Meet the Team
Ryan Hunter
Co-Founder & Principal
Throughout his career in public service, Ryan's relentless drive for improvement has helped government better serve its citizens. As Principal at PPI, Ryan has worked with dozens of cities and counties nationwide to streamline procurement, make permitting easier, slash time-to-hire, and otherwise transform public services. Before co-founding PPI, Ryan directed San Francisco’s first citywide program in process improvement. Under Ryan’s leadership, the Lean Program trained over 700 staff, coached dozens of leaders to independently plan and implement major improvement projects, produced hundreds of rapid improvements, and facilitated transformation in areas as diverse as park maintenance, benefits administration, and hiring. During San Francisco’s COVID-19 response, Ryan used his process improvement expertise to stabilize the City’s COVID testing infrastructure, improve time-to-result, and efficiently allocate a limited supply of test kits. Ryan holds a Master’s degree in Sociology from Stanford University and a Master’s in Public Policy from UC Berkeley’s Goldman School. He is a Lean Black Belt, Certified Six Sigma Black Belt, Agile Scrum Master, and a Project Management Professional (PMP). He makes a mean mai tai.
Justine Hinderliter
Co-Founder & Principal
Justine Hinderliter empowers public sector teams to transform how they work, with over 17 years’ experience in helping government agencies achieve their strategic goals through innovative leadership and operational improvements. Her extensive career in public service is marked by a commitment to driving meaningful, lasting change. As Co-founder and Principal at Partners in Public Innovation (PPI), Justine leads teams of change agents to deliver strategic plans, facilitate improvement projects, and guide high-impact training programs. She also oversees PPI’s crisis strategy and communication services, helping public agencies navigate complex challenges with confidence and clarity. In addition to her operational leadership, she provides 1:1 coaching for executive leaders, guiding them in setting and achieving strategic goals that enhance performance and engagement across their teams as well as reinvigorating their own professional growth. Before co-founding PPI, Justine was a labor and employment litigator and exclusively served public sector clients; she later spent over 12 years in human resources leadership roles at the City and County of San Francisco, including more than a decade at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC). As the Chief People Officer for the SFPUC, she led all HR and Health & Safety operations for the 2,300-employee agency, spearheading strategic initiatives that transformed the agency’s approach to talent management, employee engagement, and organizational culture. During her tenure, Justine orchestrated a comprehensive transformation of the HR bureau, including the creation and implementation of the first-ever HR strategic plan. She was also the Co-Executive Lead of the SFPUC’s Racial Equity Initiative, which culminated in the development of the agency’s first Racial Equity Action Plan (REAP). The REAP initiative, which set in motion a 120-item action plan across seven critical areas, established a sustainable governance structure, secured a $3.4 million budget, and engaged over 15 working groups. These efforts significantly advanced equity across the organization, embedding an equity lens within the agency’s core functions. Justine holds a Juris Doctor from the University of San Francisco School of Law and is a member of the California and Minnesota State Bars. She is a certified PROSCI Change Management Practitioner, a Strategic Workforce Planner certified by the Human Capital Institute (HCI), and trained by the Government Alliance for Race and Equity (GARE). Outside of her professional work, Justine and her family run a first-generation regenerative farm in the Greater Minneapolis area, reflecting her deep commitment to sustainability and community-focused impact.
