Testimonials

From clients, colleagues, collaborators

“If you’re looking for a consultant who designs community engagement with a collaboration and equity-centered approach, Mijounga is the right person for you. She co-created an engagement plan with me to bring together Asian American community leaders across nonprofit and faith sectors in New York City around conversations on building community resilience in service of public safety. While doing so, she listened carefully and developed moments during the process for learning and reflection and foresaw emergent challenges. Mijounga also created and led workshops with community leaders that was highly interactive and iterative (an observer from a national White House initiative to address hate-fueled violence remarked that his team was using the same design approach as ours). 

True to her approach, she kept true to principles of inclusion and equity not only during preparation but also in the timeline for future stakeholder engagement. Mijounga is deliberate in her thinking and communications and cares deeply about her work and community.” 


—  Aryani Ong  |  Director, Anti-Hate & Belonging Program 
      THE ASIAN AMERICAN FOUNDATION  (New York, NY)

“Mijounga partnered with me to design a strategic planning retreat with my data science team on our international project involving multiple countries. She asked poignant questions to understand the nature of the project and to plan activities for full participant engagement. As a result, the retreat was a success. Her collaborative design not only helped give clarity to allow us to move forward on our project, but also created stronger team alignment. We benefited greatly from Mijounga’s knowledge and skills, and I also appreciated her open communication throughout the planning process.“


—  Nobuko Mizoguchi  | Chief, Training & Statistical Development Branch
      U.S. CENSUS BUREAU (Washington, DC)

photo: Fred Joe

“Nothing happens in a lasting way without deep conversation, tracking, sense making and deliberation. After working with Mijounga for several years, I can attest that If you want to bring in a consultant that can drive conversation and deliberation to impact, Mijounga is your woman. Mijounga uses a web of inquiry that leaves no ideas underdeveloped. Her mastery of design thinking and visualization ensures that everything is captured and teased out while everyone is in the room or brought back in at a later date with ease. Particularly adept at drawing out the information that is yet unsaid and holding space in a comfortable manner, Mijounga used her adept people skills to ensure that trust space was always solid. I appreciated her willingness to engage in challenging conversations, repeatedly.

No greater project occurred in the organizational culture space than our Learning Week project. Mijounga’s creative energy was the lynchpin for our joint effort with Learning Week for transformation and culture building at Meyer — resulting in changes in approach, attitude and risk taking in a large philanthropic organization that opened the door to the work that followed which ushered in a new mission statement.” 

—  Michelle J. DePass  | Former President + CEO
     MEYER MEMORIAL TRUST (Portland, OR)

“Mijounga was a creative, adaptable colleague who focused on solutions-driven collaboration which resulted in strong, tangible results, and who I learned so much from. She actively engaged with others to foster an environment of shared ideas, innovation, and mutual support. This required the ability to listen attentively, respect diverse perspectives, and contribute her unique insights to a collective vision. Mijounga recognized the value of teamwork and the power of collaboration in work that was sometimes difficult to navigate — infusing learning and creativity into sessions, offering constructive feedback, and promoting open communication.”


—  Maritza Solano  | Director of Program Learning
     NEW LEFT ACCELERATOR   (Washington, DC)

“I had the pleasure of working with Mijounga when she joined Meyer as a Fellow. Her early fellowship work was focused on data collection, analysis and storytelling, but soon grew into a broader organizational learning role reflecting her initiative and strong leadership skills. I was impressed by Mijounga’s collaborative and iterative design approaches on large projects, which allowed space for multiple voices at the table, as well as her adaptability to pivot when presented with new pieces of information. She was a trusted and valued partner to the Executive Team and DEI Manager and led numerous organization-wide projects for staff and trustees.

All in all, Mijounga is a versatile and adaptive leader who doesn’t shy away from asking the tough questions when needed, while still being approachable and thoughtful to attain the desired results.”


—  Phoebe O’Leary  | Vice President of Operations
      MEYER MEMORIAL TRUST  (Portland, OR)

“Mijounga created an inclusive space for diverse members of our community to come together and brainstorm ideas to address critical issues and help shape the future of our city. She provided much-needed professional facilitation and process design consulting, from a strategic plan for the Council to a campaign plan for political activists in the 2021 City Council election. Mijounga’s professionalism and commitment to social justice are a unique combination that’s hard to find and impossible to replicate."


—  John Choe | Executive Director, GREATER FLUSHING CHAMBER OF
COMMERCE + President, FLUSHING INTERFAITH COUNCIL  (Queens, NY)

“I had an opportunity to co-design and facilitate a workshop with Mijounga. She understood the needs and comfort level of the organization and provided a clear purpose and guidance while staying open to new tools and approaches to help the team think beyond the current state and envision future goals. Her life experience combined with her appetite for learning and curiosity ground her design and strategy work. 

As a fellow designer, I appreciate her equity lens that inspires the way Mijounga works with communities of color and various partners. She navigates a wide spectrum of social spaces and leads her team and work with open communication, confidence and optimism.“ 


— Jooyoung Oh | Senior Research & Evaluation Analyst
MULTNOMAH IDEA LAB, DEPT OF COUNTY HUMAN SERVICES (Portland, OR)