About Us

We are inspired by the digitally native generation, but the folks currently leading most education institutions, initiatives and organizations are, like us, predominantly baby boomers.

We know we must embrace the new digital paradigm, but many of us are intimidated by the medium or question its relevance to our day-to-day work.

Ours is a team of seasoned professionals with a collective portfolio that includes decades of policy making, program development, advocacy, research, mediation, marketing, graphic and web design, and writing. We understand the leap our client-partners often feel they are taking and asking others to take. We are you!

The hallmark of our work is our skill in combining disciplined planning, flexible engagement, and actionable analysis.

Work always begins with a good plan, but we recognize that reality is a shape shifter. No sooner is a plan developed then factors change and we have to adapt as goals are pursued. KPI is nimble and continuously responds to project circumstances as they are, not as we hope them to be. We keep moving toward the set goals. We get work done on-time and within budget.

Diana D. Woolis, Ed.D., Co-Founded Knowledge in the Public Interest in 2001 after more than two decades of leadership in education, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies. Her service includes: Deputy Commissioner in New York City; Vice President and Director of Program Demonstration for a think-action tank; Director of Education for a large urban literacy program for low-income adults; principal investigator for several large scale national demonstration projects; and Chief of Employment and Training for a state education agency. Diana's experience led her to believe there had to be a better way of working and that web based collaboration and knowledge services showed great promise to achieve the objectives that preoccupied her - helping organizations work smarter and achieve better outcomes. Her pursuit is for: Solutions that are scalable, sustainable, inclusive, and data driven; assessment and evaluation that are relevant, real-time, and actionable; and process that is transparent, dialogic, and community driven. She received her Doctorate and Masters Degrees in education from Columbia University and a Masters of Social Work from The University of Connecticut.

Susan Restler, KPI co-founder, has had a 25-year career in financial services with JP Morgan. She was a Managing Director and head of Marketing for JP Morgan Private Banking and JP Morgan Investment Management. Prior to joining Diana in forming KPI she developed the marketing strategy for an Internet-based personal financial management service. Susan has served on the Board of the Brooklyn Kindergarten Society, a network of five publicly funded day care centers. She also chaired the Board of Trustees of the Packer Collegiate Institute, an independent school in Brooklyn, New York. She is a graduate of Radcliffe College/Harvard University and has an MBA from Columbia University Graduate School of Business.

Brenda Kaulback, Communities Manager, facilitates groups -- large and small, virtual and face-to-face -- and trains others in facilitation skills. Her particular interest is in bringing people together across boundaries - systems, cultural, or geographical. She has experience with Future Search, Open Space, and Family Group Conferences and other large- and small-scale group interventions. Her work is grounded in Appreciative Inquiry and strengths-based practice. Brenda directed programs in state government (policy and management, higher education, labor, and welfare) for many years and has been an independent consultant in the public sector for more than ten years. She has an extensive background in education and the social services. She has a BA from Bates College and a Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of Maine. Brenda is currently a doctoral student at Fielding Graduate University.

Lisa Levinson, Communities Manager, strives to hear the voices of those in the community who aren't always heard. Her 25 years in public, not for profit and educational organizations includes leading cross-agency initiatives, and projects on the local, state and national levels. As director of the Equipped for the Future National Center at the University of Maine, Lisa was responsible for standards implementation -- working with students, teachers, program administrators and state officials, as well as involving businesses and experts in adult learning to guide the project. Lisa has used technology and web-based tools to manage a nationally distributed staff, and knows how essential these tools are for creating community when distance creates a challenge to collaborative work. She is versed in a variety of strength-based techniques to explore and then achieve common goals including consensus building, the Right Question, and Study Circles as well as Transformative Mediation. Lisa has a MS from New York University and certificates in mediation and facilitation.

Doris Reeves-Lipscomb, Communities Manager, believes that her most satisfying work may be yet to come. Doris works to effect social change benefiting people and communities. Her background includes state public policy development in state legislatures, the AARP, and the Office of the Florida Governor; program leadership in state government; distance collaboration design and facilitation; and economic development for women and girls. She enjoys working with individuals, groups, and networks to innovate ideas and change processes to make dreams come true. As a contractor doing program development and facilitation, Doris made her biggest transition perhaps--from computer-phobe to computer-phile. Consequently, she is happily focused on realizing the collaborative potential of computers and the Internet for public sector and nonprofit groups to accelerate their learning and performance. Doris has a BSW and MSW from Florida State University, and certificates in OD, performance excellence, and facilitation.

Iris Finkel, digital librarian, imagines a world of seamless access to meaningful information on the Web. Midway through a former career in information technology for financial software firms, she managed the development and integration of one of the first applications of real time financial market data on a website. That opportunity was a revelation of the power to be harnessed in the new media, and provided a spark of inspiration towards a career change. Years later, the impetus came after a discussion with the media specialist in the elementary school library where she volunteered. She is fascinated by the information flux of the 21st century, and believes that it is up to professionals to effectively apply order. Iris has a BA from Boston University and an MSLIS from Pratt Institute's School of Information and Library Science.

Stephanie Margolin, digital librarian, earned her BA and MA in American Studies from University of Pennsylvania and New York University, respectively, where she specialized in 20th century popular culture. Following that, she spent 15 years as a project manager, working in publishing, non-profits, and a for-profit educational company, concentrating most often on websites and other public-facing projects. As her work became increasingly focused in information science, she attended Pratt Institute and earned her MLIS. In the process, she began to understand the potential for Web 2.0 tools and how they might help shape the library of the future. Stephanie shares the KPI vision of this new kind of library: virtual, relevant, authoritative, efficient, evolving, and useful, and is excited to put these new ideas into practice, with nary a "shhhh."

Laren Droll, Webmaster, supports Polilogue, KPI's virtual community of practice technology. He has become expert at adapting the technology to meet the specific needs of KPI's clients, and continually develops improvements to the software. Laren also focuses on helping clients gain a firm footing with the new technology. Laren has worked in the field of computer-aided design for over 15 years, founding his own Web Design business in 1999. He is also a talented artist. Laren has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Washington University in St. Louis.

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