Ann Fisher-Jackson, MPA - Anavo Strategies
Ann Fisher-Jackson founded Anavo Strategies, a strategic implementation consultancy designed to support emerging businesses, non-profits, and their leaders to bridge the gap between vision and execution. Grounded in the wisdom and vision of our clients' communities and in principles of justice, Anavo Strategies seeks to translate dreams into action strategies, project plans, key messages, and accountability tools.
Ann grew up in a large family that valued activism and education (and 1990s Chicago Bulls Basketball) above all else. These values instilled in her a drive to understand others and their background, fears, and hopes. She believes that to improve someone’s life, you must first connect with their intrinsic motivators, untangle their emotions, and collectively envision a future that does not exist. After building connections, only then can we begin to align values and actions to drive change.
This understanding of the world was cemented in high school when she worked on Barack Obama’s US Senate campaign. There, she discovered the power of words to connect with an audience and how aligned action can change the world.
Ann obtained her Master's Degree in Public Administration, focusing on Organizational Psychology and Nonprofit Management, from Saint Louis University in 2012. She supported non-profits and technology start-ups for ten years as they built out and implemented equitable communications and growth strategies. Most recently, at Gladiator Consulting, Ann has served as Managing Director developing the internal structures and capacity to align the operations with the dreams of Gladiator staff, their clients, and the greater St. Louis community. In this role, Ann supported systems change and direct service non-profits, government entities, and grantmaking institutions developing strategies and creating accountability in communications, fund development, equitable engagement, strategic planning, and organizational culture.