We guide purpose-driven leaders, teams, and organizations to realize lasting social change.

About us:

True change begins where courage meets collaboration.

The path toward social justice is rarely straight; it is often obscure and may seem impossible to navigate. Yet each step taken and every barrier overcome is progress nonetheless. By seeing challenges as building blocks rather than obstacles, we create bridges between ideas and action, forming a future that is more just, equitable, and enduring.

Our values:

At Downie Street, our values show up in how we hold the room, challenge assumptions, and build trust that lasts. They’re the foundation beneath every facilitation, every plan, and every moment of quiet clarity.

We are accountable to you and the process

We stay with you from intention to outcome, naming what’s working, what isn’t, and holding ourselves to the same standards of integrity and impact that we ask of you.

We are adaptive to your needs

We recognize the complexity of your context and adjust our tools, pace, and approach so collaboration stays flexible while the commitment to meaningful change stays firm.

We lead with compassion

We see the people behind the roles and metrics, listening deeply, honoring lived experience, and creating spaces where honesty, conflict, and healing can coexist.

We are accountable to you and the process

We stay with you from intention to outcome, naming what’s working, what isn’t, and holding ourselves to the same standards of integrity and impact that we ask of you.

We are accountable to you and the process

We stay with you from intention to outcome, naming what’s working, what isn’t, and holding ourselves to the same standards of integrity and impact that we ask of you.

We lead with compassion

We see the people behind the roles and metrics, listening deeply, honoring lived experience, and creating spaces where honesty, conflict, and healing can coexist.

Our culture:

Crafted with intention, our culture is grounded in compassion, clarity, & principled partnership

At Downie Street, we believe complexity deserves a human touch. Clarity isn’t the absence of nuance, but the outcome of thoughtful inquiry, intent, and care.

Collaborative & Courageous

We hold space for high-stakes conversations and transformational work, fostering environments where truth-telling, visioning, and leadership flourish together.

Rigorous & Adaptive

Responsive to real-time challenges, we elevate strategic discipline and agile thinking.

Elevated by Presence & Integrity

Deep listening is our anchor. We partner with honesty and emotional maturity, welcoming discomfort as a pathway to growth and collective wisdom

Connected Through Care

Creativity, cultural fluency, and humility ground every relationship.

Collaborative & Courageous

We hold space for high-stakes conversations and transformational work, fostering environments where truth-telling, visioning, and leadership flourish together.

Rigorous & Adaptive

Responsive to real-time challenges, we elevate strategic discipline and agile thinking.

Elevated by Presence & Integrity

Deep listening is our anchor. We partner with honesty and emotional maturity, welcoming discomfort as a pathway to growth and collective wisdom

Connected Through Care

Creativity, cultural fluency, and humility ground every relationship.

Our team:

Nice to meet you

We are Nicole and Don, two leaders committed to solving some of the toughest social challenges. For 20 years, we designed, launched, and managed education, health, racial, and economic justice initiatives. These days, we guide purpose-driven people at foundations, nonprofits, mission-first for-profits, NGOs and governments to design strategies and build structures that endure.

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Nicole

FOUNDER / PRINCIPAL

Don

FOUNDER / PRINCIPAL

Our contributors:

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Randall

SENIOR CONSULTANT

Our team:

Nice to meet you

We are Nicole and Don, two leaders committed to solving some of the toughest social challenges. For 20 years, we designed, launched, and managed education, health, racial, and economic justice initiatives. These days, we guide purpose-driven people at foundations, nonprofits, mission-first for-profits, NGOs and governments to design strategies and build structures that endure.

VIEW PROFILE

Nicole

FOUNDER / PRINCIPAL

VIEW PROFILE

Don

FOUNDER / PRINCIPAL

Our contributors:

VIEW PROFILE

Randall

SENIOR CONSULTANT

We’d love to connect with you.
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Nicole Gallant

Nicole Gallant

Founder / Principal

Founder and Principal at Downie Street, Nicole is a seasoned strategist and facilitator with a track record of working across cultures to support local, national, and international social change leaders and organizations.

Prior to Downie Street, Nicole supported social change leaders and their organizations as the Senior Vice President and Chief Impact Officer at United Way of New York City, where she designed and led program and policy initiatives to increase the education and self- sufficiency of low-income New Yorkers. Under her leadership, ReadNYC and the NYC Department of Education Community Schools pilots resulted in enduring initiatives now reaching nearly 1.1 million students.

