FOR PUBLIC HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES PROGRAMS
When good programs get harder to run, look behind the work.
Programs often grow faster than the systems and teams supporting them. I help public health and human services organizations find what’s getting in the way and strengthen the operations and team practices that keep good work running well.
30 minutes, no cost, no pitch. We’ll talk through what you’re seeing and whether I can help.
The program is working. Running it shouldn’t be this hard.
Maybe the quarterly funder report turns into a scramble every time, because the data lives in four places.
Maybe one person understands the tracking spreadsheet, and everyone quietly hopes she never takes a vacation.
Maybe referrals stall between intake and follow-up, and no one is sure whose job it is to catch them.
Your team found ways to make it work. They always do. But workarounds take energy, and good staff burn out carrying systems that only exist in their heads.
None of this means the program is failing. It means the program outgrew the way it was built. That is a solvable problem.
Where programs usually get stuck
Unclear ownership
Tasks fall between roles, decisions wait on whoever is available, and accountability is fuzzy.
Processes that live in people’s heads
Critical steps aren’t written down, so consistency depends on who is working that day.
Reporting that eats the week
Funder and partner reporting takes far more time than it should, because the data was never set up to answer those questions.
Growth without structure
New funding, new partners, or new staff have added complexity faster than the systems could keep up.
If two or more of these sound familiar, a short conversation is a good place to start.
Clearer, more sustainable ways of working
Some organizations need to see what’s happening before deciding what to change. Others already know where they want to go and need help getting there. Start wherever you are.
STRENGTHEN YOUR OPERATIONS
Assess
Operational Effectiveness Assessment
A focused, fixed-scope look at how your program really runs. I talk with your team, review your workflows, and deliver a clear picture of what’s creating friction, plus a prioritized plan for what to fix first.
Best when: You know something isn’t working but can’t pinpoint why.
Improve
Operational Improvement & Implementation
Hands-on help redesigning the workflows, roles, and procedures behind your program. Together we document what lives in people’s heads, streamline reporting, and train your staff so changes stick.
Best when: You know what needs to change and want support making it happen.
STRENGTHEN YOUR TEAMS
Equip
Workforce Training and Development
Practical learning in public health workforce development, health equity, and workplace culture and engagement, from frontline staff training to workshops on mattering and belonging.
Best when: Your team needs new skills, a shared approach, or support through a change.
Align
Strategic Facilitation
Skilled, neutral facilitation for the conversations that move work forward: planning sessions, partner convenings, team retreats, and moments when people need to get on the same page.
Best when: You need the right people to reach clarity and commit to a path.
Where most clients start: the Operational Effectiveness Assessment. But these aren’t steps in a sequence. A training or a facilitated session is a fine place to begin, and many engagements combine two or more.
I’ve been on your side of the table.
I’m Christine Stewart, Principal of Clearer Path Strategies. For more than 20 years I’ve designed and managed grant-funded public health programs, including federally funded technical assistance and public health workforce initiatives across DC, Maryland, and Virginia. I know what it’s like to launch a program on a funder’s timeline and build the infrastructure while the work is already underway.
I bring a systems approach and a health equity lens to every engagement. That means looking at how the pieces connect, and noticing who gets lost when a process breaks: the client who never gets a follow-up call, or the staff member quietly absorbing the extra work.
MPH in Health Policy, George Washington University · Project Management Professional (PMP)
Who I work with
A good fit if you are
Leading a grant-funded or publicly funded program in public health, health and human services, or community health
A nonprofit, public agency, health system, or managed care organization
Seeing the program deliver results while the operations behind it feel strained
Ready to look honestly at how the work gets done
Probably not the right fit if you need
A program evaluation or outcomes study
Fundraising or grant writing
Someone to run day-to-day operations long term
Not sure which side you’re on? That’s what the discovery call is for.
What to expect when we talk
1
You tell me what’s going on.
No preparation needed. Describe what feels harder than it should, in your own words.
2
I ask questions and share what I’m hearing.
You’ll leave with at least one useful observation, whether or not we work together.
3
We decide on a next step together.
If an assessment makes sense, I’ll send a short proposal. If it doesn’t, I’ll tell you, and point you somewhere better if I can.
You don’t need to know where the problem starts.
That’s my job. If your program has become harder to run than it should be, let’s spend 30 minutes talking it through.
Prefer email? Write to me at ask@clearerpathstrategies.com.