Miriam Messinger
Director of Practice
Miriam (she/her) has devoted much of her professional life to working to ensure that communities are healthy – with resources, a sense of connectedness, and engaged residents driving community development.
At IISC, Miriam works on strategy, staff development, and assessment. Her work with clients has a particular focus on organizations and networks focused on racial equity and change efforts and health equity.
Prior to joining IISC, Miriam served as an independent consultant helping foundations and other non‐profits work towards realization of their visions by addressing challenges with attention to passion, excellence, and stakeholder inclusion. She facilitated health equity grants and learning strategy at the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation. Earlier in her career, Miriam loved the work she did mentoring, learning, and building organizational capacity as executive director of The City School, a youth and social justice organization. Her professional experience also includes organizational change and research and capacity building on issues of youth, public health, and workplace health. Woven throughout is a deep commitment to including multiple voices, authentic and collaborative leadership, and structures that help us to live our values.
One of Miriam’s favorite jobs was as a baker in Cambridge. She was delighted to spend the wee hours of her mornings measuring, stirring, mixing, and kneading, returning home at 7 a.m. covered in flour and chocolate.
Miriam believes deeply in humanity’s ability to envision and create more equitable and loving ways of living together. She lives in Boston and considers her life work to be parenting her two children in ways that bring more goodness into the world.