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About Us
Ideas to Impact is a professional services consulting firm.
Brief history: Founded in 2010, Ideas to Impact was formed to support communities addressing a broad range of youth needs. Our first project was supporting the Homewood Children’s Village in Pittsburgh, PA to develop a youth master plan – a comprehensive approach to wrap-around services for youth from cradle to career. After completing this work, Ideas to Impact expanded its services and reach to incorporate research, evaluation, and technical assistance.
Dr. Kristine Andrews
Principal
Dr. Kristine Andrews is the Principal of Ideas to Impact, a social science research and evaluation consulting firm. Her lived experiences as a daughter of immigrant parents, a first-generation college graduate, and a mother of three African American girls informs her approach to research. Kristine’s personal experiences with both racism and privilege compel her to challenge inequitable systems, present data with historical context, and disrupt traditional practices and policies that perpetuate racist narratives.
Kristine has established her career in building the capacity of practitioners and other researchers by delivering strong training and technical assistance; working with communities to authentically engage and share the stories of those most directly impacted by systems; and translating research and findings into actionable programmatic recommendations.
Fueled by a passion to build community, practitioner and researcher capacity, she has spent her career leading or conducting rigorous evaluations and research studies in various fields (early childhood, adolescent health, positive youth development, out of school time programs, teen pregnancy and parenting, and social and emotional health) and ensuring that this work is disseminated via end products that serve those most impacted.
Most importantly in all her work, Dr. Andrews acknowledges the current and historical context of race and racism in American society. Among her many accomplishments leading racial equity in research, Dr. Andrews has presented or led trainings for foundations, federal agencies and practitioners on how to integrate a culturally responsive and racial equity lens in research and practice.
Dr. Andrews is also a Visiting Distinguished Fellow at Child Trends and an Equity First Fellow at Chapin Hall. She earned her PhD in Family and Child Ecology and Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy from Michigan State University. She has a Bachelor of Science in Finance with a minor in Sociology and Japanese from Georgetown University. Kristine is a native New Yorker currently residing in Washington DC with her husband and three daughters.
Mission
Our mission is to provide research, evaluation and technical assistance that address needs and builds capacity for organizations and communities.
Values
We lead with a culturally responsive and racial equity perspective
We believe in authenticity and transparency
We are collaborative and inclusive
We meet partners where they are
We value relationships
We extend grace and flexibility