Ronda Zakocs | Founder & Principal | She/Her
ronda@insightforaction.net
In 2008, Ronda founded Insight for Action to help purpose-driven organizations ignite and accelerate impactful social change efforts. She has supported over 65 nonprofits, foundation, government agencies, health systems, and universities to clarify their visions for social change, understand the systems they seek to change, articulate strategic approaches, forecast milestones, collect actionable data to document impact, and engage in strategic learning to inform the next wise action. Serving each client as a thought partner and coach, her unique consultative approach is inspired by adaptive action, developmental and utilization-focused evaluation, dialogue education, and systems thinking.
Prior to founding Insight for Action, Ronda was an associate professor at Boston University School of Public Health and an evaluation director for the University of North Carolina Injury Prevention Research Center. As an academic, she studied the organizational dynamics of community, state, and national coalitions seeking to prevent intimate partner violence, reduce underage drinking, and limit access to guns. She has co-authored over 25 peer-reviewed studies.
Ronda received her Ph.D. in Health Behavior and Health Education at the University of North Carolina School of Public Health at Chapel Hill, a master’s in public health from Boston University School of Public Health, and a BA in Journalism at the University of Oregon.
Ronda lives in Portland with her husband, dog, and multiple beehives surrounded by vegetable and flower gardens. She loves restoring the creek behind their house, spending time in the woods, learning how develop meaningful relationships with her grown children, and trying to practice what the Buddha taught.
Our Collaborators: We carry out our work through strategic engagement with an extensive network of collaborators whose specific skills allow us to create a customized team ideally suited to the needs of each project. Our partners’ expertise includes strategic communication, database development, and a transdisciplinary cadre of cultural, linguistic, and subject matter experts.
AB Cultural Drivers
Culturally-responsive evaluation and research
ARtichoke EValuation
Thoughtful evaluation for social welfare, public health, education, and environmental sustainability
Austin Advocates With
Culturally responsive evaluation, organizational culture change, and process management
Evaluation and Research Micro Services
Quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis
Mizuna Creative
Graphic Design
Monica Cuneo Consulting
Facilitator of collaborative action for systems change