Staff
melanie palacios​
Product Manager
Melanie Palacios, brings a multifaceted background with over 10 years of experience in program management, stakeholder collaboration, and data-driven evaluation within community-based service initiatives. Her extensive experience in mental health service development, particularly in crisis management and early childhood, equips her with a nuanced understanding of community needs and service equity. In her work with the Sacramento Children's Home, Melanie successfully managed The Source, a 24-7 crisis support initiative, demonstrating her capability in leading high-impact projects and working collaboratively with diverse stakeholders, including county officials and external partners. This role required strategic oversight, clinical judgment, and the ability to navigate complex service delivery systems effectively. Melanie's leadership in launching the Cal-FURS hotline, a statewide crisis response for foster youth, showcases her adeptness at scaling services to meet broader community needs while ensuring alignment with strategic objectives and program outcomes. Her skill in developing data structures for ongoing management and reporting underscores her proficiency in leveraging data to inform decision-making and program improvements. As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with a Masters in Counseling Psychology from the Wright Institute and a BA in Psychology from Stanford University, Melanie's clinical expertise enriches her approach to project management, adding depth to her understanding of human-centered service design and delivery. Melanie's unique blend of clinical insight and project management experience positions her as a valuable asset to any public sector initiative seeking to enhance service delivery, improve stakeholder collaboration, and achieve strategic goals through data-informed decision-making.
Lauren dodge
Product Designer
Lauren is based in the East Bay of San Francisco California (and is proud of it!). She is a tester, tryer, prototype enthusiast who believes the best answers to any human problem lies in the minds of the many rather than the individual. Prior to joining PPI, Lauren worked as a design researcher for public sector contractors, and prior to that she attended the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) where she got her MFA in Service Design. While attending SCAD, she had the honor to work on contracted projects with Snap-on, Inc and Google Pay. Before life as a designer, Lauren worked for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) as a nutritionist at the Barrow County Health Department. This is where her love for improving public systems began. During her time here, she co-founded the Barrow Book Partnership and wrote grants securing funding to provide free books to low income children across Barrow county for over 10 years. She reduced waiting room time for parents by reworking the appointment flow with her co-workers. She helped to increase the number of WIC families by 20% in 2 years and improved access to birth control through in-appointment education, causing Barrow County Health Department to lead the state for the most public access to birth control for two consecutive years. On a personal note, Lauren lives with her two cats and fiance. Best of all, they are one mile away from her sister. She runs a professional men's and women's cycling team called AUTOMATIC | ABUS and loves to ride her bike.
Tiffany archuleta
Product Designer
Tiffany Archuleta is a go-getter who drives recruitment and selection, cultural transformation, and employee development and performance through Lean methodology and data-backed initiatives. Prior to joining PPI, Tiffany worked in several public sector agencies including the SFPUC, the SFMTA, the SF Department of Public Health (approximately 10,000 employees), and the City of Los Angeles Personnel Department. Across all of these public agencies, Tiffany worked directly in HR (talent acquisition and science and strategy divisions) where she focused on all aspects of recruitment, selection, and onboarding (including Lean process improvement to recruitment and onboarding processes), and later on data and strategy initiatives where she focused on overall agency improvement, measurement, and engagement across the employee life cycle. During her time at the SFPUC, Tiffany was the Lead Sr. Analyst for the SFPUC’s Hiring Improvement Project resulting in a 37% improvement in monthly hiring and a decrease of 2 months in time-to-hire; she also launched weekly hiring team meetings (known as Huddles) to increase engagement, visibility, and accountability for continuous improvement projects related to hiring, onboarding, and hiring related customer service and metrics beyond the life of the project. She also served as the HR Lead for the SFPUC’s racial equity initiative where she designed and developed the agency’s Racial Equity Resource Library, a resource hub to all SFPUC employees; co-authored the agency’s first REAP, and facilitated stakeholder engagement throughout the agency to establish priority action items for implementation. Tiffany also led the SFPUC’s Performance Management Improvement Project to address employee retention and engagement, which increased performance management and appraisal compliance from 18% to 46%; enabled an electronic appraisal submission process adopted by 99% of the agency; and increased the number of managers completing appraisals from 39% to 58% in year one of implementation. This project addressed the agency’s performance management program and the related culture through the development of improved policies, standardized and accessible procedures, and the prioritization of stakeholder engagement and communication. While at the SFMTA, Tiffany led an employee engagement initiative to address morale throughout the organization. Through targeted focus groups, she and the team learned of specific concerns and facilitated brainstorming sessions for solutions. Many employees, and especially Transit Operators, wanted more wellness opportunities in the workplace, and under Tiffany’s burgeoning leadership the SFMTA launched a wellness campaign bringing yoga, healthy eating demonstrations, and ergonomic stretching lessons to their many facilities. Tiffany holds a Master’s degree in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology and is certified in Strategic Workforce Planning from the Human Capital Institute. She has high technical agility in public sector HR platforms including NEOGOV and PeopleSoft. A copy of Tiffany’s resume is available here.
