About VIDA Collaborative
A social impact firm improving practices and systems change for the common good. We partner with nonprofits, foundations, and public agencies to design, strengthen, and sustain practices and systems that drive meaningful outcomes for children, families, and communities.
We believe everyone deserves the opportunity to shape and live a fulfilling, vibrant life.
Our Mission
VIDA Collaborative exists to help social impact organizations build stronger practices and systems, align efforts, and clarify strategy. We bring the expertise, structure, and collaborative support that leaders need to move from vision to action, learn along the way, and strengthen sustainability.
Our Vision
A world where aligned ecosystems advance health, wealth, and community for all. Where leaders have the tools and support to navigate complexity. And where the people closest to challenges are co-designers of the solutions.
VIDA Means "Life" in Spanish
VIDA means “life” in Spanish and also stands for voice, imagine, design, and activate. Collaborative reflects how we are structured as a team, and how we work in partnership with communities. Together, these words reflect the process we use to help people move from ideas to action, and our belief in the power of communities to ensure all people have the opportunity to live a vibrant, fulfilling life.
Our Core Values
Our approach is guided by four core values at the heart of our work and our pursuit of health, wealth, and community for all – adaptive leadership, results-driven strategy, community, and hope (ARCH). ARCH symbolizes both support and progress, representing the strength to carry complex challenges while creating a path forward.
Adaptive Leadership
We lead with curiosity, flexibility, and responsiveness—supporting teams to navigate complexity, learn in real time, and adapt as conditions change.
Results
We focus on clarity, follow-through, and progress. Our work is grounded in evidence and structured to support measurable improvement over time.
Community
We work in partnership with those closest to the work, valuing lived and professional experience as essential to effective solutions.
Hope
We believe meaningful change is possible. We bring a strengths-based, future-oriented approach that helps teams build momentum and sustain impact.
Our Impact Areas & Outcomes
We work across interconnected systems – early childhood, PK-12, and postsecondary education; housing, health, justice, child welfare, and workforce – because we know decisions in one area shape outcomes everywhere else. When systems align, people and communities experience greater stability, opportunity, and wellbeing. Below are the focus areas and outcomes that guide our work.
Children & Youth
Children and youth experience stable, high-quality environments that promote learning, development, and well-being across early childhood, PK-12, and postsecondary education. Outcomes include school readiness, strong learning environments, educator retention, and increased access to the supports young people need to thrive.
Adults & Families
Adults and families have access to coordinated, people-centered support across housing, health, justice, workforce, and other social services that promote stability, opportunity, and upward mobility. Outcomes include increased stability, improved access to services, and reduced service fragmentation.
Communities & Systems
Communities and systems benefit from aligned strategy and cross-sector partnerships that support well-being and long-term prosperity. Outcomes include stronger collaboration, clearer roles and accountability, improved use of data, and more responsive, aligned systems.
Our Leadership & Team
Our team includes former educators, nonprofit leaders, and public agency staff. We bring professional expertise and lived experience to every engagement, because the best approaches come from people who've walked in similar shoes.
My work and perspective
I joined VIDA Collaborative (formerly MAYA Consulting) in 2022, drawn by a deep belief that transformation happens when people are seen, heard, and empowered to shape the systems that impact their lives. Over time, this work has become both a profession and a calling to walk alongside leaders and communities as they bring vision to life.
At VIDA Collaborative, I partner with school systems, nonprofits, and public agencies to translate intention into meaningful, sustained impact. My work centers on building leadership capacity, facilitating meaningful engagement, and helping teams make sense of complex challenges so they can take clear, aligned action. I am especially energized by the moments when leaders reconnect to their purpose, step forward with conviction, and remain anchored in what matters most, even in the midst of uncertainty.
My approach is shaped by my experience as an educator, leader, and systems strategist, as well as my family’s story of advocacy and access and its power to transform opportunity. I have seen what becomes possible when people closest to the challenge are trusted as co-creators, and that continues to ground how I show up in this work. I believe that lasting change, the kind that allows communities to truly thrive, requires more than strategy. It calls for courage, trust, and a sustained commitment to building systems where every person has the opportunity to live, lead, and thrive.
What energizes me
What energizes me is cultivating meaningful relationships and engaging in work that draws out the brilliance and creativity in people and systems. Moments where hope is renewed, well-being is restored, and ideas take shape into something tangible are what inspire me in this work.
What a good life means to me
A good life looks like living in alignment with a purpose greater than myself, one that creates impact across generations and leaves something meaningful behind. Today especially, it means having the capacity to give generously and to carry both joy and weight with grace and a sense of lightness.
