uncovering needs.
unlocking possibilities.
reimagining services.
OVERVIEW
I help care-centered businesses, government agencies, and other do-gooders connect more deeply with the people they serve, uncovering authentic life experiences and viewpoints to provide evidence and inspiration for bold ideas that resonate.
I serve as a strategist and researcher and partner with a dynamic team of translators, visual designers, and content designers to maximize research and transform insights into action.
Working with Keara has been a huge privilege. Her research knowledge is excellent. She has great empathy and awareness of social justice and the natural world, the complexities that underpin it, and the action required to make substantive change. Keara brings intelligence, humour and a truly sophisticated perspective to every conversation or project she's involved in.
Miriam Vaswani
Senior Content Designer | Communication Expert | Fiction Writer
Hi, I’m Keara!
I graduated from Harvard University with a BA in Sociology, Master of Education, specializing in Adolescent Counseling and Prevention Science, and Certificate of Advanced Study for licensure as an adolescent school social worker in Massachusetts.
My professional path started in youth development where I was dedicated to designing strategies and interventions to support the unique needs of all students. Over 15 years, my work has spanned to include a range of initiatives including coaching local startups in Washington, DC, designing community programs in historic neighborhoods in Houston to creating and evaluating state, federal, and multinational programs across the Americas, Europe, and Africa. I combine approaches like participatory methods, asset-based community development, and appreciative inquiry to collaboratively explore how to better serve more people in reaching their goals.
I am also the creator of The South Design Research Studio where I lead place-based/regional-specific co-design projects in the American South, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
I was particularly impressed by Keara’s abilities to get people on board with ideas—even stakeholders who were initially on completely different pages—to understand and echo back the needs and wants of the team members, and to see things from others perspective. Keara is a great leader, a thoughtful supporter, and a passionate researcher.
Amanda Donavanik
How I Work
HUMAN-CENTERED DESIGN RESEARCH
Through interviews, user tests, observation, contextual study, and a host of other creative research methods, I help uncover what real people need, think and care about
TRAUMA-INFORMED PRACTICES
I create safe, compassionate spaces that honor different lived experiences and prioritize well-being in all interactions.
INTERACTIVE WORKSHOP FACILITATION
I lead dynamic, hands-on sessions that spark ideas, foster collaboration, and turn big concepts into action.
BILINGUAL ENGLISH AND SPANISH SERVICES
I work seamlessly across English and Spanish, ensuring clear communication and cultural nuance in everything I do.
WHERE MY CRAFT COMES TO LIFE
❋ Early education & childcare settings
❋ K-12 education settings
❋ Healthcare
❋ Social services (private, public, & not-profit social benefit programs)
❋ Child welfare and family strengthening services
❋ Youth mental health services
❋ Hard to reach, sensitive populations
❋ International/multinational initiatives
❋ Food & travel
PAST WORK
MIDPOINT EVALUATION OF AN INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE TO SHAPE FUTURE FUNDING
LONGITUDINAL DISCOVERY RESEARCH ON LIVED EXPERIENCES OF ECONOMICALLY VULNERABLE FAMILIES WITH YOUNG CHILDREN (ONGOING)
There was no guessing or wondering when working with her. I also appreciated how organized she was in sharing the outcome of her research. Not only did she deliver the raw findings in a digestible way but upon identifying some opportunities she also made insightful suggestions on product and marketing improvements.
Irene Koo
