, qualitative research, design thinking, adaptive leadership, and adult learning theories.

Services.

Organizational Strategy

I support organizations in strengthening internal capacity, navigating moments of change, and expanding programming to reach new audiences. I offer group workshops and one-on-one coaching that empowers you to approach familiar challenges in fresh ways, including:

Team-building/ collaboration
Leadership development
Adaptive and strategic planning
Change management
Cultural / arts-based strategy

Learning + Engagement

I have designed and taught multi-disciplinary curricula for learners of all ages. I’ve worked in-depth with state and national learning standards in both formal and informal learning environments, including universities and K-12 settings. I can offer strategies and support, including:

Leading Communities of Practice and working groups
Facilitating community dialogue
Participation design for events, workshops, and seminars
Curriculum design and creative assessment
Professional development for educators

Research and Evaluation

I can work with your organization to help you define and expand your impact. I am well-versed in action research, participatory research, and qualitative and arts-based methods. This includes:

Literature reviews / grounding research
Interviews and focus groups
Theory of action and logic models
Qualitative insights and analysis
Impact evaluation, documentation, and grant support

My approach is grounded in principles of cultural equity, accessibility, and anti-racist practice. I can help you support your ongoing commitments to equity and inclusion. In my research, I use a critical theory lens, which seeks to examine and question how systems of power impact our understanding.

What People Are Saying

“The experience has been absolutely incredible, and I find myself using the tools we learned together in my work all the time. I am so grateful for the time and effort you both put in to make this experience meaningful for the cohort online and the feedback and support you provided throughout the process. Because of you, I feel more equipped to create change in the future with the community I am serving at heart.”

— Workshop participant

“We appreciate that what you give us is not only interesting in the moment, but has traction to help us continue to move thoughtfully through challenges.”

- Dr. Lyndall G. Miller, Director, Jewish Early Childhood Education Leadership Initiative

Not sure where to start?

Drop me a line about a challenge you’re facing in your work and we’ll take it from there!

Let's talk

Sample topics / Workshops

See below for just a small selection of the range of topics I cover in my workshops:

The Authentic Self: Leading with Integrity. Equip yourself with the self-awareness and poise you need to navigate professional challenges and build authentic connections with others; practice strategies for staying grounded and present amidst difficult situations.

Telling our Stories: Creative Approaches to Documentation. Learn how capturing insights through documentation and evaluation can be stress-free, and even joyful; find new ways to advocate for the importance of your work to funders and other stakeholders.
Playing it Out: Game-making and Interactive Strategy. Albert Einstein once said that “play is the highest form of research;” discover how interactive games can increase engagement and fuel collaboration, collective insight, and group cohesion.
Creative Teaching through Inquiry and Reflection. Whether you’re working remote, hybrid, or in-person, this workshop explores how to build genuine connections with students and sustain dynamic, curiosity-driven learning environments.
Leading and Imagining in a Landscape of Change. This workshop empowers new and established organizations to reimagine institutional processes and pivot to new ways of working.

For more info on past projects, check out my cultural engagement portfolio.