Outside of work
I enjoy being rooted in my faith, laughing easily, and staying present in the simple moments that make life feel full.
My work and perspective
I joined VIDA Collaborative (formerly MAYA Consulting) in 2022 because of its deeply human-centered approach to the work, both internally and externally. It was clear to me that VIDA was an organization that truly prioritizes people, honoring both employees and communities as whole humans. That foundation is what drew me in and continues to shape how I engage in the work
At VIDA Collaborative, I serve as Managing Director, Strategy and Impact, where I set strategic direction across engagements and help ensure our work leads to meaningful, sustained impact. In practice, that means overseeing projects and advising on strategy across efforts like strategic planning, place-based partnerships, housing and community development work, as well as cradle-to-career education initiatives. Internally, I focus on strengthening how we work by supporting and developing our team, improving delivery systems, and ensuring we have the structures in place to do our best work. I’m especially energized by moments where strong strategy, thoughtful collaboration, and clear execution come together to create real progress for the communities we serve.
My approach is shaped by both lived and professional experience. As a first-generation daughter of immigrants, a former public school teacher with a background in policy and advocacy, I bring a perspective grounded in how systems show up in people’s daily lives. Now, as a mom of two, that connection feels even more immediate. I care deeply about doing work that leads to real progress, while staying rooted in relationships, trust, and shared ownership. I believe meaningful change happens when strong strategy is paired with deep relationships and when solutions are shaped alongside those closest to the work. My goal is to engage with genuine curiosity, care and a focus on helping our team and our clients get to the results we are working toward – a good life for all.
What energizes me
I’m energized by work that advances systems change in ways that are responsive to community needs. I’m especially energized by moments when I get to flex my policy and advocacy skills or use my Spanish language fluency to help clients move toward meaningful results.
What a good life means to me
To me, a good life is one where communities are rooted in safety, access, and opportunity. It’s everyone having what they need to feel safe and the chance to grow, contribute, and thrive.
Outside of work
You can usually find me chasing my kids around local parks or hanging out with our extended family. I enjoy reading, art, and rest.
My work and perspective
In 2022, I was drawn to join VIDA Collaborative (then MAYA Consulting) after more than two decades of work in public systems because I wanted to learn from, and with, a team working to help us all see that the systems shaping our lives can be redesigned, together.
At VIDA, I work alongside policy makers, community partners and cross-sector leaders to co-create practical, collaborative solutions for deeply interconnected challenges. My practice is built on a foundational conviction that organizational change requires both rigorous structure and genuine responsiveness to the people doing the work.I find myself consistently holding two things simultaneously: the rigor that complex, multi-stakeholder change demands, and the trust and responsiveness that makes people actually engage with it. I’m especially energized by moments when people with different perspectives find shared purpose and solve complex problems together.
My approach is grounded in years of policy and systems work, where I’ve seen the most durable change happens when communities most impacted by challenges help shape the solution. I’m always curious about who gets to decide what matters and the downstream implications of decisions. At the heart of my work is a belief that when we invest in relationships, imagination, and shared responsibility, communities can move from surviving challenges to shaping their own futures.
What energizes me
Rooms that can contain rigor and joy. I love it when a conversation can hold the gravity of a situation, and also find laughter and levity in the process of accomplishing the purpose that brought us together.
What a good life means to me
It means having the energy to be fully present for the people and places in front of me.
Outside of work
You will find me reading, tinkering, making messes with my kids, fulfilling my school board responsibilities, and doing farmy things on our small farm. After a full day of doing systems change work, digging a post hole is very grounding.
My work and perspective
I joined VIDA Collaborative (formerly MAYA Consulting) in 2022, drawn by the opportunity to work alongside communities and leaders doing real, meaningful work in education. Over the past few years, I’ve grown into a role that lets me bring together everything I’ve learned across 18 years in education at various levels – and apply it to the systems-level work I care deeply about.
As Senior Director of Curriculum & Instruction, I partner with state and local education agencies to build instructional leadership capacity through coaching, facilitation, and the design of professional learning that actually sticks. I’m especially energized by work that helps leaders become more confident and effective in supporting teachers, and by designing learning experiences grounded in both research and the real conditions people are navigating. Recent work has included leading multi-district initiatives in partnership with TEA focused on High-Quality Instructional Materials implementation and driving the design and scope of full-year calendar and schedule redesign.
My approach is shaped by where I come from. I grew up in South Texas, speaking Spanish as my first language, in a community where not everyone had the same opportunities, and where I learned early on that relationships and access to resources can change the trajectory of a person’s life. That experience never leaves you – it grounds how I show up in this work and why I believe so strongly in building the conditions for all people to truly thrive. I believe that when educators are well-supported, students are better served, and when communities are centered, real change becomes possible.
