Stephanie Heim has worked as a close partner with state government since 2010, with experience in county government as a member of the Olmsted County Public Health Services Advisory Board and its Joint Study on Racism as a Public Health Issue. For nearly thirteen years, she worked at the University of Minnesota Extension, where she provided strategic direction and oversaw the implementation of a federally funded health promotion program and led the operationalization of racial equity principles and community-engagement practices throughout the program. Using a focused yet flexible approach, Stephanie designed and implemented several change management efforts that resulted in improved financial, human resource, and communication systems and processes. She worked to create safe spaces where staff used their voices, shared their stories, and disrupted business as usual. Stephanie is deeply committed to building a culture of belonging.
Stephanie’s consulting focus is organizational development, facilitation, planning, project management, and staff capacity building. Stephanie uses inclusive, participatory approaches that center the experiences of people most impacted by an issue to navigate conflict and improve accountability, engagement, and impact.
Her goals in her consulting work are to help the public sector work better for Minnesota residents who have been systematically excluded and help clients identify the root causes of problems and co-create solutions to achieve common goals.
Some of Stephanie’s early projects with MAD include:
• Department of Education: Conducting an organizational assessment to determine to what extent a division is set up for success, what supports are needed, and where opportunities for improvement exist.
• Department of Education: Developing performance measures and an organizational structure for implementation that outlines clear roles and responsibilities of team members.
Stephanie has a master’s degree in public health and a bachelor’s degree in health and wellness, both from the University of Minnesota. She is also a registered dietitian nutritionist.
