Transforming workplaces. Transforming the world.
We’re a team of three dynamic women who are passionate about helping organizations build healthy, drama-free workplace cultures where people can truly thrive. We know firsthand how chronic tension, disjointed operations, and sticky interpersonal dynamics not only impact teams doing their best work, but lead to personal distress and struggle. We believe that with the right support, every workplace has the potential to become a space of clarity, connection, and genuine well-being for both individuals and the collective.
Work should be a place where people feel genuinely respected, valued, and whole. A place grounded in equity, transparency, and justice — where individuals are cared for not as means to an end, but as people with lives, needs, and voices that matter. We reject the idea that burnout, silence, or inequity are just part of the job. Instead, we strive to transform how it feels to be at work, because how people are treated, supported, and empowered can create systemic, lasting change far beyond the workplace itself.
Meet the Team
Dr. Andrea Jacobs
Dr. Andrea Jacobs (she/her) is an educator, researcher, and organizational consultant with over 25 years of experience working for change in Jewish and wider-world communities. She has developed resources and training programs to address gender equity, LGBTQ inclusion and racial justice for a wide range of educational and communal organizations.
Trained as a sociolinguist, Dr. Andrea Jacobs knows that language creates our reality: the words we use can limit or liberate what is possible. Using her language expertise, as well as her 20+ years experience as a facilitator, researcher, program director, and consultant, Andrea helps individuals and organizations see beyond existing structures, territorialism and power differentials to realize new possibilities. She supports her clients to create plans and processes that bring their vision to fruition.
A dynamic facilitator, Andrea creates workshops that enable people to translate ideas from theory into daily practice. She listens to the wisdom in the room and reflects it back, giving people not only a new way of understanding the issues they’ve been grappling with, but also a path forward. Trained in Theater of the Oppressed and Playback Theater, Andrea draws on this background to infuse her work with artistic and improvisational approaches to addressing social justice issues.
In addition to her work with Wild Roots, Andrea is co-founder and partner at Rally Point for Collaborative Change, a consulting practice that focuses on working across difference to facilitate transformative change. Prior to founding Rally Point, Andrea was the Director of Education at Keshet, the national Jewish LGBTQ organization. From 2005-2012, she developed and expanded Keshet’s diversity training into a nationally recognized professional development program. Andrea consulted to over 500 organizations supporting organizational growth and commitment to diversity.
Andrea believes fostering shared understanding is the key to creating an integrated whole previously unimagined. She holds a B.A. from Brandeis University, an M.A. & Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Texas at Austin. Andrea lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Debbie Nehmad
Debbie Nehmad (she/her) is an educator, facilitator, consultant, and speaker with over a decade of experience designing and leading learning experiences for individuals and organizations. Her work centers on helping people and teams clarify their goals and identify the strategies, tools, or programs that will help them move forward with purpose. Known for her thoughtful facilitation and engaging presence, she brings both structure and flexibility to her work — creating space for reflection, learning, and connection.
She began designing anti-bullying programs in 2011, first for students and later expanding to include teachers and parents. These programs, rooted in her own lived experience, explore themes of conflict, power dynamics, and unintended consequences — and continue to shape how she approaches community-based education. In 2014, she entered the classroom full time, where she deepened her ability to build relationships and navigate the complex needs of students, families, and school staff alike.
Her work is guided by values of justice, equity, empathy, and human connection. Whether speaking to large groups or facilitating workshops, she’s committed to helping people engage meaningfully and move toward deeper understanding and growth. As a first-generation American and descendant of Syrian refugees with roots in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Debbie brings a personal understanding of how identity and culture shape experience. Through her ongoing work to deepen her awareness of racism and white supremacy culture, she reflects on how the construct of whiteness harms everyone, including at times erasing parts of her own cultural heritage, and this informs her commitment to equity and inclusion.
In addition to her work with the Wild Roots team, Debbie consults independently, offering training, programming, and coaching to schools and mission-driven organizations. After being born & raised in Brooklyn, educated in Queens, working in the Bronx, and living in Manhattan, Debbie has finally crossed over the Hudson to live in South Orange, NJ with her husband and toddler. She holds a background in Psychology and Music, is fluent in Spanish and Hebrew, and loves opportunities to be creative.
Nicole Nevarez
Nicole Nevarez is a dynamic leader, consultant, coach and facilitator who specializes in helping organizations, teams, and individuals thrive. Known for her empathy, warmth, and ability to simplify complex and even sensitive situations, Nicole offers tailored guidance, actionable insights, and practical tools to drive meaningful progress in organizational culture, team dynamics, and personal and professional development.. Central to her work is a commitment to helping individuals align their intrinsic values with their actions.
With over 25 years of experience as an educator, facilitator, and spiritual seeker, Nicole draws from a rich background in organizational development, management, philanthropy, equity, and theater. Her expertise, combined with years of teaching, group facilitation, coaching, and leadership, enables her to deliver engaging, accessible, and impactful interactive experiences. Nicole meets her clients where they are, designing bespoke services that maximize outcomes and foster transformation.
Nicole’s philosophy is rooted in the belief that deep systemic change begins with intentional self-reflection and organizational introspection. By guiding her clients through this process, she empowers them to create lasting impact in their lives, work and communities.
As an entrepreneur, Nicole served as the Founding CEO of Ta’amod, an initiative fostering safety, equity, and well-being in nonprofit workplaces. A graduate of the UpStart Venture Accelerator program, she serves on the board of the San Diego Center for Jewish Culture at the Lawrence Family JCC.
After 40+ years in New York, Nicole relocated to San Diego, CA, in 2020. She lives there with her partner, Rabbi Jason Nevarez, their two children, and their beloved dog, Sadie.
