north sky health consulting

navigating organizations toward limitless possibilities

Introduction to

north sky health consulting

North Sky Health Consulting strives to help organizations and community initiatives reach their greatest potential to positively impact peoples’ lives. With an emphasis on human-centered design, we offer services in assessment, planning, evaluation, portfolio management, and systems change. North Sky collaborates with a network of experienced professionals in order to meet project needs of any scope and focus area. Thank you for stopping by to learn more about how North Sky can navigate your organization or community toward limitless possibilities.

about the founder

Brooke

Born and raised in Rochester, Minnesota, Brooke has long been aware of the critical role Minnesota organizations and communities play in influencing our ability to live healthy and productive lives. She founded North Sky Health Consulting in 2013 in order to provide comprehensive and affordable services to organizations seeking to positively impact people’s lives through health and human services initiatives.

Brooke’s ability to successfully assist organizations in reaching their full potential is rooted in her extensive academic and professional background. In her early work at the Improve Group, Brooke learned the fundamentals of planning and evaluation on projects related to health and human services; transportation; poverty; school health and safety; school arts programs; and tobacco, drug, alcohol, and violence prevention. She brought this knowledge to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) where, as Policy Manager for the Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP), she was responsible for collaborating with stakeholders to plan, develop, and implement strategies to address obesity and tobacco in Minnesota communities. While at MDH, Brooke contributed to the passage of Minnesota’s Health Reform Legislation and led the design of SHIP’s “Menu of Interventions” and “Guide to Implementing and Evaluating Interventions.” Brooke went on to serve as Planning and Development Manager for a former affiliate company of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota. As President of North Sky, Brooke counts each of these organizations among her many clients – a testament to the strength and longevity of her working relationships. Brooke’s niche is in bringing health care, government, and community based organizations together to build collaborative efforts to improve our communities. 

Brooke received her Bachelor of Environmental Design (BEnvd) in Planning from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and a Master of Arts (MA) in Health Geography and a Master of Public Health (MPH) in Policy and Administration, both at the University of Minnesota. She lives in Minnesota with her husband, two sons, and their two dogs.

featured projects

Southeast Regional Mental Health Crisis Center

Facilitation and Governance Development

I convened leadership from health systems, health plans, the local NAMI chapter, and ten county governments to collectively design, fund, and oversee the Southeast Minnesota Mental Health Crisis Center. This effort required unprecedented commitment from these organizations to a) share in the clinical oversight and governance of the center; b) balance adopting evidence-based, innovative approaches to best meet the need in the region; and c) meet funder expectations. It also requires significant trust in me to manage these complex inter-organizational dynamics and ensure the voice of the consumer is represented.

Rochester Nonprofit Consortium

Strategy and Project Leadership

I currently work with 100+ area nonprofits of varying sizes and focus areas to develop shared services and resources to increase operational efficiencies. Funded by Otto Bremer Trust, Mayo Clinic, and the Rochester Area Foundation, manage grants and action plans to ensure our deliverables are accomplished. More recently in my role with the Consortium, I acted as the coordinator for Rochester’s community response to COVID-19 in meeting residents’ essential needs.

Pathways to Prosperity and Wellbeing Initiative across Olmsted and Dakota County

Portfolio Management

Pathways uses a human-centered design approach to identifying needs, directing resources effectively, and partnering with families to maximize their potential. This effort, funded in part by Kresge Foundation and the MN Department of Human Services, requires policy change at the local, state, and national level to assign benefits more flexibly to best support whole families.

Jeremiah Program

Assessment and Planning

I supported Jeremiah Program national office in exploring whether to expand their programming to mothers who want to pursue alternate career pathways. This approach may open opportunities for mothers to enter the workforce in their chosen career and successfully support their families sooner than through their existing educational requirements.

Whole Family Systems

Strategy and Project Leadership

I am currently guiding and supporting an initiative led by Intercultural Mutual Assistance Association (IMAA) and Families First of MN aimed at understanding and collectively addressing barriers to education for immigrant and refugee families across the region.

Digital Equity

Project Leadership, Planning, and Systems Change

As the digital divide widens during the pandemic, over a dozen organizations across the public and private sector have joined together to collectively support students and their families. I currently manage this initiative aimed at increasing access to technology and building digital literacy among immigrant and refugee families with young children.

Highrise Health Alliance

Strategy and Planning

I am currently supporting a collaborative effort between multiple health plans, health care and social service providers, housing organizations, and government to develop more coordinated and integrated supports to residents living in public housing highrise buildings across Minneapolis.

Services

What We Can Do For You

Assessment

Understanding where you’re starting from helps you get to where you want to go.

Gaining a solid understanding of the current status of your organization and/or project is a crucial step in planning, implementing, and evaluating new initiatives. Using a variety of tools, North Sky can provide a detailed assessment that helps you clearly understand the current landscape of an existing or planned program.

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Planning

Get your projects off to a strong start with thorough and thoughtful planning.

North Sky can assist your organization in developing goals and projects, then help you prioritize strategies to make them a reality. We offer a range of services to ensure your project has solid footing at the outset, dramatically increasing your chances of success. These services include meeting facilitation, coalition development, data collection and analysis, and presentation, among others. Our ongoing coaching helps give shape to a project as it moves through the planning process.

We are committed to working collaboratively with our clients throughout the planning phase to ensure that their needs are being met. Our goal is to help create a project that is both useful and feasible.

evaluation

Ensure you’re getting the results you want.

Your organization or community effort initiates projects and programs with intended goals – but how can you be sure these are actually being met? North Sky can give you the answers you need. We evaluate your project using a range of qualitative and quantitative techniques including surveys, interviews, focus groups, and case studies. Collectively, these tools help to illuminate strengths as well as potential areas of improvement, and also help you meet the evaluation and reporting requirements of your funder. We will work with you to develop the most appropriate and effective format for communicating your results. Evaluation can yield an array of benefits, such as increased efficiency, informed decision making, and empowered stakeholders.

North Sky’s thorough evaluation will arm you with the information you need to improve program quality and outcomes, ultimately making your project (and organization) as successful as possible.

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portfolio management

Successful projects require cohesive project management.

As work to improve communities shifts towards more collaborative models with multiple funding sources, a neutral source of external support to coordinate all the partners and moving pieces is a tremendous asset. North Sky brings extensive expertise in managing complex projects within and across organizations. We continue to learn about useful technology and practices to manage tasks and deliverables and keep the work moving forward – or course correct when necessary.

North Sky’s thorough evaluation will arm you with the information you need to improve program quality and outcomes, ultimately making your project (and organization) as successful as possible.

systems change

 Innovation only happens when ideas are transformed into practice.

New ideas and models to improve our communities and address the underlying causes of inequity are always being developed, but transforming them into practice requires thoughtful planning and intentional implementation. North Sky will work with you to identify community improvement strategies that are aligned with your organizational or collaborative goals and can be tailored to your unique context. Grounded in evidence-based approaches, we’ll help you determine how best to make progress toward your goals.

Get In Touch

North Sky Health Consulting
612-387-1183
brooke@northskyhealth.com
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