Leina Gilster
Product Designer
Leina Gilster is an operations and client experience leader specializing in process improvement, data-driven decision-making, and cross-functional team enablement. She is passionate about building systems that streamline business operations, enhance client satisfaction, and drive organizational growth. At Partners in Public Innovation, Leina works alongside the data team to collect, analyze, and interpret client metrics, translating complex data into actionable insights that inform strategy and improve outcomes. Prior to this role, she served as Director of Client Experience in the private sector, where she led business analytics, designed technology systems to standardize service delivery, and developed client retention strategies that increased annual retention rates by 15%. Under her leadership, project execution accuracy improved fourfold and average project profitability rose by 20% within a year. Leina's experience spans client services, CRM implementation, project management, and data analysis across multiple industries. She has designed and implemented company-wide tech stacks, trained teams of 30+ employees, and created tools and processes that improved operational efficiency, reduced service delivery time, and enhanced employee performance. Based in Scottsdale, Arizona, Leina enjoys spending time with her husband and two sons and crafting handmade gifts for friends.
Elizabeth Barnard-scott
Product Designer
Elizabeth (known as Liz) has a love for administration, marketing and supporting the team in every way she can. She brings passion and her unending upbeatness to her work as our Administrative Assistant. Based in South Africa, Liz has a background in property development, property valuation and shows and events coordination. Liz started her career with a well known Technology company, working within the Marketing departments, assisting with events and maintaining the marketing requirements for the company. She then branched out into the property world, learning and growing as she went along. Throughout her career, Liz has demonstrated her value, frequently starting at the front of the house, but moving up through the ranks as her attention to detail and growth mindset are recognized by those around her. She brings skills in communication, legal conveyancing and sales of beautiful apartments in a fast paced ever growing location. Liz, always moving forward in her personal life, felt a new challenge and change was needed after becoming a mom, and she branched out into the Shows and Events environment where she supports and assists the team with all planning, running and coordinating events that come her way. From here, Liz joined the PPI team.Her drive to support, learn and grow has brought her to be an ever adapting and real team player in her role and she loves every minute of it. Liz loves to clean with a good bottle of wine and great music!
Associates
Jenessa rozier
Jenessa Rozier is a seasoned process improvement professional who has trained dozens of leaders from all levels of the organization to drive business performance and employee development across both the public and private sectors. Prior to joining PPI, Jenessa led large-scale improvement projects and coached, trained, and mentored teams to implement process improvement tools and techniques. As a founding member of the City Performance Lean Program, she has helped many San Francisco departments achieve vast improvement to their processes and service delivery including leading over 15 workshops with the SFMTA to improve their internal training protocols and facilitating the SFMTA’s HR hiring teams to improve their time to hire. Notably, the SFMTA’s time-to-hire project reduced time for exam administration from 22 days to 14 days, reduced candidate error during the record review process by 10%, and identified future improvement projects to implement independently. Jenessa’s work with the San Francisco Controller’s Office Human Resources Division resulted in a 50% reduction to the citywide accounting exam preparation. During a 1.5 year long partnership with the SF Rec & Parks, Jenessa coached dozens of staff to execute over 20 process improvements, including a yard-wide 5S project that resulted in the reclamation of over 10,000 square feet of storage space. Most recently, Jenessa has supported Genentech's Environment, Health, & Safety (EHS) team, where she is responsible for driving the EHS Innovation and Simplification Strategy, leading 3 cross-functional teams to improve business process. She serves as a trainer and coach in Lean-Agile, Scrum, and Green Belt training. As Scrum Master on the Site Services Continuous Improvement team, Jenessa facilitated creation of the first SS CI Skills Matrix MVP in 3 months, developing & pitching the strategic plan for implementation, and driving to execution with leadership. Jenessa holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from California State University, Fullerton. She is a Lean Green Belt, Certified Six Sigma Black Belt, Lean - Agile Sensei, and a Professional SCRUM master (PSM I). A copy of Jenessa’s resume is available here.
