Jennifer James
Partner

Jennifer offers two decades of experience designing and conducting evaluations, research, and technical assistance for funders, public agencies and community-based organizations nationwide. She focuses on developing community-relevant research and capacity-building solutions that distill complex information for strategic decision-making. She specializes in using evaluation as a tool for learning and adaptation—a crucial approach for both organizations and cross-sector partnerships. In addition, she has strong experience guiding strategy development for foundations, nonprofits, and government agencies, as well as designing cross-sector initiatives.
Prior to joining Harder+Company in 1999, Jennifer worked at the Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology at the University of Arizona. While there, she conducted an ethnographic study of the social impacts of the Louisiana offshore oil industry on families, worked on cultural resource projects with the National Parks Services, and managed a large-scale Haitian food security survey effort. Jennifer serves on numerous nonprofit and philanthropic advisory boards, is the proud mother of two amazing boys, and owns an electric bike shop with her husband.
Education
- Master of Arts, Cultural Anthropology, University of Arizona
- Bachelor of Arts, Anthropology, Kansas State University
Areas of Expertise
- Behavioral Health
- Children, Youth + Families
- Early Childhood
- Equity + Place
- Health
Blog Posts
- Becoming an anti-racist organization
- New Ownership for Harder+Company
- The Messiness of Cross-Sector Collaboration
- Tools for collaborative relationships between funders and grantees
- Want to Change Practice? You Need Good Process
- The Art and Science of Place-Based Philanthropy
- Funder Collaborations: What Makes Them Tick?