This husband and wife duo are co-founders of Foresight Strategy Solutions. Their firm is renowned for its proprietary “5-E’s” framework which helps clients improve outcomes in organizational effectiveness, program development, management, operations, assessment, evaluation, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. The partnership also leverages its trademarked holistic approach, the “Cornerstone Concept” framework, to coach executive leaders on how to best leverage their personal gifts and work-related skill sets to nurture their well-being and drive positive transformation, both personally and professionally.
The Early Years: Overcoming Challenges & Laying the Foundation for the Future
Drs. Carey and Chaneé both come from humble beginnings. Dr. Carey was born in the impoverished north side of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, but spent his formative years working as a legislative aide in the Louisiana State Senate, where he helped pass legislation to rebuild New Orleans public schools and business districts after the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina.
Dr. Chaneé has a similar background finding success in life while coming of age living with the challenges of the inner city. Growing up in a union-led household in St. Louis, Missouri, she came to understand the powerful impact of collective community efforts at an early age. Years later, Dr. Chaneé herself organized service worker unions in the food, beverage, and hospitality industries. “I supported individuals in advocating for better living and working conditions for themselves. But, regrettably, no matter how far we moved the needle towards increased access, equity, and sustainability, entrenched systems continued to harm the people they were intended to serve,” Dr. Chaneé expressed.
By learning from and honoring their upbringings, Drs. Carey and Chaneé count their work as “a form of service driven by [their] commitment to reshaping society by supporting public, private, and non-profit agencies in operationalizing their equity reform efforts.”
Meeting and Combining Forces: A Dynamic Partnership
Drs. Carey and Chaneé began their relationship in graduate school at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, after meeting through mutual friends at an academic conference in San Diego, California. At the time, Dr. Carey was pursuing his law degree in U.S. constitutional, civil / human rights, and education law, along with his Ph.D. in organizational leadership and education policy, while Dr. Chaneé was deep in her own studies, pursuing her Ph.D. in the same field. She focused on how schools and communities can engage a variety of stakeholders to build strategic ecosystems that create more equitable opportunities for social mobility. “We like to celebrate that our love for each other blossomed between the books. Burning the midnight oil together everyday to complete research papers, law school assignments, and preparing lectures to teach our undergraduate students, formed the bonds of our hard work, dedication, and commitment to nothing but the best for each other. Graduate school was our first teacher of how to work together as a team to achieve ambitious goals for ourselves and others,” Dr. Carey said.
Achieving Success & Making a Positive Impact in the Community
Life immediately after graduate school launched the tremendous success Drs. Carey and Chaneé enjoy today. After leaving Illinois, Dr. Carey practiced law in Sacramento, California, before becoming Chief of Staff for Business and Operations in Oakland Unified School District (OUSD), where he oversaw 7 departments, 24 subdivisions, and an $800 million budget in service of nearly 40,000 students across 118 schools. He joined Dr. Chaneé, who was already a leader in Oakland’s Superintendent’s office, where she advanced the District’s community engagement work given her expertise in community organizing, stakeholder engagement, and school policy development.
Once again, this dynamic duo was together in the same place, working to improve the life outcomes of those who are often marginalized. Since that time, they have both held a variety of roles in service organizations, including Dr. Carey as the Vice President for Partnerships and Managing Director of Community Engagement & Growth at Making Waves Foundation and Academy and Dr. Chaneé, as an Executive Mindfulness Support Specialist and Director of Research at The Teaching Well.
Building A Noteworthy Business While Balancing Work and Family
Over time, Drs. Carey and Chaneé decided they could leverage their efforts to have a greater impact in the world by founding Foresight Strategy Solutions. Their dynamic organizational effectiveness agency offers white-glove service to help organizations transform futuristic visions into concrete, measurable, and actionable results. By developing thoughtful strategic processes, conducting thorough participatory action research, and making plain-meaning of nuanced results, their work “supports businesses; non-profits; K-12; higher education organizations; and public entities so that [their] partners can produce the results they need to achieve their desired impact in the world.” At the same time “we get to set an example for our 2-year-old son Clark, of what it means to help others achieve great things while building a brighter future for yourself and family, individually and collectively.”
In a world often defined by privilege and exclusivity, the inspiring journey of Drs. Carey and Chaneé is a beacon of hope and a testament to the transformative potential of hard work and determination. From their humble beginnings, they have crafted a remarkable success story, not only in their professional accomplishments, but also in their unwavering commitment to equity and inclusivity.
Their company, Foresight Strategy Solutions stands as a symbol of their vision to empower others, to level the playing field, and create a society driven by foresight rather than critical responsiveness. Through their relentless pursuit of equity, they have shattered barriers and redefined what it means to be successful, in hopes of motivating others to embrace their dreams fearlessly and work toward a world where opportunities abound for all. In a time when society hungers for exemplary leaders, this power couple shines as a guiding light, exemplifying dedication, compassion, and a commitment to lifting others as they climb, while proving that greatness knows no bounds.