Jenny rice
Jenny Rice has a proven track record in planning and executing change for workforce initiatives. She has deep expertise in behavioral science applied to the full employee life cycle, including employee engagement, recruitment & selection, process and technology transformation consulting, people analytics, DEIB strategy, and performance management. Before joining PPI, Jenny worked at the SFPUC in progressively advancing roles and was critical in building the culture and practices of human resource strategy, employee engagement, and workforce planning & analytics from the ground up. She co-authored the SFPUC's Racial Justice Resolution and Racial Equity Action Plan and directed a team of analysts to conduct and develop the agency’s first ever internal equity research, analyses, and dashboards. Jenny also focused on the agency’s performance management process and culture, where she led a team that ultimately doubled the agency’s performance appraisal participation through new technology, process improvement, and change management while also increasing employee favorability in key items related to engagement and performance over several employee survey cycles. In her most recent role at Owens Corning (a 20,000-employee global Fortune 500 company), Jenny leveraged people data to identify and solve enterprise problems at the People Analytics Center of Excellence to improve organizational maturity and capability for measurement and data-driven decision-making. She tackled frontline employee covid-era hiring challenges and DEIB-related improvement projects, providing evidence-based recommendations and analyses of the company’s survey data, and building several dashboards that became a model for the company’s growing lifecycle survey program. In addition to survey and dashboarding work, Jenny helped develop practical strategies and solutions that solved real-world issues, such as when she and her team members synthesized internal and external research and provided evidence-based recommendations which decreased new hire turnover by over 40% in a pilot plant during the height of labor market disruption by addressing plant cultural issues, equity, and misconceptions around applicant and new hire expectations. Jenny’s in-depth personal and professional knowledge of diversity and cultural differences has also led to enhanced employee experience, equity, and organizational effectiveness, such as when she introduced analyzing the agency’s DEIB survey through a research-supported organizational justice framework to improve interpretation and provide a structure to make meaningful recommendations for change. She also supported the Annual Executive Talent Review process by providing analysis and recommendations to improve the effectiveness and equity of OC’s beloved Early Career development program, a key leadership pipeline, by integrating employee sentiment data with quantitative findings. Her findings spurred the organization to address increasing turnover of Early Career participants, especially participants of color, and improve communication and transparency overall between the program, managers, and participants. Jenny holds a Master's degree in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from Xavier University, is a certified PROSCI Change Practitioner, and holds certificates in Strategic Workforce Planning and Strategic Human Resources Business Partner from the Human Capital Institute. A copy of Jenny’s resume is available here.
