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Why Choose Blackbird

I am an executive leader and fierce advocate with a trauma-informed foundation rooted in social work, and more than 25 years of progressive leadership in community impact, systems-change strategy, coalition building, safeguarding, survivor engagement, and organizational development.

I have a deep and successful record of supporting teams across nonprofits, associations, and other social-impact organizations, including international coalitions and sport governing bodies with training, technical assistance, and capacity-building on issues including board governance and development, program and policy development, strategic planning, grant acquisition and management, executive search, systems change strategy, trauma-informed organizational development, safeguarding program design, and survivor engagement.
What I Do

Proven Track Record in Federal Funding & Systems Change

I have secured tens of millions of dollars in competitive federal grants, including from the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), for local, state, and national initiatives. I have managed complex multi-partner funding portfolios, helped lead a statewide domestic violence coalition of 42 certified centers, and designed and implemented large-scale systems-change global initiatives, including the FIFA Foundation’s YourSide, an independent, specialized support unit within the global football ecosystem.

A Trusted Voice on the Global Stage

I also have an extensive history of leading workshops and presenting keynote addresses for national and international organizations, including FIFA, IOC, USOPC, National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma, & Mental Health, National Sexual Violence Resource Center, National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, End Violence Against Women International, Florida State University, Play the Game, Centre for Sport & Human Rights, U.S. Center for SafeSport, SafeSport International, World Players Association, among others. I have delivered keynote addresses and workshops throughout the world on topics including trauma-informed practice, board governance, disaster management, equity and inclusion, and systems change.

Published Author, Internationally Recognized Expert

I am a published chapter author and an internationally recognized provider of training and technical assistance. “Nothing About Us Without Us, Athlete Survivor Voice is Paramount to Making Sport Safer” in Protecting the Beauty of the Game: Towards a Safeguarding Culture

Invested in Your Mission, Not Just the Transaction

What matters most to me is making sure the organizations I work with recognize their value and harness their potential. I am not a transactional vendor. I am your champion, with the best interests of your organization and the people it serves at the center of everything I do.

What my clients are saying

When we engaged Blackbird Consulting, we were in the midst of a significant leadership transition. Rather than offering generic guidance, Julie Ann took the time to get to know us, and understand the specific dynamics of our organization — our history, our values, and the particular pressures rare disease nonprofits face. We found her familiarity with nonprofits reassuring because she could instinctively read the entire ecosystem, from our internal operations to all of our relationships outside of our organization. The result was a transition process that felt intentional and grounded rather than reactive. Our team emerged from it more confident and ready for our next steps!
Rachel Freeburg, LCSW

Board President,
Pericarditis Alliance

Julie Ann helped our board understand and appreciate the role of governance, allowing us to achieve accountable, responsible and ethical leadership. With this shared appreciation as a foundation, Julie Ann facilitated a strategic planning process that aligned diverse stakeholders around a compelling vision and resonate mission, and helped us develop the objectives and tactics necessary to realize them. The resulting strategic plan has provided Crystal Community Ski Club with the structure and direction to navigate unprecedented growth, meet community need and generate real and meaningful impact for Northern Michigan.
Matthew Clayson

Board President,
Crystal Community Ski Club

In her role as a consultant for our organization, Julie Ann has demonstrated extraordinary range of qualities and capabilities, including her breadth and depth of knowledge about non-profit management and organizational processes; her strong commitment to social justice, equity, diversity and inclusion; and her willingness to standup for what matters. Julie Ann has the vision to recognize critical, unaddressed issues and an impressive ability to implement successful strategies to address them in creative, systematic, and sustainable ways. I have been deeply impressed with her strategic use of community action research to ensure that the organizations and services are guided by the priorities of survivors and are accountable to the people that they serve.
Carole Warshaw

Director,
National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma, and Mental Health

Following a successful completion of a significant project our small environmental association was struggling. Of all the needs in our area where should we focus our limited resources? The board was not unified with the idea of utilizing an outside consultant or the need for a strategic plan but with a slim majority voting to move in that direction we contracted with Julie Ann. Her proposal was customized with our needs (and skepticism) in mind and while the first meeting exposed some challenges in getting people on board she worked smoothly and professionally through them. In the end we had an updated Mission statement, created our first Vision statement and developed a strategic plan that will drive our resource allocation and keep us focused. She orchestrated our meetings with a gentle determination and the result was perfection!
Sue Kelly

Past President,
Torch Lake Protection Alliance

Julie Ann did a great job meeting our staff and Board Directors where they were at on their learning journeys. She encouraged them to look deeper at their implicit biases, dig into the work of learning and unlearning what it means to be anti-racist, and to explore how to become a real ally to the BIPOC people in their lives and communities.
Pam Amundsen, CFRE

Senior Manager of Development and Planned Giving,
Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation

Blackbird Consulting has been an invaluable asset to our organization. Ms. Rivers-Cochran’s trauma-informed approach and compassionate demeanor created a safe environment for our team during a period of upheaval. Her extensive knowledge of nonprofit standards and protocols provided a steady hand, guiding us through complex challenges with thoughtful precision.

