Our People
Unbound Impact works in collaboration with a team of independent consultants, which we refer to as co-conspirators, who bring an array of wisdom and experience in the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors. We choose those consultants based on the unique skills and lived experience they bring to each client engagement.
Our work is led by our Founder and Principal Consultant, Jalisa Whitley.
Jalisa Whitley, Founder and Principal Consultant
Jalisa Whitley is the Founder and Principal Consultant of Unbound Impact, a consulting firm committed to liberatory practices and partnerships. Unbound Impact partners with organizations and change agents working for and with the collective. With more than 10 years of experience working and serving in the nonprofit community, Jalisa is passionate about connection, community, and co-creation. Her clients and partners represent a range of fields, including philanthropy, health, education, and racial equity.
At Unbound Impact, Jalisa moves projects from idea to implementation. She offers expertise in program & meeting design, nonprofit leadership, and community and coalition building. In her most recent role as a Director of Leadership Programs at the National Collaborative for Health Equity, she resourced leaders and activated cross-sector partnerships. Jalisa received a BA in Public Policy and Sociology from Hobart and William Smith Colleges and an Master’s in Public Policy with a focus in Nonprofit Management and Leadership from the University of Maryland, College Park.
Jalisa is committed to uplifting the imagination and the possibility of story, community, and liberation. A wanderlust, dreamer, and avid reader, Jalisa dreams of building spaces where people can show up wholly and fully, where imagination and exploration are fostered and protected. She’s currently building this space for women as the Founder of BOOKED Trips, an immersive travel company and experience for women who love books.
Dr. Naima Wong, Consultant
Dr. Naima Wong is a creator, bridge-builder, and disruptor. For more than 20 years, Naima has partnered with organizations and institutions at the intersections of health equity, academia, and philanthropy. Naima is a collaborative partner, drawing upon participatory methods and community-centered practices. She believes that the most impactful strategies for equity and justice leverage evidence and build upon community power to enact meaningful change.
Naima offers expertise in strategy development, program design, facilitation, and qualitative research & evaluation. As the Principal of Croal Services Group, an independent consulting firm based in Washington, DC, Naima works with nonprofit and philanthropic organizations to shift power, narratives, and voice to communities most affected by structural and systemic harm. Previously, Naima was a program officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, where she was responsible for research and evaluation programming for the public health strategy. Naima has a Ph.D. and M.P.H. in Health Behavior and Health Education from the University of Michigan and a B.A. in Psychology from Spelman College.
Curious, creative, and community-focused, Naima dreams of disrupting systems while honoring connection, rest, and joy. She desires an integrated, whole-self approach to the work and encourages her partners to do the same. Naima builds with and amplifies the work of those who understand that equity is more than an intellectual exercise but a pursuit of liberation – for the collective and the individual.