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Jason Lally
Jason Lally, Senior Consultant and Subject Matter Expert – Public Sector Systems, Data Strategy, and Process Improvement Jason Lally is a public sector data and technology leader with more than fifteen years of experience helping government agencies modernize their systems, strengthen data governance, and use technology in ways that improve service delivery. His work sits at the intersection of process improvement, human-centered design, and public-sector technology, with a consistent focus on making complex systems usable, transparent, and aligned with organizational goals. Jason served as California’s Chief Data Officer, where he led statewide data strategy, cloud modernization, and AI governance efforts. In this role he oversaw engineering, analytics, and policy teams, and guided agencies through modernization initiatives that improved data quality, reduced duplication, and strengthened enterprise governance. He also advised executive leadership on responsible use of technology and developed cross-agency standards that improved consistency and reliability across statewide programs. Before that, Jason held several leadership roles in the State of California’s Office of Data and Innovation and Government Operations Agency, where he helped agencies adopt secure, modular data systems and redesigned California’s Open Data Portal to improve usability, accessibility, and transparency. His work included creating statewide communities of practice that brought together more than 300 data professionals to strengthen shared standards, develop practical tools, and support collaborative problem solving across departments. Jason spent the first decade of his career in the City and County of San Francisco, where he led open data, analytics, geospatial systems, and civic technology efforts. His work strengthened the City’s data infrastructure, improved cross-departmental collaboration, and supported major operational priorities including COVID-19 response, housing analysis, transportation planning, and long-range environmental and community initiatives. At PPI, Jason helps government teams simplify complex problems, design practical and sustainable technical approaches, and build systems that support better decision-making. His experience implementing statewide governance, modern data platforms, and user-centered analytical tools brings a critical systems perspective to modernization and rule-alignment efforts such as Maui’s. Jason holds a Master of City and Regional Planning from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Science in Information Sciences and Technology from Pennsylvania State University.
liz taing
Liz Taing is a collaborator and problem solver who is passionate about equity, systems change and improvement, and multi-sector collaboration. She loves to work in systems to increase efficiency, capacity, and accessibility to support and elevate the communities in which we live and serve. Liz is a seasoned professional in the healthcare and public service sectors with over fifteen years of experience in strategic planning, project management, and systems change. Liz currently serves as the Deputy Director of the Integrated Planning Team at the Alameda County Health overseeing a team of planners and project managers to support cross-agency systems change initiatives. Liz is adept at operational and process improvement, as well as creating metrics to track progress and communicate impact to stakeholders. Prior to this role, Liz held the position of Planning Director at Alameda County Care Connect, where she was responsible for overall planning and project management, data collection, and reporting for a $177 million program. Liz has also served as the Administrative Director of Field Education for University of California, Berkeley’s School of Social Welfare where she created systems to streamline business processes and improve administrative infrastructure to enhance the School's efficiency. Liz's experience also includes consulting work for Creative Community Builders and the University of California, San Francisco. Liz holds Master’s degrees in Public Health and Social Welfare from UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health and School of Social Welfare, respectively.
Karissa Yee
Karissa Yee brings two decades of leadership experience across government, human capital, nonprofit, education, philanthropy and politics. In leadership roles throughout California, she has championed data-driven, human-centered policy solutions aimed at breaking barriers to success and empowering other leaders. As a PPi Lean Leader in 2023, Karissa addressed chronic absenteeism in SFUSD, drawing on the process improvement tools, her nonprofit strategic planning experience, and policy expertise. Her analysis and recommendations led to improved District practices student attendance outcomes. With a decade of management experience in LAUSD and SFUSD, Karissa has led major strategic initiatives, including the design of a new elementary school for and a $49M federal grant focused on human capital. As Special Projects Manager for Attendance Works, she launched peer learning networks and managed technical assistance to school districts. Karissa also brings deep experience in policy analysis, program evaluation and landscape analysis for public education, nonprofit organizations and foundations. She holds a Master of Public Policy from UCLA's Luskin School of Public Affairs, a BA in Political Science from American University and is set to complete her Executive Coaching certification with the Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute in October 2024. A skilled facilitator, she excels in strategic planning, design thinking workshops, and community engagement.