Appointed as the Senior Education Advisor and Director of Learn and Serve America in President Obama’s Administration, she created the education strategy for AmeriCorps and led service-learning reaching all 50 US states through federally-supported programs. Nicole was a Program Executive at The Atlantic Philanthropies, the largest limited-life foundation in the world, where she directed grantmaking to support youth development and education strategies across the United States.

Nicole also supports social change leaders and their organizations as a Managing Director at the DRK Foundation in Europe and the United States, as well as through board service, teaching, and advisory for a variety of organizations.

“Without question, I am a more effective leader because of my work with the Downie Street team. I now have a stronger toolkit, greater clarity about my role, and a deeper understanding of how to lead with intention. Nicole has been an exceptional coach, blending rigor, direct feedback, practical tools, and empathy. She creates a space that invites honest reflection, encourages accountability, and supports growth.” 

Elena Conley-Jones, Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation

“Our fellows consistently shared how grounding and clarifying her guidance was. Nicole has a remarkable ability to take complex ideas and help leaders shape them into strategic frameworks, logic models, and theories of change that truly reflect their vision. She brings the same clarity and care to program design – helping fellows strengthen their ventures in ways that were both practical and deeply aligned with their goals. Beyond her technical expertise, Nicole was an encouraging, steady presence for our fellows. Her thoughtful questions, compassionate approach, and commitment to each fellow’s success made her an invaluable partner throughout the program.” 

Meg Busse, Roddenberry Foundation

[email protected]

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Don Jordan

Founder / Principal

As Co-Founder and Principal at Downie Street, Don supports the work of progressive social change initiatives by guiding leaders, teams and organizations to build better futures for the communities they serve.

As a consultant and facilitator, he leads strategic engagements and develops customized tools and frameworks that help organizations advance their visions for social change. As a Certified Executive Coach his clients range from start-up social entrepreneurs to CEOs of major foundations. In this role, Don helps professionals improve their work life balance and move more intentionally toward their personal and professional goals.

Don previously served as a Senior Director for Program Strategy with United Way of New York City, where he spearheaded the organization’s Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund grants among other initiatives. Previously, he was a Programme Specialist at The Atlantic Philanthropies, the largest limited-life foundation in the world, where he focused on international grantmaking to support health, justice and resilience in aging populations. He is a member of the Hudson Valley Nonprofit Consultants and the International Coaching Federation.

“An active listener and supportive coach with deep emotional intelligence, Don is a calming force in the maelstrom. His consistent, enduring commitment to the philanthropic and nonprofit community means he brings perspective, networks, and context to any project in which he is engaged.”

Rusty Stahl, Fund the People

“Working with Don was a key part of both my personal and professional growth during the Leadership Fellows at The Trust. He provided me with tools, advice, and insight that pushed me to think more deeply about my role, myself as a person, and my leadership goals. Our conversations stayed with me each week and found their way into many areas of my life. I am truly grateful for his knowledge, expertise, and patience, and for the thoughtfulness he brought to our mentorship.”

Sarah Kleinke, EMERGE125

[email protected]

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Randall Puljek-Shank

SENIOR CONSULTANT

Randall Puljek-Shank, PhD, brings 13 years of experience as an advisor and enabler for nonprofits and donors, and an additional 14 years of leadership experience in nonprofits, social enterprises, and foundations. He shares our commitment to enabling effective social and organizational change.

His work includes trust-building, public policy, sustainable development and peacebuilding across 5 continents. He brings deep cross-cultural experience, a spirit of inquiry and learning together, and facility with new technologies to organizational and leadership coaching.​

“Randall’s team excelled at synthesizing global tools and case studies into a cohesive, usable resource. Improving Your Programmatic Learning Journey is an engaging and indispensable co-creation and learning resource for any impact-driven organization. Besides, they walked the talk of co-creation by facilitating an appreciative and inclusive process from reflecting on objectives to promoting the result. I highly recommend their collaborative and insightful approach.”

Sever Dzigurski, Head of Secretariat, Knowledge Platform on Security and Rule of Law

“Randall designed and facilitated highly effective sessions that engaged government, NGO, and media stakeholders, resulting in the development of new strategic directions and the identification of fresh possibilities for citizen engagement in urban planning and social cohesion.”

Snežana Mišić Mihajlović Governance Portfolio Manager EE, HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation

[email protected]

LinkedIn

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