I launched my own company, Compass Consulting and Research, in 2021. I offer consulting and coaching on research methods and design, training in research methods, and data collection and analysis services for small businesses and nonprofits to help them find their true north — making sure they are headed on the right course or in the right direction. Students who utilize my short research methods courses or coaching often need help finding their true north too --- sometimes it's easy to get caught up in all the excitement of a project and then (as my late dissertation advisor, Jim Davidson, used to say to me), we forget to stay centered on the river and instead head down the little tributaries that prevent us from staying the course. I miss Jim terribly. But his advice has always stuck with me. 

It has taken me a while to find my own true north. In the world of Christian ministry, they talk about people’s call stories — what happens when one feels called to a particular vocation. Often there is a sense of dread, resistance, and even a feeling of being punched in the stomach. After hours, weeks, or even years of fighting the “call,” one finally gives in and finds that they made the right choice after all. As a researcher, I’ve been collecting “call” stories for years and see this pattern.

My own story is really no different. After serving Presbyterian and Methodist congregations in Northwest Indiana for a few years, I felt a sense of calling to do something broader than congregational ministry, went off to grad school and earned a Ph.D. in sociology, with emphasis on studying religious organizations and research methods. That’s the very short version of the story, as this took much longer than expected. (Doesn't everything that's worth doing?)

Anyhow, my “calling” was to help the mainline churches, which have been suffering from membership losses for decades. Upon graduation, within a year or so, I moved to Louisville, KY to do research work and then to serve as the director of research at the Presbyterian Church (USA). Feeling a tug at my heartstrings to return home to the greater Chicagoland area (yes, that’s what Chicagoans call it!) to be near our children and grandchildren, I accepted a position a few years later as Executive for Planning, Research and Evaluation at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in Chicago, where I served for three years.

Then the pandemic arrived in 2020, and by mid-2021, I found myself out of a job in a necessary organizational restructuring (which, ironically, I helped orchestrate), and as I had already discovered the joys of working remotely during the pandemic, I decided to step out on my own.

With extensive experience conducting evaluation research for religious organizations and helping others develop the skills to do their own evaluations, I am able to offer nonprofits and small businesses three types of services, which are outlined on the website: consulting and coaching on research projects, providing done-for-you research services, and short courses to equip others to do their own evaluative research.
 
I'm so excited to be on this new journey, helping individuals, nonprofits, and small businesses find their true north as I've enjoyed finding mine. Follow this blog for regular insights, tips and advice for making data-informed decisions that steer your organization in the right direction. Also, you might wish to follow Compass Consulting and Research on LinkedIn and Pinterest, where I will be sharing relevant content by other researchers about how making data-driven decisions can benefit your organization, as well as my own content. [Update 2025: Although I'm on Facebook and Instagram, I no longer post new content in those spaces. Follow me on LinkedIn and Pinterest!]

Thanks to colleagues with whom I’ve worked over the years to build the friendships, professional network, and skills to be able to do this work, and a special shout out to those who have entrusted me with projects during this period of transition: Learning Forte, Women of the ELCA, ELCA, Luther Seminary, Presbyterian Foundation, The Lewis Center for Church Leadership at Wesley Theological Seminary, and Synagogue Studies Institute, Inc. You all are very special to me!

Do you have a research or evaluation project? Do you need help finding your true north with that project? Reach out to me; I'd be happy to do a free 30-minute Zoom chat to see if there's some way I can help!