What energizes me
Work that brings together people who are committed to both real results and a hopeful vision for the future. Moments where a leader has a breakthrough – when something clicks and they walk away with a new tool or a renewed sense of what’s possible for their school or community.
What a good life means to me
A good life looks like people having what they need to truly thrive – strong health, real opportunity, and meaningful community. It means having people around you who challenge you, believe in you, and are working toward something bigger than themselves. Growing up seeing what it looks like when those things are out of reach made me want to spend my career helping build the conditions for others to have them.
Outside of work
You can usually find me spending time with family, cheering on the Texas Longhorns, or enjoying an outdoor activity like barbecuing, landscaping, bike riding, or skiing. I enjoy good food, good conversation, and any chance to be outside in Colorado’s mountains.
My work and perspective
I joined VIDA Collaborative (formerly MAYA Consulting) after more than 25 years of dedicating myself to helping communities thrive. This work has only deepened my belief that everyone deserves access to a fulfilling life and the freedom to make meaningful choices. I show up every day grounded in that vision and committed to helping turn it into reality.
At VIDA Collaborative, I focus on the administrative and operational systems that keep our work running smoothly and effectively. I’m especially driven by the behind-the-scenes work that creates structure, stability, and space for our team to do what they do best because strong operations are what allow communities to thrive. My approach is shaped by both my lived experience and my professional journey. I spent 21 years at KIPP Texas Public Schools, Austin, growing into the role of Assistant Principal of Operations and serving as a founding member who helped build the operational foundation for what became 11 schools.
I also know what it means to build a new life. I migrated from Mexico to Austin with my daughter when she was five, navigating a new country, a new language, and the uncertainty that comes with leaving behind family, community, and everything familiar. That experience deepened my understanding of both the challenges and the resilience that many families carry, and it continues to shape how I show up in this work. I believe that when the right resources and systems are in place, and opportunities are accessible, every community can thrive.
What energizes me
What energizes me is the work that builds strong foundations, the operational systems and structures that give communities and organizations the stability they need to grow. I’m energized by moments when people gain access to opportunities that can truly change the trajectory of their lives. At the heart of this is a belief that people need health, wealth, and community to truly thrive; strong foundations, real opportunity, and meaningful connection.
What a good life means to me
At VIDA Collaborative, our name represents a belief in a good life for all, where people have the conditions, opportunities, and support to thrive. This belief is deeply grounded in my own lived experience, where I’ve seen firsthand how access, opportunity, and relationships can shape what’s possible in someone’s life.
A good life looks like community, connection, and knowing that your work matters. It means having the freedom to make choices for yourself and for the people you love.
Outside of work
You can usually find me spending quality time with my daughter, three granddaughters, and our beloved dog. I also cherish Sunday brunches with my sister and the rest of my family; those moments are everything.
Alexandra Koltonowski is a Senior Strategist with MAYA Consulting. She is dedicated to improving the effectiveness of the policies and systems in place meant to serve historically underserved children. Alex is passionate about using her creative and analytical skills concurrently, building the capacity of school and district teams to measure impact and use data to drive meaningful solutions that are both actionable and sustainable.
At MAYA Consulting, Alex supports projects focused on data-driven improvements. This includes supporting a Data Fellows Cohort through TEA’s Resilient Schools Support Program, serving as the data visualization lead for the Texas Educator Residency Data Analysis and Display project, and providing support for MAYA’s work with the Texas Impact Network’s Rural CCMR Accelerator Program.
Prior to joining the MAYA team, Alex most recently worked as the Research, Evaluation, and Grant Manager for Grand Rapids Public Schools, an urban public school district serving more than 15,000 students in West Michigan. In this role, she led internal evaluation and research initiatives and supported the district’s data culture by standardizing the collection, analysis, and visualization of student and staff data.
Prior to Grand Rapids Public Schools, Alex worked at Grand Valley State University, providing technical training and coaching to W.K. Kellogg Foundation grantees, building organization-wide capacity to collect, utilize, & visualize data. In this role she also supported the development of county-level data dashboards, identifying and compiling a variety of community-level indicators to monitor collective impact efforts. Alex has also served as an external evaluator working at Michigan State University and Public Policy Associates in Lansing, MI.
Alex lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan with her husband, Adam, and their dog, Sherman. Outside of work, Alex enjoys DIYing anything and everything, gardening, spending quality time with friends and family, and anything that gets her near or on the water.
