What We Do

Work within individual organizations, helping them achieve effectiveness and impact.
Facilitate collaboration among organizations at local, state, regional, and national levels.

Our Specialities:

• organizational effectiveness
• institutional culture
• “deep diversity” initiatives
• “big picture” social impact
• systemic change strategies

Our Tools:

• interview and survey research
• small and large group facilitation
• staff and board leadership coaching

Recent Projects:

~ Advisory Board strategic planning for the United Way of Central New Mexico’s Center for Nonprofit Excellence www.centerfornonprofitexcellence.org (interviews and meeting preparation)

~ State-wide LGBTQ* philanthropic/nonprofit “landscape” scan sponsored by the Santa Fe Community Foundation, the Albuquerque Community Foundation, and the New Mexico Association of Grantmakers (survey research and impact strategizing)

~ Two-year “deep diversity” initiative (survey research, interviews, and small group facilitation) for the Rockefeller Brothers Fund (www.rbf.org)

~ Three-year consulting with the national Diversity in Philanthropy Project (www.diversityinphilanthropy.org), including facilitating CEO Focus Groups in Chicago, Michigan, Southern California, Ohio, and Minnesota

*Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer

Who We Are

Mary Ellen Capek is principal of Capek & Associates. She is co-author of Effective Philanthropy: Organizational Success through Deep Diversity and Gender Equality (MIT Press, 2006 www.effectivephilanthropybook.org), which won the 2007 Independent Sector/ARNOVA Virginia A. Hodgkinson Research Prize for the best book on philanthropy in the nonprofit sector that informs policy and practice. Mary Ellen is also lead author of The Nonprofit and Philanthropic Sector Scan (2006), written for the Rutgers University Institute for Ethical Leadership.

A founding officer of the National Council for Research on Women, a 30-year-old coalition of 120 US-based research and policy centers, Mary Ellen served as NCRW executive director from 1989-1996 and edited the prize-winning Women’s Thesaurus (Harper & Row, 1987). She has served on numerous boards and committees, including the Aspen Institute's Nonprofit Sector Research Fund, the Independent Sector Research Committee, The Conference Board Work/Life Leadership Council, and Funders for Lesbian and Gay Issues.

Contact Us

505-890-6466 • mecapek@me.com

Janet D. Spector is a pioneering feminist archaeologist who published What This Awl Means (Minnesota Historical Society, 1983), a ground-breaking book still in print. Under the aegis of Capek & Associates, Janet did in-depth background research for the Effective Philanthropy book and provided program evaluation and strategic planning consulting for American Field Services/USA. Professor Emerita of Anthropology/Archaeology, University of Minnesota, and former Assistant Provost for Academic Affairs, she also served as consultant for MediaDesigns, Inc., working with multimedia training and educational materials.

Susan A. Hallgarth is a professional writer, writing consultant, and editor. A workforce development expert, she co-created and ran her own successful New Mexico-based company, Employment Training Services (ETS) from 1998-2004, a multipurpose small corporation that managed trainings and placement for Levi Strauss & Co., the New Mexico Department of Labor, Associated Contractors of New Mexico, and the New Mexico Department of Transportation. A former faculty member and administrator at Empire State College (State University of New York) and William Woods University, she held a fellowship (1994-1996) from the American Council of Learned Societies and was a visiting fellow at Rutgers University and Princeton University. Prior to starting ETS, she served as senior consultant to the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL), working with clients like JP Morgan/Chase Manhattan Bank and Levi Strauss providing educational and career counseling services.