“For our first-ever strategic plan, we needed to find someone who could quickly understand our needs, our organization's culture, and our small team's very real time and capacity constraints. I don't know that we could have found someone more perfect than Bene for this role. She shepherded us through the process in such an encouraging, empathetic and skilled manner. And we and our board were beyond pleased with the results.”

— Amy Kovac-Ashley, Executive Director, Tiny News Collective

"Bene has been a key strategic partner for the American Journalism Project. When she started working with us, it took less than an hour for her to feel already a part of the team. Her kind of strategic rigor and organizational knowledge made her ability to meaningfully contribute — both strategically and tactically — possible."

— Sarabeth Berman, CEO of the American Journalism Project

“Bene worked closely with us to plan our first all-staff convening in over four years. She took our ambitions for the output and developed a cohesive agenda that enabled open and productive discussions. Bene skillfully guides conversations in constructive directions, while giving everyone an opportunity to contribute meaningfully. Under her facilitation, our team has gained new insights and made significant progress on key goals. I highly recommend Bene for any facilitator role where insight, diplomacy, and results matter.”

 — Sumi Aggarwal, Chief Strategy Officer, The Intercept

“With Bene's partnership, in just six months City Bureau developed our most ambitious, clear and cohesive strategic plan yet. Bene brings an extraordinary and unique mix of talents: she is an experienced, values-centered leader with strategic acumen, operational rigor, and an eye for cultural dynamics. She is able to dive into the most complex and abstract strategic questions, while bringing a pragmatism that keeps strategic planning processes moving forward. She thrives at the intersection of ambition and reality."

— Jody Chong, Executive Director, City Bureau

“Bene planned and facilitated The Open Notebook’s in-person retreat, bringing together our remote board and team for the first time in our history. Bene took the time to understand our organization deeply, listening carefully to me and others on our team and using those insights to craft an agenda that was exceptionally responsive to our needs and goals. Her sensitivity to our values of inclusivity and community shone through in every aspect of her work. Bene was a true thought partner, seamlessly weaving together our ideas with her own expertise to create an experience that left us all feeling connected, energized, and joyful.”

— Siri Carpenter, Executive Director, The Open Notebook

“The New Bedford Light, approaching our fifth anniversary, was in need of a robust, compelling, and ambitious strategic plan in order to build on our success to date. Bene was the perfect complement to that process. Bene was smart, clear, communicative, encouraging, collaborative when necessary and directive when appropriate. Our final product is testimony to her incredible skills. We hope this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”

— John Vasconcellos, Board Clerk, and Lean Camara, CEO, The New Bedford Light

“Bene's superpower is taking in complex ideas from multiple stakeholders and giving them clarity, sense, and action. She is an editor — of words, plans, and organizations. And she works with a deep humility, humanity, moral compass, and sense of fun, too.”

— Elizabeth Green, CEO and Founder, Civic News Company (parent organization of the nonprofit newsrooms Chalkbeat, Votebeat, and Healthbeat)

“Bene’s unique combination of firsthand experience, extensive industry knowledge, and empathetic approach is both inspiring and invigorating. She genuinely grasps the challenges faced by local media startups on both organizational and individual levels.”

— Davis Shaver, founder of LebTown