Root Cause Consulting Team
Andrew Wolk — Founder, president, and CEO, Root Cause
Andrew leads the overall strategic direction of Root Cause. He has consulted to dozens of organizations working in the fields of civic engagement, economic development, education, the environment, seniors, and more. As part of Root Cause’s knowledge sharing focus, Andrew has authored the first in a series of Root Cause How-to Guides, entitled Business Planning for Enduring Social Impact, as well as a chapter in the Small Business Administration’s annual report to the president of the United States, titled “Social Entrepreneurship and Government: A New Breed of Entrepreneurs Developing Solutions to Social Problems.” Andrew is also a senior lecturer in social entrepreneurship at the Sloan School of Management and the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at MIT. He is widely recognized as a leading social innovator and a pioneering teacher of social entrepreneurship. He founded the two social enterprises that Root Cause leads: ICE and the Social Innovation Forum. Andrew began his career as a private-sector entrepreneur, having started, built, and sold a multi-restaurant delivery business in the 1990s. He holds an M.B.A. in Entrepreneurship and Nonprofit Management from Boston University and a B.A. from Lehigh University.
Julie Zack — Associate director, Root Cause
Julie joined Root Cause as associate director in 2004, bringing with her more than ten years of experience working in the nonprofit sector, as a consultant and a social worker. Her recent projects have included replicating an innovative model for providing seniors with safe and affordable access to transportation, and increasing participation in arts education for public school children. Julie received her M.B.A from Babson College, where she graduated magna cum laude and was honored with the Ralph Z. and Charlotte A. Sorenson Award for academic merit, entrepreneurial endeavors, and service to the Babson community. She holds an M.S.W. from Washington University, and a B.A. in Psychology from Georgetown University.
Katie Barnett — Consultant
Katie has a variety of experience in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Most recently, she was a consultant with The Bridgespan Group, where she worked with clients in the fields of environment, youth development, and early childhood education. Her projects have included working on a business plan for a citywide system of out-of-school time programs, analysis of strategic options for addressing global climate change, and assisting with the renovation and reopening of a children’s museum. Katie earned an M.B.A. in nonprofit management and a B.A. in history from Yale University.
Jessica Bloom — Research associate, New Sector resident, Root Cause Consulting
Jessica joins Root Cause as a full-time research associate through the New Sector Residency in Social Enterprise program. She will be providing support on internal projects such as Root Cause’s Knowledge Strategy as well as on external client engagements. Jessica has worked with arts organizations throughout Boston and the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, and has spent significant time studying and researching in Latin America and Europe. Jessica graduated cum laude from Harvard University with a degree in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations and Latin American Studies.
Laurence P. Chait — Consultant
Larry has over 30 years of experience in business management and information technology. He is Managing Director of Chait & Associates, a consultancy that advises senior management on achieving and sustaining high performance. His focus is on knowledge management, business process improvement, change management, and strategic business planning. Larry has consulted to Global 100s and start-ups, industrial corporations, professional-service firms, associations, and nonprofits, as well as local, national, and international organizations. He has authored three books on information technology and human resources and is a contributing author of Managing the Learning Process of the Corporation. Larry holds an A.B. in Economics from Cornell University and an M.B.A. from the Harvard University Graduate School of Business Administration.
Anand Dholakia — Consultant
Anand joined Root Cause in 2005. His recent projects include a business plan for a national system of services for seniors, and a citywide plan for providing out-of-school time to school-age students. Previously, he worked as an independent consultant to nonprofits in Greater Boston and in India, completing projects in strategic planning, business planning for earned income ventures, market research, and financial modeling. Anand also has more than six years of experience working as a technology designer and developer for Fortune 500 companies and early-stage start-ups. He holds an M.B.A. in Global Management from Babson College and a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Rutgers University.
Abby Fung — Consultant
Abby has worked on nonprofit projects with San Francisco soup kitchens, the Conference Board, and Harvard University. Her corporate experience includes nonprofit investment advisory at Cambridge Associates and product management at Johnson & Johnson. Abby holds an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School, where she served as an executive organizer of the Global Social Venture Competition. She earned a B.A. from Harvard.
Barry Horwitz — Consultant
Barry brings a rare combination of strategy expertise gained at a top strategy consulting firm and operating experience gained at start-ups and established companies to his work, including several years with The Boston Consulting Group and in independent practice. Barry’s management experience includes his role as co-founder and chief operating officer of an Internet start-up company, and roles as vice president of strategy and marketing at an early-stage software company and at two multibillion-dollar retail chains. Barry is also an adjunct professor at the Boston University Graduate School of Management, and at the Boston campuses of the University of Phoenix, where he teaches courses in strategy and marketing at the graduate level. He received his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and his B.A. in Economics from Colby College.
Joel Obermayer — Consultant
Joel serves as a project consultant. Previously, he worked for MCS, a Boston-based management consulting firm specializing in small and medium-sized community based nonprofits. He also worked with a variety of clients independently. He has completed projects in the areas of fundraising, communications, evaluation and impact strategy, program development, human resources, and market research. He also has more than 10 years of experience as a journalist reporting for national and local media. Joel holds a M. Ed. in Technology Innovation and Education from Harvard University and a M.A. in Journalism from Northwestern University. He graduated from Yale University in Math and Philosophy summa cum laude.
Scott Richardson — Consultant
Scott joined Root Cause Consulting after co-founding and serving two years on the senior management team of an e-commerce/retail services firm providing outsourced programs to national consumer electronics chains. Previously, he spent 15 years in the nonprofit sector, where he served in a variety of leadership roles for organizations including Outward Bound, the YMCA, and the New Jersey Workshop for the Arts. Scott holds an M.B.A. from Babson College and a B.A. in Psychology from Rutgers University.
Whitney Robbins — Consultant
Whitney serves as a project consultant for Root Cause. Most recently, she has been involved in the business planning process, replicating models for lifelong learning and service programs for seniors as well as models for providing low-income individuals with new cars. Prior to joining Root Cause, she was a consultant for Navigant consulting, where her projects included leading a team of consultants in analysis of an anti-trust case; assisting litigators in their response to an intellectual property dispute; and mutual fund trading practices including late trading, market timing, and fund blocks within a large financial services conglomerate. Whitney holds a B.S. in Business Management from Babson College.