e Essence
In Consulting
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A register of vetted fractional experts

The essential expert for the work in front of you.

Essence In Consulting places vetted fractional leaders inside your organization to execute the projects your team can't get to. Senior capacity and specialized expertise, for a fraction of a full-time hire.

Start a project → See how it works
Senior by default

Real operators

Every expert on the bench has led the work before. You get judgment, not just hands.

Right-sized

Only what you need

Scale up for a launch, cover a gap, or run a single project. Pay for the work, and nothing more.

One front door

Your connector to vetted talent

We match you with the right expert and manage the process to keep the experience high quality. Your expert works with you directly.

The model

Add capacity without adding headcount.

You bring the gap. We bring the right expert to fill it, whether that's a single project or a long-term role. Here is how an engagement comes together.

STEP 00

Scope

We map the work with you: the outcome, the timeline, and what "done" looks like.

STEP 01

Match

We pull the right expert from our vetted bench. Every match is deliberate and named.

STEP 02

Execute

Your fractional expert embeds and delivers, as your primary contact owning the relationship throughout.

STEP 03

Scale

Ramp up, swap expertise, or wind down as the work changes. The bench flexes with you.

Capabilities

Four domains. Deep benches in each.

The work our experts have led again and again, now delivered across sectors rather than a single field.

01
Executive & Chief of StaffCapacity for the corner office
Priority & annual planningBoard managementMeeting prepComms & collateralCross-functional PMTransition & successionSystems optimizationStakeholder engagement
02
Growth & DevelopmentFuel for what comes next
Revenue & fund strategyCultivation & stewardshipProspect researchGrant writingDevelopment coachingRetreat design & facilitationCampaign planning
03
Talent & SearchThe right people in the room
Full-cycle searchCandidate profilesJob description designInterview process designInternal talent assessmentInterview execution
04
Operations & DesignStructure that holds
Strategic planningVision & goal settingData analysisPolicy & processComplianceProgram & school designFacilities & logistics
Where we work

Proven in mission-driven work. Built to travel further.

Our roots run deep in education and the nonprofit world. The same discipline that turned around schools and built development engines now serves founders, funders, and companies across industries.

EducationProven ground
NonprofitsProven ground
FoundationsProven ground
StartupsNow serving
Social enterpriseNow serving
Growth-stage companiesNow serving
Proof

Trusted where the stakes are real.

Our experts have led impactful work inside these organizations.

Audubon Charter School Gentilly Build.Excel.Sustain.
Disruptive Partners
Edlight PBC Firstline Schools Greater New Orleans Foundation Housing Authority of New Orleans Ideas42 Labor & Love Leading Educators Louisiana Center for Children's Rights
New Orleans College Prep
New Orleans Youth Alliance
RCG Talent
Sista Midwife Productions St. Mary's Academy Teach For America Teach For America Chicago Northwest Indiana Teach For America Greater Baton Rouge Teach For America Metro Atlanta Teach For America Milwaukee YAYA, Inc. Young Audiences Charter Schools Youth Empowerment Project
“
Their support in identifying an HRIS system and pitching it to our leadership team was a big step in the right direction. It has been a huge improvement, and I appreciate the contribution to that project.
Darrin McCall · Chief Program Officer, Youth Empowerment Project
About

Who We Are

Essence In Consulting (EIC) was founded in 2017. Over the years, EIC has evolved to become a full service management consulting firm that provides a broad range of strategic solutions to support new and established leaders whose plates are full with responsibilities and could benefit from more capacity or skills to cover short to long term gaps in capacity and expertise. We provide hands on support to help leaders increase their capacity and organizational performance through targeted fractional leadership.

We work shoulder-to-shoulder with executive level leadership, boards of directors, and cross-functional team leads to create and drive organizational strategies focused on improving efficiency and sustainability. We are committed to taking an equity-centered approach to building and maintaining impactful relationships that foster strong collaboration and thought partnership in pursuit of goal attainment. Our super power is uplifting the stories and strengths of our partners to drive toward impactful outcomes in every area of our collective work.

Brittney Jones, Founder and Principal Founder · Principal

Brittney Jones

Founder & Principal

A Certified Fund Raising Executive and purpose-driven bridge-builder, Brittney has spent the past decade leading development and fundraising efforts to build champions for educational equity, across network operations, partnership cultivation, project management, organizational advancement, and talent. She holds a Master of Science in Management Information Systems and a Bachelor of Science in Business Entrepreneurship.

Today she leads Essence In Consulting as its principal and front door: scoping every engagement, matching the right expert from the bench, and managing the process so the experience stays high quality. Your expert works with you directly, and Brittney is there to make sure it goes well. When she is not building, she is taking in the sights, sounds, and cuisine of her hometown, New Orleans.

CFRE M.S. Management Information Systems B.S. Business Entrepreneurship
Malisa Gilds, Partner Partner

Malisa Gilds

Partner

A highly strategic, results-driven leader and project manager with more than 15 years of experience across start-up, nonprofit, and charter and district education. Malisa has led school turnaround, talent, and stakeholder engagement efforts, building rapport with teams and executing to strong results even through ambiguity. She holds a Master of Education in Educational Leadership and is based in New Orleans.

M.Ed. Educational Leadership 15+ yrs operations & strategy
Fractional talent

A sample of the bench.

Vetted operators we match to client work. A few of the experts who deliver alongside us.

Jared Williams

Jared Williams

Organizational Strategist

An organizational strategist with more than a decade of experience helping complex organizations make better decisions and build the systems to act on them. His background spans public sector consulting, education nonprofits, and global enterprise technology. He brings particular strength in translating complex data into clear direction and building structures that sustain execution through change.

M.S. Strategic Marketing Communications · B.A. Communication Studies
Gloria Brown

Gloria “Glo” Brown

Strategic Operations & Organizational Effectiveness

A strategic operations and organizational effectiveness leader with 15 years of experience helping mission-driven organizations translate ambitious goals into clear, executable strategies. Known for bringing clarity to complexity, her career spans education, nonprofit, and healthcare. Glo is especially effective during periods of growth, transition, and ambiguity, building the systems, structures, and relationships that help organizations move forward sustainably.

MBA, Marketing focus
Two ways in

Whether you need the work done, or you do the work.

For organizations

Bring us the gap.

You have a milestone, a launch, or a role you can't fill fast enough. Tell us what needs to happen and we will put the right expert on it, without the cost or commitment of a full-time hire.

Start a project →
For experts

Join the bench.

An experienced operator who wants meaningful projects on your own terms? Apply to join our vetted roster of fractional experts and get matched to work in your wheelhouse.

Apply to the roster →
For organizations

Start a project.

Tell us about the gap. We match the right expert from our bench and manage the process, so you get senior capacity without a full-time hire.

  • Senior expertise matched to your work
  • A single project or an ongoing fractional role
  • We handle the match and keep the experience high quality

We will follow up within a few business days.

For experts

Join the bench.

Tell us about your work. When a project fits your wheelhouse, we reach out. No commitment, just a place on our vetted roster.

  • Meaningful projects on your own terms
  • Work matched to your expertise
  • We manage the client relationship so you can focus on the work

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