I’m not a regular researcher; I’m a cool researcher.

Stilettos, shorts, sweet jackets, large dog in tow, frequent references to Taylor Swift lyrics. Forget everything you think you know about researchers.

Hi. I’m Kirsten (k uh r - s t ih n) or Dr. Hill if you prefer.

I have a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, and I’ve worked on everything from randomized control trials to designing alternative teacher education programs to leading the development of Philadelphia’s citywide surveys to measure alternative indicators of success in schools.

Traditional research expertise is a tool; leveraging it creatively, for good, is my superpower.

I make research simple + I make it work for you.

I’m not a big consulting firm, and I like that. I wear hoodies to meetings. I use TikTok to makeover surveys I come across “in the wild” and call out viral misinformation. I have two three tattoos. And, I’d love to know all about your birth chart (I’m a Sagittarius, Leo Moon, Aquarius rising).

To me — research is personal and collaborative. It’s a conversation. It’s a relationship. It’s not a one-size-fits-all thing that I just pull off the shelf and hand you. You, your goals, and your values matter to me and they’ll shape our work together.

I thrive on simplicity and value being the most approachable and realistic research partner you’ll ever meet. I believe research can be a tool for good in the world. Research should be easy to understand, transparent, and readily available to everyone.

Maybe you want to know if people like working with you. Perhaps you want to do an evaluation to learn if you are achieving your goals. Or, it could be that you need stats and stories for marketing or to report to funders. With research, we can do it all.

What makes me different?

Proven Results: Success in securing millions in grant funding, supporting strategic growth, and leading impactful studies—from national professional learning partnerships to district-wide and organization-specific evaluations.

Broad Sector Experience: From partnering with non-profits and tech startups to conducting randomized control trials and designing tools for social change, Kirsten’s extensive expertise spans varied fields and research methodologies.

Approachable Expertise: Known for my accessible and practical approach, I transform rigorous research into clear, actionable insights that make sense for every audience, helping them truly understand and apply data to achieve their goals.

A bit of my story

I didn’t become a researcher because I loved research. On the contrary, I kind of hated it. In my experience in public education, I saw data destroy schools. Research felt cold and inhumane, yet it was wildly powerful. It drove major decisions in education and shut out the most important voices —  the voices of students, teachers, and families.

It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t accessible. I wanted to see research done and used differently, in ways that valued and supported communities. 

I saw the potential of research to do immense good in the world and wanted to give it a makeover - making it fun, accessible, and human-centered.

So, I headed to the University of Pennsylvania to get my Ph.D.

I began my doctoral career as somewhat of a rebel; I was a nonconformist to say the least.

My time was equally divided between my coursework and research assignments, and then also volunteering in local schools and protesting corporate education reform. The latter two got me into some administrative trouble #gracefulrulebreaking.

Because I didn’t fit the typical “Ph.D.” mold, my experience was anything but normal.

I got to work with the Vice Dean’s office on designing innovative education programs around the world, I traveled to India (twice) to explore a rural education program,  helped build the first-ever researcher-practitioner partnership between the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education and the School District of Philadelphia, and led the development of Philly’s citywide surveys to measure alternative indicators of success in schools.

What I loved about all of these experiences is that they put people first. They used research as a tool for innovation, and they made it actionable in the present moment.

Of course, in the midst of these non-traditional Ph.D. adventures, I also engaged in those tried-and-true research best practices, like working on a randomized control trial and learning statistics. A lot of statistics. I did my dissertation on "assessing school turnaround efforts” — unpacking the idea of “success” in schools. (You can peep my scholarly publications here).

I value tradition and expertise, so I learned the “gold standard” in research. However, my balance of experiences taught me that we shouldn’t always go for the gold. Sometimes we need something more practical, flexible, and accessible — we need aluminum.

There’s no one size fits all approach to research.

That’s why I do things the graceful rulebreaker way: know the rules, know their value, and make them work for you.

Post-graduation, I didn't go for traditional gold. I didn’t go into academia and I didn’t start working for one of the big research institutes. I believe in the power of the present and doing my part to make this world a better place, and I wanted to get started now, not after I achieved tenure or climbed the career ladder high enough. 

I don’t believe we need to wait for permission to be successful or play big, and I don’t believe we have to settle for the status quo. We can create success on our terms.

I created a way for me to engage with the change I wanted to see in the world by starting a boutique consulting firm that supports socially conscious individuals and organizations. My bite-sized, accessible methodology and centering of the full human experience allows changemakers to define success on their own terms.

Let’s talk about resilience & self-care

It isn’t easy doing things differently. But when you’re really committed to something and deeply believe in it, that belief gives you the power to overcome a lot. My promises keep me going, even when being a changemaker isn’t easy. I imagine you relate to that statement too.

I was diagnosed with panic disorder and migraines in 2010 and they were, and at times still are, utterly debilitating. At one point they got so bad that I didn't leave my apartment for weeks. For years, I struggled to do very normal things like go to the grocery store or post-office.  To this day, I can't sit in the middle aisle at a theater or on a plane, I have to carry water with me at all times, and the first thing I do when I enter a room is find the exit in case I need to leave. 

At that same time, 2010 was the year I started graduate school and I wanted to succeed so badly. I felt called to change the education world and truly believed I needed to get my Ph.D. to do that. I forced myself to show up for every class even though I was terrified. Even though sometimes I sat silently having a panic attack thinking about nothing but my breath. Other times I showed up for class having spent the night in the ER for a migraine. Holding on “my why”, I worked hard and excelled despite being scared out of my mind or in unimaginable pain at least 95% of the time. I know I’m not the only changemaker to do this.

To date, I still receive questions on how I was able to ‘survive’ my doctorate program with migraines and panic attacks, on top of being singled out by an administrator who didn’t appreciate the path I was carving for myself. (Remember how I mentioned I got in trouble for volunteer in schools and protesting corporate education reform?)

The answer to how I was able to not only survive but thrive during this difficult time is simple: self-care. I dove deep into self-care BUT I did what works for me. The aluminum standard isn’t just for research :) In other words, it wasn’t all green juices and yoga. I did self-care differently — I learned that I could tune into what my body, heart, and soul needed and just do that and more importantly, I learned that even just 5 minutes of self-care counts and can make a world of difference. Like research, self-care doesn’t have to be big, elaborate, expensive, or super time consuming.

I learned to drop the guilt over not doing “healthy” activities, forget what everyone else was telling me to do, and just listen to myself. 15-minute yoga practices, 3 minutes of tapping, a quick gratitude list. Sometimes I did go for the cookies and binge Law and Order SVU, and you know what? It felt great.

Healing — physically or mentally — is a continual practice. But, I tell ya what: today, I’m strong. I’m someone who isn’t afraid to ruffle some feathers, a recovering perfectionist, and I’m even a trained yoga instructor. I use my own self-care journey, struggles with migraines and panic disorder, and bold commitment to pursuing my dreams to stay grounded and human in a line of work that is often thought of as “just about the numbers.”