The Team

Megan is the founder and president of Focus Strategies, a national consulting and technical assistance firm dedicated to assisting communities reduce and end homelessness. Since 2006, Focus Strategies has assisted several States and more than 50 communities on projects which typically include assessing the impact of homeless system investments; delivering recommendations on optimizing system and program design elements; analyzing data to identify disparities and providing technical assistance to address them; and supporting affordable housing developments from pre-development through operation. Megan frequently speaks with community and elected leadership about systems change efforts to reduce homelessness and regularly presents at national forums on solutions to homelessness. She holds an Executive Leadership credential from University of California at Davis and two Master’s Degrees in Social Work and Public Policy from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.

Tracy oversees and facilitates all data-informed planning and evaluation at Focus Strategies. She is responsible for the development of analytic tools and has been instrumental in guiding the evolution of the SWAP suite of tools. Since joining Focus Strategies in 2014, Tracy has also participated in and overseen system analyses, strategic plans, and performance reports in many communities including
Seattle/King County, WA; San Mateo County, CA; and Palm Beach County and Jacksonville, FL.

Tracy has designed and led evaluations of specific components of homeless systems including Coordinated Entry for Pierce County, WA; Youth Coordinated Entry in Hollywood, CA (working with Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles), and a Rapid Rehousing Pilot Program for Single Adults in Phoenix, AZ (working with Valley of the Sun United Way). Other projects she oversees include Point-in-Time Count methodologies and the statistical analysis associated with extrapolating PIT data to estimate the number of people experiencing chronic homelessness in various communities. Tracy has mo re than 25 years of experience in performance measurement and outcomes, as well as using data to inform policy development. Her work has touched multiple areas of social study and policy, which include domestic violence and abuse, and mental illness and substance abuse amongst housed and homeless individuals. Tracy received a Ph.D. at UCLA in Social Psychology, with two minors, one in Health Psychology and the other in Measurement and Statistics.

As Director of Consulting, Kate is responsible for overseeing and leading project management of Focus Strategies engagements, including tracking and managing project milestones, activities, budgets and related client communications. She oversees Focus Strategies work with communities undertaking homeless system assessment and planning efforts, including design and re-design of Coordinated Entry systems. She is also the primary author and editor of many Focus Strategies reports and other publications. She is our in-house resource on federal homeless funding streams, particularly the Continuum of Care (CoC). Kate has over 20 years of experience in the field of homeless systems planning, services for homeless people, and permanent supportive housing. Prior to joining Focus Strategies she worked as an independent consultant, providing technical assistance to local governments on CoC planning and other systems initiatives. She has also provided direct TA to recipients of HUD funding on CoC compliance and has worked in both local government and non-profit settings as a manager of supportive housing programs. She has a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley in Architectural History, with a specialization in the history of city planning and housing policy.

As Principal Associate and co-founder of Focus Strategies, Katharine has 25 years experience in the fields of homelessness, special needs housing, and community development. With Focus, she co-leads program and system evaluations, helps develop community-wide plans for reducing homelessness, and assists in the creation and implementation of performance measures and system standards. She also provides technical assistance and training on coordinated entry, prevention, rapid re-housing, and related topics. During 2013, Katharine served as a Policy Director for the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness where her portfolio included family homelessness, performance measurement, and research. Prior to consulting, she worked for the Alameda County Housing and Community Development Department overseeing Federal and State housing and homeless programs, including serving as Deputy Director. Katharine holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy from UC Berkeley.

Lenita leads complex consulting and technical assistance projects with our client communities. Lenita recently joined Focus Strategies with over 20 years of experience in both the nonprofit and public sectors, including youth development, criminal justice, housing, and social services. Lenita’s prior experience includes serving as the Director of Strategic Initiatives at a collective impact agency where she designed and implemented initiatives related to homelessness prevention, COVID-19 emergency rental assistance, and guaranteed income.

Lenita also has extensive experience in Housing Authority leadership, shaping robust programming and infrastructure to advance equity in the areas of workforce development, housing & economic stability, civic engagement, health & wellness, computer literacy, and education. Lenita has a Bachelor of Art’s degree in Psychology from Stanford University.

Michael joined Focus Strategies in December 2018 after completing his Ph.D. in Public Administration and Policy from American University. As an Analytics Consultant at Focus, Michael has conducted several analyses examining the efficacy and equity of efforts to reduce inflows into homelessness through diversion and prevention, as well as analyses of efforts to improve the performance of homeless system components and outflows to housing. His primary roles at Focus Strategies includes leading program evaluation projects, assisting in the analysis and interpretation of data through the application of descriptive and inferential statistics, and developing data-driven recommendations for reducing homelessness.

Michael brings expertise in health and social policy research and a broad range of analytic experience working in the health and human services fields to Focus Strategies. He also has more than 10 years of experience in data management and database administration in the health care field. Michael’s primary interests include how household and environmental stressors affect the health and well-being of vulnerable populations.

As an Analytics Consultant, Matt leads analytics projects for communities using data driven strategies in their work to reduce homelessness. He conducts system evaluations and supports communities translate findings into actionable system improvement and policy change and development. Matt foregrounds equity in his work through rigorous measurement and analysis and by incorporating the voices of stakeholders and service recipients.

Before joining Focus, Matt worked in affordable housing and homeless healthcare for twelve years. He served in a variety of roles including street and hospital outreach, case management, quality improvement, data strategy, and analytics. His interests include population segmentation, strategic planning, system design, and data-driven decision making. Matt holds a master’s degree in religion, ethics, and politics from Harvard University.

Liz has been working in the homelessness field for almost 5 years and has a variety of direct service and systems-level experience. She worked in the non-profit sector as a homeless services outreach case manager and Outreach Coordinator in Los Angeles, California, where she developed and strengthened her direct knowledge of service delivery and collaborative systems. She led a variety of data collection and community response initiatives that resulted in improved service and housing outcomes for people experiencing homelessness.

She served as Senior Homelessness Deputy for a Los Angeles Councilmember where she led efforts to improve and increase resources ranging from outreach to permanent housing. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from UC Berkeley and is currently a second-year Master’s of Public Administration student at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy.

Nina is responsible for administrative support to the company’s president, office management, and project-specific support to the Focus Strategies team. She prepares reports and documents for publication, handles information requests and coordinates staff calendars, makes all business-related travel arrangements, and manages client insurance requirements.

In addition to administrative responsibilities and day to day office operations, Nina is involved in analysis and negotiation of contract terms and ensures Focus Strategies project management is informed of terms and expectations. Nina’s background and experience lies in office management and business operations. Prior to joining Focus, she worked as an Operations Manager for an Import and Mail Order Retail Business as well as an Office Manager for a multi-lawyer Law Firm. Nina received her Masters in Economics from the University of Heidelberg, Germany.

Linda provides project support with regards to research, drafting materials, and the creation of final deliverables for Focus Strategies. She has experience supporting clients working to redesign key elements of their homeless systems and roll-out of key initiatives, including in San Francisco and San Diego, California. Linda has a background in program implementation and monitoring for state mandated programs. She earned her Bachelor’s degrees in International Studies and Sociology from the University of California, Irvine and her Master’s degree in Public Policy from the University of Southern California.

Tim has more than 20 years of experience providing information technology services. At Focus Strategies, Tim is responsible for technical support, equipment and supplies, and related vendor relations. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Radio and Television from San Francisco State University, as well as a Bachelor of Music degree from California State University, Sacramento.