About Ariel

Ariel draws on multi-disciplinary expertise to design and implement innovative solutions to complex problems. 

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Ariel spent the first fifteen years of her career working at the intersection of social justice and experiential education for high school and college students. She served in leadership roles at two startup nonprofits: as the first Program Manager at Strong Women, Strong Girls, and later as the founding Chief Program Officer for College for Social Innovation. In more intrapreneurial roles, Ariel built the Public Service Academy for the Phillips Brooks House Association at Harvard College, and the Beautiful Minds Challenge, summer programs and more at Marlboro College (which centered self-directed learning and community governance). At Marlboro, Ariel served first as the college's inaugural Director of Non Degree Programs, then Interim Dean of Students. ​​

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In 2018, frustrated with the norms and limitations of the nonprofit industrial complex, Ariel pivoted into a founding role at the Center for Economic Democracy, where she served first as the Director of Capacity and Operations, then as Managing Director. Since then, she has organized her work and thinking in the context of the Just Transition framework -- a "vision-led, unifying and place-based set of principles, processes, and practices that build economic and political power to shift from an extractive economy to a regenerative economy." As a consultant, Ariel supports efforts -- at many scales -- to shift resources into shared ownership, and to build practices and structures for collective governance. She is passionate about curating communities that support learning and transformation for individuals and the group.

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Ariel lives in Ashfield - a 1700 person community in the Hilltowns of Western Massachusetts - with her husband, daughter, two beloved cats and a rambunctious puppy. Her personal Just Transition experiments have included "a year of no shopping" (2018), participation in childcare and homeschool cooperatives, co-stewarding a community garden revival in Dorchester, MA, launching a women's full moon circle, and founding the Elmer's Community Center (see link below). 

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For Ariel's full work history, download her CV or visit LinkedIn.

Highlights of recent work and thinking are below.