Lander Bachert

CEO,
Traverse Bay Children's Advocacy Center

While working with Blackbird on our curriculum development for the KY State Coalition, ZeroV, I found Julie Ann and her team to be both responsive and professional. They understand the work we do is difficult, and approach projects expertise, empathy, and collaboration. I highly recommend!
Mary E. Foley, PsyD

ZeroV Board Member, Certification Committee Chair

Working with Blackbird Consulting for Nonprofits has been a pleasure. They are helpful, patient, and professional. They made what could have been a very stressful process go smoothly and painlessly. I hope to work with them again in the future and would definitely recommend them to others.
Lisa K. Gabbard, M.Ed.

ZeroV, Leadership - Certification and Training

Julie Ann is one of those people you meet in life that helps you see things clearly, identify your passion, and sets you on the way to achieving your goals. She is the ideal leader to assist non profit organizations because she understands the complexity of governance, importance of accountability, and value in relationship building. Her leadership style is open and transparent. She is focused on helping people achieve the best outcomes for their organizations and themselves. I have witnessed firsthand how Julie Ann’s involvement in a project ensures its success.

I appreciate Julie Ann’s integrity. Her authenticity enhances her credibility. And she is always willing to put in the hard work to get things done. Her ideas are well thought out and reasonable.

Her experience in leadership and executive management of nonprofits, and her firsthand approach to fundraising and relationship building makes her the perfect fit to help navigate the evolution of these organizations and those who lead them. It is always a pleasure to collaborate with such a trusted professional as Julie Ann Rivers-Cochran, and I highly recommend her to those seeking to enhance their organizations and exceed their expectations.

Lori Okimura

Olympic and Paralympic Sports Operations Veteran

Julie Ann has been a big inspiration and supporter of our growth as an organisation from the very beginning of Kyniska Advocacy. Her leadership in the safe sport space has paved the way for others, and she’s been a trusted voice for us throughout our journey. We’ve learned so much from her person-centered, trauma-informed approach to advocacy, and her guidance has always felt like partnership, never direction from above. We always jump at the opportunity to collaborate with Julie Ann, as we have always known it will be values-driven, impactful, and with the voice of survivors at its heart.
Kate Seary

Co-Founder & Chief Policy Officer,
Kyniska Advocacy

Mhairi Maclennan

Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer,
Kyniska Advocacy

Julie Ann is a trusted colleague who deeply understands navigating complex organizations and systems with care. She invests in relationships and pushes institutions with support and consistency. She is highly skilled at facilitating groups to develop solutions to address challenges – a rare ability that few possess. I highly recommend Julie Ann, and any organization is lucky to work with her.

Katie Hanna

Head of North America,
Centre for Sport & Human Rights

I had the privilege of working with Julie Ann through the Safe Sport International Athlete Voice group, where she led our strategic planning and chaired the team with incredible dedication. What sets Julie Ann apart is that her commitment to trauma-informed leadership isn’t just theoretical—it is how she operates every single day. When I shared my experience with compassion fatigue, she immediately adapted, creating dedicated, safe spaces at the end of our meetings for open reflection and connection. She balances high-level strategic vision with profound empathy, psychological safety, and genuine care for the people she leads.
Rose Mae Lanticse

Co-Founder,
Safe Sport Philippines

I have had the joy and the privilege of knowing and working alongside Julie Ann Rivers-Cochran for many years, and I can say without hesitation that she is one of the most thoughtful, strategic, and values-driven leaders I know. Julie Ann has an extraordinary ability to bring people together, navigate complexity with grace, and help organizations move from good intentions to meaningful action.

Her work is grounded in authenticity, curiosity, and a deep commitment to equity and human connection. Whether she’s facilitating difficult conversations, guiding organizational change, or helping leaders build stronger, more resilient teams, Julie Ann creates spaces where people feel heard, challenged, and inspired. I have witnessed the magic that Julie Ann is able to create and have seen first-hand individuals come away from their interactions feeling more hopeful, more connected, and more capable.

Blackbird Consulting and Birds of a Feather are a natural extension of Julie Ann’s gifts. She listens deeply, asks the right questions, and creates the kind of trust that allows individuals and organizations to do their most important work. Any organization fortunate enough to partner with her will gain not only an exceptional consultant, but also a trusted thought partner who brings wisdom, compassion, creativity, and practical solutions to every engagement. I recommend Julie Ann wholeheartedly. She is someone who genuinely cares about helping people and organizations flourish and has the rare ability to help people and organizations see new possibilities—and then equip them with the tools and confidence to make those possibilities a reality. I am excited to see the impact she will continue to have through this new venture, and I know so many others will benefit from the wisdom, kindness, and vision she brings to the world.
Lórien Castelle

YourSide, Safe Football Support Unit
Survivor Advocacy Services Manager

Julie Ann is an exceptionally diligent, conscientious and committed person who invests significant time and energy into her work. She is wholly committed to making a difference, particularly to those affected by violence and abuse. She is committed to improving strategic responses to safeguarding and preventing harm through her organisational consultancy, training and resource development.

Marcella Leonard, MBE

Director of Leonard Consultancy