Bio • Selected Work • Selected Publications • Selected Presentations
Professional & Community Service • Awards • Testimonials

"I have worked with Maggie on several projects over the years. She helped lead the development of the Evaluation Tools for Racial Equity Website, and was the driving force on the conception, substance and production of Flipping the Script. She is uniquely able to see issues of white privilege and racism at both the system and individual levels, and to provide supports that make you want to do the hard work of facing up to them. With all that, she is also a terrific manager -- she gets work done on time, within budget and at very high levels of quality. I actively look for opportunities to partner with her, because I know that CAPD's work will be better when she is on the team."

Sally Leiderman, President
Center for Assessment and Policy Development

"… [at] my first opportunity to share “space” with her, I found her to be authentic, competent, inviting, with a willingness to hold herself and others accountable, and most importantly a clear understanding of the dynamics of racism and white privilege. Our paths continued to cross over the course of time and on each occasion Maggie always presented herself the same. There is something to be said for consistency.

When the opportunity presented itself for the Race Relations Center of East Tennessee to engage a technical assistance provider to work with a core leadership team representing board members and staff to provide comprehensive training curriculum framework focused on undoing racism and building an inclusive region. Maggie Potapchuk’s name immediately surfaced due to her extensive background as well as the aforementioned characteristics.

She developed a good rapport with the Center’s board and worked on building their capacity to understand program strategy and anti-racism work. Her facilitation style was challenging and supportive of the group process. She helped us reach consensus and complete our goals for each meeting. Not only did she pay attention to detail, but she had the ability to self-reflect and be open to give feedback and receive feedback while holding up the mirror to us. She, too, was quite supportive of staff as staff faced different issues and challenges associated with the work in general. This enabled the Center to receive a quality program plan for our nine-county region which the board is moving towards implementation."

Saadia L. Williams, Executive Director
Race Relations Center of East Tennessee – Knoxville, Tennessee

"We found both Ms. Potapchuk and the fellow consultant, Carolyne Abdullah, whom she recruited to the effort, to be extremely professional and easy to work with. As the primary point of contact, Ms. Potapchuk was particularly good at:

• Creating a meeting environment that encouraged others to talk freely about sensitive issues.
• Being a neutral convener and presenting herself as an authority without being authoritarian.
• Developing a consensus in a way that maximized “ownership” among the members of the committee.
• Facilitating a logical group thought process to develop conclusion and plan directions.

Our organization simply could not have been more pleased with the work MP Associates performed. We found Ms. Potapchuk to be dedicated to her task, sensitive to the community environment in which she worked, and extremely knowledgeable about the subject matter she was retained to address. In the end, the project has been very helpful to our community, and we are greatly appreciative of her help and friendship."

Betsy Covington, Executive Director
The Community Foundation of the Chattahoochee Valley – Columbus, Georgia

"Maggie Potapchuk is one of IMPACT Silver Spring’s best assets. Over the last six years, she has served in numerous roles: program evaluator, volunteer mentor, strategic planner, program developer, executive advisor and facilitator. Time and time again, she brings to each of these roles a unique combination of spirit and dedication, linked to a very clear sense of the big picture goals and how each individual action or program is connected.  . . .

In partnering with Maggie Potapchuk, you will always receive at least 150 to 200% of what you expected. Without a doubt, she is the most conscientious, thoughtful and thorough consultant with whom I have worked, in a long line of consultant relationships. She does not wait for you to think of a better angle or next step or to make a follow up request. She works with you to develop a common vision and set of goals and then moves full steam ahead, always checking in, but never stalling or putting things on hold. . . .

Another key quality of Maggie Potapchuk is her ability to work well with people and teams of extremely diverse backgrounds. In another project, she skillfully brought together a group of white teachers and administrators in the public school system to begin exploring the continued impact of white privilege in efforts to build successful multicultural schools. Given the importance of our relationship with the school system,  this step took considerable trust in Maggie and her commitment to the long term goals of our organization – a level of trust which came very easily.

From a bottom line perspective, our working relationship with Maggie Potapchuk has produced the following specific outcomes for our organization:

• Written reports which provide external stakeholders the kind of honest window into our organization needed to continue providing investment and support.
• Continued vigilance and skills in examining whether we are living out our vision of a just and inclusive community within our own organizational structure and practice.
• Ready access to best practices and resources around the country for growing and extending our impact."

Frankie Blackburn, Executive Director
IMPACT Silver Spring – Silver Spring, Maryland

Comments from Workshops or Facilitated Meetings:

"Maggie is very logical, clear, concise, well-organized and task-oriented. I like the way she’s just down to earth."

"Maggie has wonderful organizational skills and deep commitment to dismantling racism. She was so honest, clear, direct in the white caucus – clear she has facilitation, presentation skills."

"The facilitation skills of a confident observant person that she is, Maggie you challenge, push appropriately, listen, and continue to move us forward."

"She has the unusual combination of multiple giftedness in intellect, empathy and superb organizational skills. That, in my experience is a rare and treasured combination. She’s another role model for me."

"Maggie, to me always appeared to speak from the heart, very genuine. When she’s on task, I felt she gently nudged us to be on task with her."

"I feel she did a very good job. I really enjoyed the meeting. She let things be spoken in a kind manner so that everyone was able to listen to what each one had to say. Very well done."