““A successful campaign, initiative, or program requires person-centered strategy and content development. This is why working with Cara is such a game-changer.I’ve been lucky enough to collaborate with Cara, and she is thorough, curious, and deeply practiced—both in her research and synthesis of any “problem to solve” and in how she develops insights and recommendations for clients. She approaches every aspect of campaign or product development through the lens of how people will experience it in real time—including the discovery process itself. She’s highly organized (and efficient!) in her analysis and output, making collaboration seamless and productive.Cara is also excellent at partner engagement. I learned so much co-facilitating meetings with her across public and private partners. She was clear, but also able to pivot based on insights that came up in conversation at the moment. What could have been a rote experience felt authentic and helpful. She’s a skilled listener and has a rare and wonderful ability to drive alignment in a way that feels right to all people involved.She’s a dependable, kind, and hilarious colleague; she takes the time to prepare and learn ahead, listens with true interest, and communicates clearly. And as far as responsiveness and project management communications go, she’s timely, responsive, insightful, and measured—and at crunch time, she’ll make you laugh! Whether you are a client or colleague, no matter the role, her expertise will elevate your project. I’m a fan—you will be too!””
“I had the absolute pleasure of working with Cara on a strategic communication project at Caldera, and I can’t recommend her highly enough. She brings a rare and brilliant ability to integrate circular and linear thinking, translating complex ideas into crystal-clear, user-friendly systems. At a critical time of growth for our organization, Cara not only centralized and streamlined a mountain of documentation but also empowered and energized our staff and board. Her strategic insight, creativity, and intellectual rigor elevated the project far beyond our expectations. Anyone lucky enough to work with Cara will experience firsthand her unmatched ability to solve tough challenges with grace and brilliance. I’d jump at the chance to work with her again!”
“Cara is a student of culture and a teacher of insight. Somehow she was forged to be an ultimate team player - always committed and hard-working yet open and curious to the thoughts of colleagues and the findings from research. She is the first to engage on a new project and brings a point of view that creates forward motion. Cara leads by example, mentors, and brings people together - spearheading a Strategy Happy Hour and challenging others to grow through dialog and sharing. She stands up for change and organizational maturation. Cara is a leader who has mastered how to incorporate humanity into strategy, decision-making, and connection in a professional setting.”
— John Furukawa, Managing Director at Fresh Consulting
“To say that Cara is smart is an understatement. But it’s how and when she applies those smarts that is most impressive. She’s able to zero in on a core truth and hold it up throughout a project.”
“Cara worked for Instrument on our Google team as the lead strategist on many initiatives. She’s a strong content strategist, collaborator, facilitator and researcher. And she played a critical role in the success of some important client relationships. Cara’s presence at Instrument was immediately felt as she’s one of the most positive people you’ll ever work with. Eternally optimistic and an incredible team contributor, Cara’s love for the work and the people of Instrument shone through everyday. I would highly recommend Cara for any Senior role where thoughtful collaboration, research, insights and content strategy are critical. She can work independently and push initiatives forward and also function equally as a team player.”
“Cara is an extremely talented copywriter and content strategist. She can wrangle and organize content effectively for B2B and B2C audiences. She’s got an engaging style that she adapts to her project and client as needed and keeps her focus on maximizing impact for the end users. And she is a delight to work with—she has a wonderful sense of humor along with a tireless work ethic. ”
“Cara is an exceptional listener, question-asker and all around disseminator of information. She was supportive and skilled at helping us clarify our over-arching business goals, and worked with our team to bring us back to the heart of what we do. Our work together became the foundation for our web and marketing strategy.”
“Cara is a pleasure to work with, a great communicator, and intellectually astute. She led the board and staff through a highly successful re-branding of the organization, taking it from a stodgy-but-venerable “old” organization, to a new, innovative, accessible, zippy, thought-led organization whose mission, Oregon Humanities connects Oregonians to ideas that change lives and transform communities reflects the pith, heart, and soul of Oregon Humanities. Cara also fostered a strategic plan that was clear and sharply focused on growth. In short, she was awesome.”