Welcome to Dean's List Consulting
Empowering Systems for Equitable Communities
Our Story
From School Turnaround to Systems Transformation
Dean's List Consulting was founded in 2014 by Dr. Marla M. Dean, an award-winning educator, strategist, and systems leader who believes that every child, family, and community deserves the opportunity to thrive. The firm’s origin traces back to Dr. Dean’s experience as a Turnaround Principal, where she led the dramatic transformation of a chronically underperforming and unsafe school into a thriving, high-expectation learning environment.
​
Through that experience, she discovered that sustainable success requires more than school reform—it demands a whole child approach, rooted in high-expertise teaching, and supported by policies that uplift families as well as students.
As her leadership deepened, Dr. Dean witnessed firsthand how poorly designed policies at the local, state, and federal levels too often undermine children’s ability to learn and families’ ability to succeed. These insights led her to embrace and champion two-generation strategies—approaches that simultaneously support children and the adults in their lives—to break cycles of poverty and drive long-term transformation.
​
Today, Dean's List Consulting has evolved into a dynamic, mission-driven firm at the intersection of education, health equity, economic mobility, and community wealth building. We provide strategic advisement, project and change management, and executive-level coaching to nonprofits, philanthropic organizations, school systems, and social enterprises across the country.
​
From launching community-led initiatives like The GREATER Project™ in Detroit to shifting narratives through IntellectEOTR™ in Washington, DC, we are committed to building bold, justice-centered solutions that change systems—and change lives.
At Dean's List Consulting, we don't just create strategies—we co-create futures.
Our Expertise
Transforming Vision into Sustainable Impact
At Dean's List Consulting, we offer comprehensive services that empower nonprofits, educational entities, philanthropic organizations, government agencies, and community-based enterprises to strengthen their infrastructure, deepen impact, and achieve systemic change.
Education Consulting and Coaching
Experience and Expertise
Dean's List Consulting focuses on the following areas:
-
High Expertise Teaching
-
Curriculum Alignment
-
Leadership Development
-
Equity & Inclusion
-
Data Driven Decision Making & Continuous Improvement
-
Whole Child Policy & Program Implementation
-
Two Generation Policy & Program Implementation
-
Early Childhood Policy & Programming
Policy & Practice:
Whole Child,
Two Generation,
Health Equity,
Economic Mobility, and
Community Wealth Building
A Comprehensive Approach
Every child deserves schools that are:
o Healthy
o Safe
o Engaged
o Supported
o Challenged
​
Every family needs the opportunity for economic mobility by:
o Accruing Social Capital​
o Experiencing Health & Wellness
o Building Economic Assets
o Providing Education & Employment Pathways
o Living in Safe & Healthy Communities
Every community merits opportunities to build wealth through policies, laws, and governance that supports the social and structural determinants of health (SSDOH):
o Education Access and Quality
o Health Care and Quality
o Neighborhood and Built Environment
o Social and Community Context
o Economic Stability
Strategic and Project Management Support for Non Profits and Social Entrepreneurs
Deliberative Advisement and Skilled Guidance
We provide full-service management consulting services that strategically shapes the future of our world by building organizational and leadership capacity.
Every member of the Strategic Consulting Partners team knows that organizational success begins with the right planning process, one that includes engaging with leadership teams as well as with internal and external key stakeholders – including staff, boards of directors, partners, funding sources and others – and diving deep to gather data, elicit opinions, understand pain points, assess operating environments, and set goals and objectives.
Contact Dean's Listing Consulting
K12 Schools
- Cleveland Metropolitan School District (OH)
- Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (NC)
- Henrico County Public Schools (VA)
- Lawrence Public Schools (NY)
- Wilson Public Schools (PA)
- Paul Public Charter Schools (DC)
​
​​Early Childhood Education
- Childcare for Every Family Network
- DC Association for the Education of the Young Children (DCAEYC)​
- Kids' First Years
​
Education Associations/Organizations
- Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development (ASCD)
- National Association for the Education of the Young Children (NAEYC)​​
Philanthropy
- Greater Washington Community Foundation
​
Ready to transform your organization and community? Let's collaborate.
Email: marla@deanslistconsulting.com
Phone: (202) 340-8588
Website: www.deanslistconsulting.com
Research Institutions/Think Tanks
- Aspen Institute - Ascend Network
- Bellwether Education Partners
- Delta Research & Education Foundation, Delta Teacher Efficacy Campaign (DTEC)
​
​Non-Profits​
- AsylumWorks
- Campagna Center
- GOODProjects - Black Justice Institute
- New Hope Housing
​​
For Profits
- Calibre Systems
- InVision
- Opportunity Consulting​​
- Urban Equity
​
​Marla has provided professional development trainings, workshops and coaching to schools, school systems and organizations across the country. Dean's List Consulting would love to work with you. She has worked with the following (partial list):
