Principal of Head+Heart Advisory
About Steven LaFrance
Following graduate school in Anthropology and Public Health, conducting ethnography of homeless youth culture in Hollywood early in the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and working as a case manager with homeless youth in San Francisco, I turned my professional focus to providing consulting services in the areas of evaluation and learning, strategic planning, and organizational capacity-building. I learned early on that providing these services to community-based organizations, foundations, and public agencies was my “super power” and highest calling in the Grand Theory of Change of social justice, climate justice, and racial equity.
In 2000, I founded a now-prominent local, national, and international boutique social sector consultancy, Learning for Action (LFA, formerly LaFrance Associates). While with LFA, I developed content expertise in a wide set of content areas including early childhood education, K-12 education, youth development, juvenile justice, health, housing and homelessness, immigration, reproductive justice, community economic development, and environmental education (note that I have relatively little experience in arts and culture, and I am not a climate scientist, though I have worked in these arenas as an expert in the tools of strategy, evaluation, and learning). After 22 years and nearly 1,000 projects – and over the course of an intentional, three-year, coach-guided process – I stepped down as the CEO of LFA and transitioned the organization over to the next generation of leadership. Today, LFA is woman-owned and 50% POC-owned.
The next incarnation of my practice is contained within the newly established Head+Heart Advisory (H+H). Through H+H, I bring decades of lived experience and hard-earned wisdom to partnerships and collaborations with foundations, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies whose missions are to achieve social justice and racial equity. I cultivate flow and productive challenge in developing strategy, understanding outcomes, and building the culture and practice of reflection and learning to achieve more equitable outcomes for communities and a sustainable future for the planet.
Client List
It is an honor and joy to serve the following organizations bringing about crucial change in our communities around the US and globe.
Sample Foundation
Clients
Sample Nonprofit
Clients
Additional clients that Steven served while with Learning for Action can be found here.
