Testimonials from our Participants

Strategic Planning & Organizational Development

Dr. Sonia James-Wilson is the professional consultant and non-profit strategist NYC Kids Project desperately needed to collaborate with in order to grow and expand our mission. We teach empathy and inclusion to children of all abilities, and her knowledge of education and social justice became clear immediately upon starting our work together. She led a board retreat for us and also spent time coaching the staff (two co-directors) to develop healthy, open and transparent communication. She held us accountable for our vision, goals, and dreams. She was warm and focused, yet keenly aware of our challenges and not afraid to encourage us to face them. What seemed amorphous to us at first, transformed, with her help, into action items and new internal dialogue about our work ethic and the possibilities for our organization.  We would gladly work with Dr. Sonia, again, and it is a pleasure to recommend engaging her skills and talents for creating organizational change. — C. Arana, Artistic Director

Dr. James-Wilson worked as the facilitator of our Redesign Committee which was charged with the responsibility of creating the plan to divide our school into four academies, two at the foundation level (grades 7-9) and two at the commencement level (grades 10-12). In her role as facilitator, Dr. James-Wilson guided us through research on various design models, facilitated discussions around the sensitive issues we face in our school community, and kept us on track for the completion of the plan. One of her great strengths is her ability to be objective while sharing her knowledge. She possesses a wealth of knowledge about education in general, and urban education in particular. She has the ability to bring people to levels of awareness without being didactic or authoritarian. Dr. James-Wilson’s facilitation skills are outstanding, and working with her for the past two years has been a pleasure. — K. Lamb, Secondary School Principal

As a result of working with Dr. Sonia, our organization has gone through an immense growth spurt that, I am convinced, would not have happened without her sincere interest in facilitating the development of our organization’s mission, her adept way of conducting efficient meetings, her keen listening skills that ensures a wide range of stakeholders are heard, and her capacity to breakdown complicated projects into small manageable parts.  From the beginning, Dr. James-Wilson delivered a road map of her work; she kept lines of communication open, and exceeded expectations for what was possible. Everyone I have spoken with has been so grateful to have her on board. — D. Redding, Sangha Engagement Manager

The Rochester Zen Center board of directors hired Dr. James-Wilson to design and implement an anti-racism program for its leadership, staff, and membership, and we couldn't be happier with the results.  Starting from the "top," she engaged the board and staff leadership by asking us to reflect individually on the diversity — or lack of diversity — in our lives from childhood to adulthood. From there, a clear process was laid out to prioritize various kinds of initiatives that could provide ongoing institutional support of anti-racism initiatives. These included  appointing an anti-racism coordinator, educating our membership on the intersection of Buddhism and anti-racism, and revitalizing a long-standing committee of members who had been working devotedly to bring issues of  diversity to the Center's leadership. All the steps of the process were clearly spelled out in Dr. James-Wilson's initial proposal. Her ongoing communication with the board and staff was organized and consistent. Despite the difficulties inherent in leading a process of this type involving a far-flung membership in the midst of a global pandemic, we always felt that she was moving ahead steadily. Nothing fell between the cracks. Thanks to Dr, James-Wilson, we have provided institutional support for ongoing programs and practices that are sustainable, sensible, and will challenge us to continue to uproot racism, in our organization as well as the community at large. — C. Pulleyn, Chair, Board of Trustees