01Area
School Climate & Belonging Strategy
Treat school climate as measurable Tier 1 infrastructure, not seasonal effort.
School Climate & Community Partnership Consultant
School climate is not soft work. It is protective infrastructure.
For district and school leaders strengthening school climate and student belonging.For schools translating climate priorities into durable systems their teams can sustain.For leaders building the relationship-based safety conditions early intervention depends on.For districts replacing program patchwork with coordinated community partnership infrastructure.For administrators moving initiatives from compliance and documentation toward consistent practice.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER | FOUNDER | ARMY VETERAN
Choose your path
Which best describes you?
The work and the language shift depending on who is in front of me. Start here so you only see what applies to you.
Path 01
Schools & Districts
For district leaders, school administrators, and education teams strengthening climate, belonging, safety, and partnerships.
See services for schools & districts
Path 02
Organizations & Communities
For nonprofits, higher education partners, civic and corporate organizations, and community-serving teams.
See services for organizations & communities
Areas of Expertise
Five areas of focused work.
02Area
Relationship-Based Safety & Student Voice
The relational layer of student safety that formal systems rely on but cannot manufacture.
03Area
School-Community Partnership Development
Coordinated partnership infrastructure in place of a patchwork of disconnected programs.
04Area
Stakeholder Facilitation & Team Building
Adult conditions that implementation depends on: trust, shared language, role clarity, aligned priorities.
05Area
Program Design & Implementation Support
Translate district and school priorities into structured, implementable, sustainable programs.
Selected schools and partners
A decade of work in real rooms.
Selected schools, higher education partners, and community partners Wanakee has served. A fuller list lives in the one-pager and is available on request.
Schools
Butler College PrepExcel Academy of South ShoreExcel Academy of EnglewoodUrban PrepFenger High SchoolHarlan Community AcademyBurnham AcademyChicago Military Academy at BronzevilleHorace MannHeritage Middle SchoolBloom Trail High SchoolMorgan Park High SchoolKenwood AcademySimeon Career Academy
Higher Education
Trinity Christian CollegeDePaul University (student volunteers)
Community, Civic & Corporate
After School MattersYouth GuidanceGoldin Institute / Chicago Peace FellowsPNC BankSouthside STEM StationThe Learning TreeRosemoor Community AssociationFields Creative StudiosFlash HoopsBlack Kids Predict
Recognition
- Chicago Peace Fellow, Goldin Institute
- Teach2Give Honoree, ChiGivesBack
- 2026 Blacktopia Gala Honoree, Association Chicago
- Black Educational Advocacy Coalition Conference Presenter
- Featured in The Regional News / Southwest Regional Publishing
- Keynote Speaker and Panelist
Belief
Attendance, behavior, staff morale, family engagement, and student safety move with the strength of the relationships beneath them. Wanakee helps schools translate that understanding into durable systems their teams can implement, monitor, and sustain.
Two ways to begin
Book a consultation, or invite Wanakee to speak.
District-respected, substantive, and built to convert conversation into the next structured step.