Kate May
Kate May collaborates with public sector teams using data and evidence to determine what really works in government. She honed this focus working for the City and County of Denver, where Kate taught workshops on practical applications of lean methods and solved complex business problems by creating custom data analytics products as the Senior Operational Data Scientist for the Peak Academy process improvement team. Kate left Denver to apply these skills in the City of Rochester, where she worked for over five years in Rochester’s Mayor’s Office as the City’s Chief Performance Officer and later as the Director of IT Operations. Kate coached the department leaders on setting data-driven strategic priorities, measuring progress toward their goals, and running experiments to determine what operational tactics were effective and why. She also led Rochester’s data analytics & process improvement teams, created and chaired the City’s Data Governance Committee, and started Rochester’s Open Data Portal. Currently, Kate works as a Solution Consultant for Granicus, a government technology company. Kate has a master’s degree in policy analysis from Indiana University’s O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs and a bachelor’s degree in environmental science from the University of Rochester. She enjoys crossword puzzles, hiking with her dogs, and helping tend to her husband’s farm.
ratna amin
Ratna Amin is a process designer and facilitator who works with groups and teams tackling new initiatives and complex problems, with a focus on the public and civic sectors. She has facilitation expertise in deep participatory methods, design strategy, visual meetings, and team performance. Ratna has 20 years of experience in public services, city/regional planning, and civic innovation, with a history of addressing significant societal issues like transit governance and investment with diverse stakeholders across government, business and civic sectors. Ratna recently led major organizational strategies alongside executive leaders at the city of Oakland, Caltrain, Ansarada; she also has chaired the boards of TransitCenter and the Oakland Fund for Public Innovation. Before her advisory work, she was a principal at Deutsche Bahn Engineering and Consulting USA and also transportation policy director at SPUR, the Bay Area’s leading urban policy organization, and chief of staff to the Oakland City Council president. Ratna has a master’s degree in City and Regional Planning and Transportation Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. She is an alumnus of the San Francisco Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs and of Teach for America.
nehama rogozen
Nehama Rogozen is a strong believer in community engagement, effective communication, and process improvement as a way of life! She works as a Public Relations Officer at the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency where she has worked on process improvement projects for Muni Customer Service, and she later joined the Public Outreach and Engagement team to focus on large capital projects like the Van Ness Improvement Project and Central Subway. Prior to working at the SFMTA, Nehama worked as the Communications Manager at a California economic justice nonprofit, as an AmeriCorps VISTA at the San Francisco Office of Financial Empowerment, and as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Philippines. She holds a Master of Science in Development Practice from UC Berkeley, where she worked on projects with small businesses, multinational corporations and government agencies throughout the world. Nehama is also a Lean Leaders alumna.
Lucy Ellis
Lucy Ellis is an executive coach, strategic advisor, and organizational transformation partner with deep expertise in public sector innovation, leadership development, and adaptive governance. She brings more than seventeen years of experience working across government, international development, and complex multi-stakeholder systems in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and the Pacific. Lucy is known for supporting senior leaders and teams to navigate ambiguity, strengthen leadership capacity, and evolve how institutions govern, collaborate, and deliver public value in increasingly complex environments. Lucy founded and led The Ready’s Public Sector practice, designing and facilitating engagements ranging from one-day leadership workshops to multi-year organizational transformation initiatives across federal agencies, state governments, and mission-driven organizations. Her work has focused on adaptive ways of working, complexity-conscious organizational design, leadership development, and navigating challenges such as AI-driven transformation, cross-agency collaboration, post-crisis organizational recovery, and evolving public sector mandates. Earlier in her career, Lucy served at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), where she acted as a strategic advisor within the Center for Global Health and played a key role in scaling leadership and coordination structures during the global COVID-19 response and raising the bar in terms of leadership development and organizational development initiatives. Her background also includes working with UNICEF Pakistan, Action Against Hunger in DR Congo, South Sudan, and Pakistan, and with Caritas New Zealand in Vanuatu, managing large-scale humanitarian and public health initiatives and convening cross-sector partnerships in fragile and resource-constrained settings. Lucy holds a Master of Science in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and dual Bachelor’s degrees in Business and Arts from Massey University. Lucy grew up in New Zealand, spent close to a decade working in Africa, Asia, and Europe, and close to a decade calling Atlanta, Georgia home with her two rambunctious boys.