My work and perspective
I joined VIDA Collaborative (formerly MAYA Consulting) in 2019 after years of working at the intersection of education, community, and systems change. I was drawn to this work because of a deep belief that the people closest to the challenges also hold the solutions and was deeply inspired by a team that centered relationship-building in all of its work.
At VIDA Collaborative, I focus on helping leaders and organizations plan, see, and do in ways that lead to stronger results and more equitable outcomes. Internally, I work to align our team around clear strategy, strong culture, and the systems needed to sustain and grow our impact. Externally, I partner with leaders and organizations to navigate complexity, build alignment, and move from vision to action. I’m especially energized by moments when a team finds clarity, aligns around a shared vision, and takes bold steps forward together.
My approach is shaped by both my lived experience and my professional work across public systems, philanthropy, and nonprofits, with a strong foundation in early childhood that continues to inform how I think about long-term outcomes and prevention. My own lived experience keeps me grounded in what it means for systems to truly work for people, not just what sounds good on paper. I’ve seen how disconnection between strategy and community can stall progress and how powerful it can be when those pieces are truly aligned. I believe the key to systems change is stronger collaboration across sectors—bringing together partners in ways that intentionally leverage the unique strengths, assets, and leadership within communities. That continues to ground how I show up: with a focus on trust, results, and partnership. I believe that strong health, wealth, and community are the foundation for people to truly thrive, and that building those conditions requires both intention and collective action.
What energizes me
I’m energized by work that opens up deep conversations and gives me the space to be creative—helping untangle what sits beneath complex challenges, including the patterns, tensions, and truths that aren’t always visible at first. I’m especially energized by moments when a breakthrough happens and a solution emerges that surprises us, shifts the energy in the room, and moves people to act.
What a good life means to me
A good life is one where health, wealth, and community are strong and within reach, creating the conditions for people to truly thrive. It holds both joy and rest, and the ability to celebrate, to breathe, and to be sustained by the people and places around you.
Outside of work
You can usually find me traveling, cooking and enjoying great food, going to concerts, gardening, and spending time with my husband, Matt, and three dogs – Dolly Parton, Ritchie Valens, and Penny Lane.
My work and perspective
I joined VIDA Collaborative in 2025, drawn by a team whose values matched my own and who brought real technical depth to AI, data, and emergent learning. It felt like a rare alignment, and it still does.
At VIDA Collaborative, I focus on ethical AI integration, data infrastructure design, and mixed-methods evaluation. I support organizations in building the internal capacity to use tools in ways that genuinely serve their mission. What energizes me most is the work of weaving values into governance, and helping organizations think carefully about what it means to lean on emerging technology with integrity.
My approach is shaped by growing up in communities that were often on the receiving end of systems, without having a hand in the design. That experience taught me early that data is never neutral, and that the people closest to a problem usually have the clearest sense of what a solution needs to feel like. Coming into data and tech spaces as someone who didn’t see themselves reflected there has only deepened that conviction. I show up to this work with that history and positionality in practice.
I believe everyone deserves to have their basic needs met, and to have real opportunities to examine how they move through the world in relation to the people around them.
What energizes me
I’m most alive in work that involves co-creating ideas, values, and tools alongside others. And I’m genuinely grateful for the moments when a conversation or project shifts or expands how I see something.
What a good life means to me
A good life looks like being surrounded by love. It means having the capacity to step out of fear, and to let abundance, rather than scarcity, drive how I act and connect.
Outside of work
You can usually find me with my sisters and our three dogs. I love learning from people, and that curiosity shows up pretty much everywhere I go.
My work and perspective
I joined VIDA Collaborative (formerly MAYA Consulting) in February 2022 after several years working in education, at a point when I was rethinking how I wanted to contribute to the work I cared about. I’ve always been drawn to the intersection of community impact and how organizations actually function, and that led me to VIDA, a place where values weren’t just stated, but they showed up in how decisions were made every day.
At VIDA Collaborative, I lead finance and operations in close partnership with our leadership and strategy team, building the structure and clarity needed to deliver strong results, support our team, and scale our impact over time. I also lead VIDA’s AI integration strategy, building a deliberate, values-aligned approach to emerging technology that strengthens how we operate, sharpens decision-making, and ensures these tools enhance rather than replace our own human judgment, without ever compromising data integrity or client trust. I am especially energized by moments where we can bring clarity to complexity, whether that’s aligning a team around a path forward, strengthening how we resource our work, or building systems that support both our people and our clients so they can focus on the work that matters the most.
My approach is shaped by both my professional experience and my perspective navigating systems that aren’t always designed with long-term sustainability in mind. I’ve seen how quickly meaningful work can lose momentum without the right structures in place and how thoughtful systems can create the clarity and consistency teams need to do their best work. That continues to ground how I show up.
