Heléne Clark, Ph.D., Founder and Director
An urban geographer and environmental psychologist, Heléne Clark works with organizations engaged in social change to build their capacity to develop clear goals, gather knowledge about results, and expand the impact of critical social interventions. Dr. Clark and a colleague founded ActKnowledge to provide rigorous research, planning and organizational development skills to the social sector. Heléne has been the lead evaluator on numerous initiatives and served as advisor to many other evaluations around the U.S. and in the United Kingdom. Dr. Clark incorporated the “Theory of Change” methodology into ActKnowledge’s work, and has led ActKnowledge to be the pre-eminent developer, facilitator and trainer of this method. Her international work includes the development of not-for-profit organizations in Moscow, various projects in the U.K., and work with numerous international non-government organizations in the developing world. Heléne has served on the Board of Directors of Housing Conservation Coordinators in New York City for eight years. Prior to founding ActKnowledge, Dr. Clark was Associate Director of the Center for Human Environments, and taught courses in urban and economic geography, environmental psychology, housing policy and research methods. She has published widely on housing and community development policy topics, as well as education and youth development.
hclark@actknowledge.org
Ahu Iltus, Chief Administrator
After getting her BA in English Language and Literature in Ankara University, Turkey, Ahu Iltus came to the United States and worked with the Permanent Mission of Oman to the United Nations as Accountant for 16 years. In 1996 she transferred to the UN Headquarters Accounting Department. Next, she spent six years in The Hague and studied for her Master’s degree in Visual Communication. After coming back to New York she joined the ActKnowledge team and is still happily working there as the Chief Administrator.
ailtus@actknowledge.
Joseph van der Naald, Research and Statistics Associate
Joseph is a third-year PhD student in sociology at the Graduate Center, CUNY. His research interests are concentrated in the areas of economic sociology, political sociology, and the sociology of labor. In addition to his work at ActKnowledge, Joseph is also a research analyst at the National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education and the Professions, the Joseph S. Murphy Institute for Worker Education and Labor Studies, and he is currently an Advanced Research Collaborative fellow at the Economic Studies Group at the Graduate Center.
Misra Iltus, M.A. – Theory of Change and Evaluation consultant/Artist
Misra has her Masters degree from California Institute of the Arts. Misra is dedicated to sharing her talents with youth through art and music. She discovered Theory of Change and research methodologies as excellent participatory methods to use to develop plans and measure impact of music and art forms on youth. She is an experienced Theory of Change facilitator and trainer and expert in the use of Theory of Change Online. In addition to her interests in youth, Misra has worked on human rights issues and international development.
As an artist she uses different techniques such as photography, film, music, dance, and illustration as forms of self-expression. As a Theory of Change expert and facilitator, she uses creative methodologies to help organizations articulate their own expressions of their paths to change.
Jade Gunver, Marketing and Media Director
Jade Y. Gunver started her career in Turkey as an announcer at Turkish Radio and Television Corporation. She transferred in few years to TV Broadcasting. Gunver was an anchorwoman in prime time news for many years. She has worked for the United Nations as a TRT Correspondent. She started Promin Video Productions within Promin Computer Technologies Inc. where she began implementing her knowledge and experience. Jade understands how a business works, how to integrate social media tools into an organization, the challenges and obstacles that organizations are faced with when it comes to social media, and finally the difference between ROI and impact. Her role at ActKnowledge is to manage and create social media, as presenter and as write.
Natasha Votypka, Technology Expert & Webmaster
Natasha supports organizations in refining their online presence and communication efforts by helping them focus on their goals and creating a cohesive online presence and brand. Her expertise in strategic planning allows her to mentor organizations in determining their ideal audience, mapping out their businesses for future growth, and helping them stand out as thought leaders in their industry. She has worked with a range of clients from entrepreneurs & nonprofits to large Fortune 500 companies such as Novartis, Genentech, and American Express. She has also taught at Parsons MFA program teaching students Interactive Design. She help design and plan the TOCO application with the Actknowledge staff.
