Senior
leadership,
without the full-time commitment.
Senior
leadership,
without the full-time commitment.
I support mission-driven organizations when they need senior leadership without a full-time hire. I step in as fractional/interim COO or CFO, project lead, or trusted advisor.
From people I've worked with.
Josh joined at a pivotal moment for aiEDU — right when AI went from a niche concern to a national conversation, and the work we'd been building for years suddenly had the whole world's attention. We were growing fast, but we weren't built to sustain it. He helped us professionalize the organization, led us through developing our first strategic plan, and then helped us hire the executive leadership team to run it. That arc, from scattered to structured to staffed, wouldn't have happened without him. He's one of the sharpest strategic thinkers I've worked with, and the kind of steady, senior presence that fundamentally changes how an organization operates. He wasn't a typical consultant. He was a genuine partner who cared about the mission as much as we did.
Josh came to us at a moment when a lot of organizations doing this work were either shutting down or barely holding on. The philanthropic landscape had shifted — commitments that felt real suddenly weren't, and we were trying to keep critical work alive. He came in with no background in architecture or the specific world we operate in, and got up to speed faster than I would have thought possible. What struck me was how much he genuinely cared about what we were doing, not just the operational problem in front of him. He stabilized the organization, helped us build toward long-term sustainability, and the foundation we have now is one we could not have built without him.
Josh is the reason I have this job. He ran ops here before there was an ops function, and then hired me to take it over. So I'm maybe not the most objective reference, but that's also kind of the point: I've seen his work up close in a way most people haven't. When growth slowed a few years later, he came back and helped us scale again, taking us from providing care in six states to all fifty. You can tell a lot about someone by what they leave behind. Both times, he left us in a better place than he found us.
Josh joined at a pivotal moment for aiEDU — right when AI went from a niche concern to a national conversation, and the work we'd been building for years suddenly had the whole world's attention. We were growing fast, but we weren't built to sustain it. He helped us professionalize the organization, led us through developing our first strategic plan, and then helped us hire the executive leadership team to run it. That arc, from scattered to structured to staffed, wouldn't have happened without him. He's one of the sharpest strategic thinkers I've worked with, and the kind of steady, senior presence that fundamentally changes how an organization operates. He wasn't a typical consultant. He was a genuine partner who cared about the mission as much as we did.
Josh came to us at a moment when a lot of organizations doing this work were either shutting down or barely holding on. The philanthropic landscape had shifted — commitments that felt real suddenly weren't, and we were trying to keep critical work alive. He came in with no background in architecture or the specific world we operate in, and got up to speed faster than I would have thought possible. What struck me was how much he genuinely cared about what we were doing, not just the operational problem in front of him. He stabilized the organization, helped us build toward long-term sustainability, and the foundation we have now is one we could not have built without him.
Josh is the reason I have this job. He ran ops here before there was an ops function, and then hired me to take it over. So I'm maybe not the most objective reference, but that's also kind of the point: I've seen his work up close in a way most people haven't. When growth slowed a few years later, he came back and helped us scale again, taking us from providing care in six states to all fifty. You can tell a lot about someone by what they leave behind. Both times, he left us in a better place than he found us.
I'm here to help people doing good work.
I spent the early part of my career as a first employee at multiple startups — building operations from scratch, navigating compliance, hiring teams, and figuring out what needed to exist so the company could grow. Two of those companies were acquired, and each one taught me what it takes to build systems that actually work when the stakes are high and the resources are limited.
In 2021, I started RightStart to bring that same energy to organizations doing work I believe in. I've stepped in as an interim or fractional COO and CFO for nonprofits, health-focused organizations, and mission-driven ventures — including aiEDU, which brings AI literacy to students across the country, and Designing Justice + Designing Spaces, which uses architecture and development to address the root causes of mass incarceration.
What I love about this work is pretty simple: I get to make life easier for people doing important things. Whether that means untangling finances, building a hiring process, or just being a calm voice when everything feels urgent — that's where I'm most useful and most fulfilled.
The right support, for where you are.
Whether you need embedded executive leadership, help getting a complex initiative across the finish line, or just someone to think with — there's a way to work together.
Interim/Fractional Executive
Embedded COO or CFO leadership — without the full-time overhead.
10–30 hrs/week · 3–12 month engagements
Project-Based Consulting
Scoped help for a specific challenge — compliance, hiring, launch readiness.
Defined scope · Typically 1–4 months
Advising
A sharp, honest thought partner on an ongoing basis via regular calls.
2–4 hrs/month · Ongoing
Open Office Hours
Free, no-pitch calls to jam, troubleshoot, or think out loud.
Free · No commitment
Ready to talk?
If you're building something ambitious and need clarity, structure, or a trusted partner — I'd love to connect. Based in San Francisco, working with founders across the country.
Book a Call