Hi, we're Jennica and Maya
Best friends and data nerds with complementary skills and shared values. We're the senior consultants on every AND project, because friends don't let friends struggle with bad metrics.
Our story
When you find the right partner, you stop looking.
We met in graduate school during our PhDs. Tired of a toxic academic culture, we started collaborating on the opportunities we were told to compete for. We'd sprawl out on the office floor and dream up creative projects. Then, we'd do them. Along the way, we became fierce allies and collaborators.
So we pushed our chips to the middle and went all in on doing data differently. We built our company around our special sauce: playing to each other's strengths, and to the strengths of our clients and collaborators. Now, we bring our buddy system to organizations that deserve a learning partner who will roll up their sleeves and work alongside them, from the first question to the final report.
Our first business plan (2019)
Our first business trip (2020)
Meet the team
Jennica Nichols (she/her)
Evaluator & Implementation Scientist
With 18 years of experience, Jennica helps teams gather meaningful and manageable data that make next steps easier and more intuitive. Starting with the end goal in mind (who benefits and what happens next), she helps teams figure out what to measure, why it matters, and how to use what they learn.
Whether teams are drowning in unhelpful metrics or stranded in a data desert, Jennica makes evaluation and learning systems right-sized, relevant, and sustainable. And, as our resident "numbers nerd," she helps teams tell respectful and effective stories of change, impact, and growth with their stats (and the humans behind the numbers).
Jennica was born and raised in Southern Ontario and is of European descent. She is a Credentialed Evaluator and holds a PhD, an MPH (epidemiology), and a BSc.
Maya Lefkowich (she/her)
Research Methodologist & Evaluator
With 16 years of experience, Maya helps organizations stay true to their mission and values, even when funder priorities shift. By strengthening feedback and reporting routines, she builds cultures of learning where staff, communities, and partners feel heard; programs keep getting better; and people stick around.
Whether organizations are chasing someone else's metrics or scrambling to show their impact, Maya helps teams slow down, listen, and share back. And, as our resident "words nerd," she brings qualitative, creative, and arts-based methods to capture the stories numbers alone can't tell, while building data practices that are reciprocal and spark joy.
Maya was born in Toronto and is of Jewish and Eastern European descent. She completed a PhD, MPH (health promotion), and certificate in non-profit management.
Use
If it's not helpful, we don't waste your time (or ours). We start every project by asking what you'll do with the findings, then help you take meaningful steps, so nothing collects dust and everything sparks learning and doing.
Integrity
We help teams understand if they're doing what they say or promise. No judgment or "gotcha" moments, just curiosity and learning together.
How we work
Our values guide everything we do (and don't).
Respect, reciprocity & relationships
We honour everyone affected by our work by advocating for community priorities and benefits, collecting data in non-extractive ways, and closing the feedback loop by sharing what we learn.
Creativity & imagination
We're all wonderful weirdos. We help teams tap into their creative spark and design data collection that makes sense for their community. No generic indicators, recycled tools, or checkboxes (that no one fits into anyway).
Learning
We model the learning we hope to see. We check in with clients, ask for feedback, and adapt to stay nimble and helpful. And we aim to work ourselves out of a job by building your team's skills along the way.
What sets us apart
Certified Diverse Supplier through Canada's Queer Chamber of Commerce
Orgs can prove their commitment to equity by supporting queer-women owned small Canadian company
The buddy system
Get high quality work, care, and one-on-one support from senior consultants. We sit at your table, and problem-solve, ideate, and try out strategies in real-time.
We get stuff done
We have helped clients win and renew grants, transition to new leadership and governance models, improve programs and services, address turnover and burnout, boost team morale, broker new relationships, and more.
As a small team, do you have enough capacity for our project? As senior consultants with broad skill sets, we work efficiently, and being small keeps us nimble. When board meetings move or funding dates shift, we adapt in the moment, without handing your project to another team that needs time to get up to speed. If a project needs more hands or a unique skill, we bring in trusted collaborators from our vetted network.
Is it worth the investment? Couldn't we just use AI or a template? The most expensive project is the one that damages your relationships or reputation, or never gets used. Shortcuts like templates and AI often create costly problems later: dwindling survey participation, data disconnected from decisions, and metrics that miss your wins. In our experience, getting it right from the start costs less than fixing it later. Our tiered and unbundled options let you choose a strategy that fits your budget and capacity, with senior consultants at every step.
Frequently Asked Questions
We've had bad experiences with consultants before. How is this different? When we hear that people have had a bad experience, it's often because consultants didn't listen or adapt their approach for each unique client. We begin with your learning goals, vision, and capacity (not a generic checklist). Then co-create a right-sized plan with built-in check-ins so we can adjust as we go. So, clients stay in control. And we go to bat for you. If funders ask for metrics that don't fit your community or help you learn, we help you push back and find better alternatives.
We already have an internal evaluator. Can we still work together? Absolutely. Internal evaluators are some of our favourite collaborators. They know your organization; we bring fresh eyes, a diverse methods toolbox, and extra capacity. Together, we turbocharge your team's learning and reporting.
Do you work outside BC? Yes. We work with organizations across Canada, and our course and advising sessions welcome people from anywhere.
How do you keep data secure? Our privacy and security practices comply with Canadian and BC privacy laws. Your data stay on Canadian servers and are end-to-end encrypted. And we don't do sketchy things with website data: we use basic site analytics to improve our website, with no ad tracking, no selling data, and no sneaky retargeting.
Do you use AI? We use AI carefully behind the scenes for some admin and logistics work, so more of our time goes to relational and strategic work. We build your tools, findings, and recommendations ourselves, and we never give AI access to raw data. We talk about AI with every client and decide together what makes sense, with no surprises and nothing mandatory. If the AI tap turned off tomorrow, we could still carry out every function of our company.