Fifteen years ago, I took a leap and started FireOak Strategies. I didn’t have a master plan or a 10-year forecast — just a deep commitment to helping organizations use knowledge, technology, and strategy in ways that genuinely support their mission.
Since then, I’ve had the privilege of working with clients around the world — from local nonprofits to international organizations and UN agencies. I’ve traveled to dozens of countries, met with hundreds (probably thousands) of brilliant, passionate people, and learned more than I ever could have imagined.
As we mark 15 years in business, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on what I’ve learned, what I’m proud of, and why I still love this work.
The World Has Changed — So Has Our Work
When FireOak began, knowledge management was often misunderstood — too academic, too technical, too disconnected from everyday work. But the need was clear then, and it’s even clearer now: organizations need ways to capture, share, protect, and act on what they know.
In recent years, we’ve seen a powerful shift. Open access, open data, and open science — once niche areas — are now global priorities. Supporting several UN agencies and research institutions in their open access journeys has been one of the most rewarding parts of my work. After COVID, the world seems to finally understand how essential it is to make knowledge not just available, but accessible.
A Few Wins That Still Make Me Smile
There are plenty of client wins I’m proud of, but a few stand out — not because they were flashy, but because they made a real difference:
- Saving a company over $100,000 in a single year by realigning licenses, eliminating unused tools, and rethinking their tech ecosystem. Not with a new platform, but with strategic clarity.
- Helping highly targeted nonprofits put smart safeguards in place — not just for compliance, but to protect the people and knowledge at the heart of their mission. From personal data to internal systems, this work has always felt urgent and personal.
- Supporting change agents inside their organizations — the ones quietly making things better every day — by giving them tools, structure, and a partner to help them scale.
What 15 Years Has Taught Me
Some lessons I’ve learned the hard way. Some were gifted through generous collaboration. And some have emerged through trial, error, and sheer persistence. Here are a few:
1. The people doing the work usually know what’s not working — if you ask and really listen.
Frameworks and tools are helpful, but change begins by understanding people’s lived realities. The best insights often come from the quietest voices.
2. Clarity beats complexity. Every time.
Whether it’s a tech stack, a permission model, or a documentation structure — simpler is almost always better. That’s where sustainability lives.
3. Change only sticks when it fits the culture.
You can’t copy/paste someone else’s solution. The right answer is the one that respects how your team works — and helps them work better.
Why I Still Love This Work
Because it’s never just about tech. Or knowledge. Or governance.
It’s about helping mission-driven teams work smarter, share more openly, protect what matters, and scale with confidence. It’s about supporting people who are trying to make the world a little better — and making sure they have the systems and strategies to do it.
I still get excited about:
- Helping a client finally feel in control of their systems
- Making a complicated workflow make sense
- Watching a team light up when they see how knowledge can actually be organized and useful
- Giving someone peace of mind that their data, their people, and their mission are safer
Looking Ahead
Fifteen years in, I still feel lucky to do this work — and to keep learning, growing, and evolving with our clients.
To everyone who’s been part of this journey: thank you. Whether we’ve worked together on a platform migration, a knowledge strategy, a digital governance model, or a quiet-but-critical security upgrade — I’m grateful for the trust, the collaboration, and the shared commitment to making things better.
Here’s to the next chapter — and to building smarter systems, stronger missions, and better knowledge for everyone.
