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.

As a Senior Consultant, Jaclyn works alongside communities to identify and implement solutions that will improve the service and system structure of their homeless crisis response systems. Jaclyn engages community stakeholders, researches best practices, authors reports and technical documents, and partners with communities towards the goals they have identified for their projects with Focus
Strategies.

Jaclyn joined Focus Strategies with over 15 years of experience working within programs and systems to reduce experiences of homelessness. Most recently, Jaclyn worked for Los Angeles’ Continuum of Care lead agency, developing system improvements and providing technical assistance for implementation of the Coordinated Entry System and homeless crisis response system for youth and young adults. Prior,
she served as executive director of a community-based organization in the Bay Area that provided low-barrier emergency shelter and permanent supportive housing for young adults. Jaclyn’s experience in the sector also includes program management and direct services within several system components of the crisis response system ranging from street-based outreach to rapid re-housing, fund development,
research, and policy analysis and advocacy. She holds a Masters Degree in Social Welfare from UC Berkeley, with a specialization in Management and Planning.

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.

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.