who we are

The principals of Real Change Strategies have combined more than sixty years of diverse work experience – over 25 of them focused on nonprofits.

Martha Blue Martha has had her own consulting practice since 1997, serving nonprofit clients including education, conservation, economic development, and human services organizations, and for-profit clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to early stage start-ups. Her work focuses largely on strategic marketing, strategic planning, and operational effectiveness.

Martha spent four years at McKinsey & Company, a third of that time dedicated to pro bono work, which convinced her that she wanted to devote more of her time to the “social” sector. Martha also has run a leadership program for a national conservation nonprofit and taken interim operating roles including senior leadership positions for different nonprofit and for-profit companies.

Martha serves on the board of the Center for Alexandria’s Children, a child advocacy center in Alexandria, VA, and spends the rest of her free time filling a “servant as leader” and project management role for her two kids, dog, and mother. She admits to being a bit of a geek at heart, enjoys birding (yes, that’s really a word), traveling, and ad hoc (usually just in her head) re-engineering of poor customer service processes in a wide variety of establishments.

Partner, Real Change Strategies
Owner, Blue Consulting, LLC: 1996-2007
Director, Conservation Leadership Project, The Conservation Fund: 1995-1996
Engagement Manager, McKinsey & Company, Inc.: 1991-1995
Financial Strategies Liaison, Goldman, Sachs & Co.: 1987-1989
M.B.A. The University of North Carolina Business School: 1991
B.S. in Economics The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania: 1986

Debbie Feinberg Debbie Feinberg. Debbie has over fifteen years of experience in financial, human resources, and business processes with her most recent work as a consultant focusing on human resource and strategy consulting projects. She has particular expertise in organizational development, financial operations, employee development and team facilitation.

Debbie launched her consulting career at Deloitte & Touche LLP and then moved to Arthur Andersen LLP. In those five years she focused on all organizational and operational functions including strategic planning, staffing, employee relations, budgeting development and oversight and change management. She has strong experience in employee professional development, financial planning, and trend analysis.

Debbie has served on the board of the DC chapter of the National Association of Professional Organizers and is a volunteer with the Dance Company in Fairfax, VA, which earns her the title of Real Change Strategies Chief Arts & Culture Officer. She also serves as Chief Snack Officer, and Chief Shopping Consultant. If you want to know how to do anything, just ask Debbie – she has a binder and a spreadsheet for you.

Consultant, Maximize! LLC: 2004-2007
Director of Operations, Internosis, Inc.: 2002-2004
Human Resources/Operations Manager, Arthur Anderson LLP: 1999-2002
Assistant Director of Corporate Relations, University of Maryland QUEST Program: 1998-1999
Organizational Consultant, Horizons Consulting: 1997-1999
Auditor, Deloitte and Touche LLC: 1996-1999
B.S. in Accounting University of Maryland, College Park 1996

Lisa spent two years as the Director of Program Operations for the Center for Multicultural Human Services (CMHS) where she worked to improve the agency’s overall functioning and talent pool. Lisa launched her strategic consulting career as an Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company, focused on providing problem solving leadership and expertise to the leaders of Fortune 500 companies.

Lisa serves on the board of the Center for Alexandria’s Children, a child advocacy center in Alexandria, VA, and is also on the Strategic Planning Committee for the Campagna Center, a non-profit center in Alexandria, VA focused on meeting the educational needs of local children. She’s an award-winning athlete and always triumphs in office trash-can-basketball games. Lisa holds a Ph.D. in Psychology and yes, she is analyzing everything you say, but just try not to think about it.

Independent Strategic Consultant: 2005-2007
Director of Program Operations, Center for Multicultural Human Services: 2003-2005
Engagement Manager, McKinsey & Company: 1999-2003

Ph.D., M.A. in Clinical Psychology, Duke University: 1999
B.S. in Psychology and Sociology, Virginia Tech: 1993

Andrea Fuller Andrea has spent the majority of her career helping organizations launch or turn-around and then grow their businesses. A start-up junkie, she is also founder and CEO of MindFarm, which connects highly experienced, vetted independent consultants with the organizations that need them. Her work focuses largely on strategic and business planning, marketing and pricing strategies, and just getting S*** done – quickly.

Andrea has worked in both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors and has particular expertise with education and entrepreneurial organizations. She helped start a for-profit online tutoring company, spun two nonprofit organizations out of universities, and worked herself out of a job by winding down a business unit that was dying a slow, painful death. She is an unabashed optimist (odd for a woman of her age) and is particularly interested in urban economic development through entrepreneurialism and helping nonprofits develop viable business models.

Andrea started her career as a Teach for America high school math teacher at New Orleans’ Carver High School – which inspired her other career of 19 years: stand-up comic. Andrea is coach of the mighty Blue Dolphins girls under-8 soccer team and the Capitol Hill girls all-star team. She is a member of Leadership Greater Washington's Class of 2009.

CEO, MindFarm: 2005 - present
Vice President, Corporate Development, National Center for Academic Transformation: 2004-2006
Director, Sales and Marketing, Public Broadcasting Service (PBS): 2002-2004
Vice President, Business Development, SMARTHINKING: 1999-2002
Master of Public Affairs, concentration in Nonprofit Management, University of Texas at Austin: 1996
Bachelor of Electrical Engineering, Georgia Tech: 1991