THE BLOOM TEAM
Ingrid Boucher, MSW, MS Ed
FOUNDER & PRINCIPAL
Expertise:
Ingrid’s passion is improving opportunities and outcomes for children and adults by helping nonprofit and education-related organizations operate in strategic, efficient, high-impact ways. She uses her 25+ years of experience in education and social services to help clients create mindful, meaningful processes that guide transformation and propel their organizations in successful pursuit of their missions. Ingrid understands that effective change begins with strong relationships that support honest conversations and lead organizations in bold, desirable directions. She has an abiding commitment to supporting organizations that serve and work on behalf of vulnerable people.
Ingrid’s first experience with a social change organization was teaching middle school French in Baton Rouge, Louisiana as a Teach For America corps member. She later honed her interest and skill in education talent development and evaluation by taking on multiple positions with The New Teacher Project—including the director of teacher training and development for the Philadelphia Teaching Fellows Program—in which she directed teacher talent recruitment, training, placement, and support endeavors in the School District of Philadelphia. In 2007, she began specializing in strategic planning for schools, charter school networks, and school districts. Shortly thereafter, Ingrid directed the education services practice as a partner at the consulting firm Strategy Arts. In 2015, Ingrid founded Bloom and continues her work with practitioners and leaders in organizations large, small, complex, and simple, to approach and solve challenges in school, youth development, community, nonprofit, and government settings. Ingrid has developed and led strategic planning and growth initiatives for schools, human service nonprofits, community organizations, and coalitions in Tulsa, Jacksonville, Central Ohio, Honolulu, New Orleans, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Texas, and the greater Philadelphia region.
She has also engaged in strategic planning with organizations across the country including the National Art Educators Association, the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, the Wilmington Veterans Administration Medical Center, Fisher-Price, and Johnson & Johnson. In her home city of Philadelphia, she has worked with many of the region’s leading charter school networks, district-run schools, education organizations, independent schools, early childhood education providers, and health and human services agencies.
These experiences have informed Ingrid’s deep understanding of the attitudes, behaviors, resources, and practices necessary for change management and optimizing the efficacy of person-focused organizations. She believes that experience-driven, sector-specific knowledge is essential to truly understanding the challenges committed organizations face when developing and implementing strategies and initiatives.
Ingrid holds master’s degrees in education leadership and social work from the University of Pennsylvania as well as a BA in French studies and anthropology from Smith College. Additionally, she is a trained meeting facilitator, a competitive dragon boater and co-captain of the gold-medal-winning 2015 US Premier Women’s National Dragon Boat Team, an active civic leader in her neighborhood, currently presiding as Judge of Elections for Ward 5, District 16, and the vice-chair of the board of North 10, Philadelphia.