I believe the people doing the work are always the most important part of any organization and that finance and operations should exist to support and strengthen that work, not stand in its way. At their best, financial and operational systems act as a foundation and a guide, giving teams the visibility and confidence to make decisions and move forward. When not seen as a back-office function; they are a strategic driver of impact, shaping how organizations deliver, adapt, and sustain their work over time. Ultimately, I believe strong, aligned organizations are what make lasting outcomes in health, wealth, and community possible.
What energizes me
I’m energized by hope, complexity, continuous learning, and seeing people thrive, whether they’re navigating systems that weren’t built for them or fully equipped with the resources to reach their full potential. Either way, the win is real.
What a good life means to me
A good life means having the freedom to build something meaningful without losing sight of who I am and where I come from and having the resources and clarity to live on my own terms.
Outside of work
You can usually find me exploring new restaurants with my partner and our dog at a park, or somewhere new in the world. I’m drawn to good food, good conversation, and experiences that remind me why the work matters.
My work and perspective
I joined VIDA Collaborative (formerly MAYA Consulting) in February 2026 as a Senior Strategist, bringing my experience in school transformation, instructional leadership, and systems design to support schools and districts in driving meaningful change. What drew me to this work is the opportunity to partner deeply with leaders to build systems that don’t just exist on paper, but lead to real improvements in student outcomes.
At VIDA Collaborative, I serve as a strategic thought partner to school and district leaders, supporting them in designing, implementing, and monitoring high-leverage systems. My work focuses on strengthening instructional systems, advancing HQIM implementation, and building leaders’ capacity to use data to drive decisions. I’m especially energized by facilitating leadership teams, designing structures that bring clarity to complex work, and supporting leaders in moving from planning to strong execution in practice .
My approach is shaped by my lived experience navigating complex systems, as well as my professional journey as a teacher, school leader, and coach. I’ve seen firsthand how aligned leadership, strong systems, and clear expectations can transform outcomes for students and communities. I believe that when we center clarity, consistency, and care, schools can create the conditions for both students and educators to thrive.
What energizes me
Work that brings clarity to complexity and helps leaders design and implement systems that lead to real results. Moments where teams shift their thinking, take ownership, and move from ideas to action.
What a good life means to me
A good life looks like living with purpose, impact, and peace. It means having the freedom to pour into my family, my work, and my community in a way that feels aligned.
Outside of work
- You can usually find me traveling, spending time with my daughter, or connecting with the people I love.
- I enjoy experiences that bring joy, connection, and balance in the midst of a full life.
My work and perspective
I joined VIDA Collaborative (formerly MAYA Consulting) in 2017, drawn by a simple but urgent belief that everyone deserves a real opportunity to live a good life. What started as support for organizations working on behalf of students and families in marginalized communities has grown into something deeper — a practice built on the conviction that health, wealth, and education are interconnected, and that lasting change requires working across all three.
At VIDA, I build leadership capacity of communities, systems, school districts, agencies, and foundations to improve their impact and expand opportunity. I’m especially energized by moments when results improve, when a community leader has a breakthrough that leads to greater agency and alignment, when a successful strategy becomes sustainable, and when the people closest to challenges become the ones leading the change.
My approach has been shaped by more than 25 years of work across education, policy, and community development — from teaching middle school in the Mississippi Delta with Teach for America, serving in the California and Texas Legislatures, designing Promise Neighborhoods in the U.S. Department of Education, to leading schools and community engagement at IDEA Public Schools. In addition, my work as a leadership coach, service on the Center for the Study of Social Policy Board, and experience as a foster and adoptive parent continue to ground and shape how I show up in this work.
What energizes me
Work that connects people, strategy, and community in ways that actually move the needle on opportunity. Moments where someone who has been left out of the conversation finally has a seat at the table — and finds their leadership voice.
What a good life means to me
A good life looks like every child and family having what they need to grow, learn, and become who they’re meant to be. For me personally, it means being present — to my family, my community, and to the work that matters.
Outside of work
You can usually find me out on a long run — I’ve completed more than 40 marathons and I’m working toward one in all 50 states. I also love volunteering at my synagogue, reading books, donating blood, and camping in Texas State and National Parks with my wife Katie and our five kids. I’m also proud to be a living organ donor, which made me internet famous on Facebook and Instagram for a minute.
Our Partners & Clients
We're proud to work alongside organizations across the U.S. who share our commitment to systems change. From grassroots nonprofits to state agencies and national intermediaries, our partners trust us to help shoulder the complex work of building better outcomes for children, families, and communities.
