Our Team

Megan Gall, PhD, GISP

Megan is a nationally recognized expert in spatial and statistical analysis, mapping, policy analysis, and program assessment. She leads data-driven policy work focused on leveraging publicly available data to conduct advanced mapping and statistical assessments for clients including the U.S. Department of Justice, national nonprofit organizations, and state and local governments across the country.

Megan holds a PhD in Political Science from the University at Buffalo, SUNY, where her research and study focused on American government and public policy, and an MS in Geographic Information Science from the University of Denver. She is also a Certified Geographic Information Systems Professional (GISP).

With over two decades of experience, Megan has held senior research and leadership positions in national non-profits and served as an expert witness in numerous legal cases. Her work integrates rigorous quantitative methodology, GIS expertise and a deep commitment to community impact. She is a subject matter expert in U.S. Census data and administrative data at federal, state, and local levels.

Her research and visualizations have been featured in academic publications, legal declarations, public reports and national media. She has delivered lectures and workshops at institutions and organizations throughout the United States.

In 2024, Megan was part of the inaugural West Virginia cohort of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program. A proud West Virginia native, she continues to live and work in the state.

When not working, she is actively involved in community service—from serving on nonprofit boards to mentoring youth in GIS.

Founder & CEO

Heather Foster, CGMS

Heather is a certified federal grant manager with two decades of nonprofit, state and federal leadership. Her career includes leading federal regional offices, an independent state agency, and nonprofit governance and disaster response and recovery. Over more than fifteen years, Heather has provided staff and volunteer support for nonprofit and federal agency start-ups, designed grant notices of funding and review processes, led planning initiatives, and managed more than 200 million in federal, state and private funds. Heather consults on a variety of data, policy and procedure development, and evidence topics and serves as Managing Partner at Blockwell Consulting, LLC. She specifically enjoys working with boards and developing staff teams and has done so in both professional and volunteer roles.

Heather is a thoughtful, charismatic, facilitative leader. She leads with love and helps build and grow community organizations and resource individuals to solve problems together. In prior roles, Heather supported national service in fourteen eastern and Midwestern states and territories. In her most recent role she oversaw grant management operations, training and technical assistance, and new portfolio development for hundreds of grantee partners and a portfolio of almost $200 million annually. In her prior role supporting state and local grantmaking in the Midwest, she led the region to develop the highest number of new grants in the nation-leveraging new sources of funds to bring key resources for health, food, and shelter to those in need in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky. Through each position she uses her creativity, passion and strategic thinking to tackle tough challenges facing our communities– housing, job creation, keeping young people engaged, helping Veterans access services, food security, improving health outcomes and more.

Foster holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from West Virginia State University, a certificate in federal grants management, and is earning her certificate in Rural Community Development as an Appalachian Leadership Fellow with the Appalachian Regional Commission and University of Knoxville, TN. She lives and works from her home in Charleston, West Virginia.

Founder
Senior Data Analyst

Kevin Stout, PhD

Kevin has over 10 years of experience collecting data and using statistical analysis to find valuable insights. His quantitative training and experience include regression analysis, natural experiments, spatial analysis, GIS, and machine learning. Kevin has worked across a wide range of projects from drive-time analysis to forecasting elections. While earning a PhD in political science, his research focus included the home mortgage market, natural disasters, state tax policy, and American elections.

In his professional career, Kevin has collected, cleaned, and analyzed hundreds of data sets and overseen dozens of projects from inception to completion. With an extensive knowledge of U.S. Census data and other data sources, he is able to bring a variety of data to the table in order to use sharp quantitative methodologies to drive informed thinking. He has also created reports, interactive maps, and dashboards to summarize and communicate key indicators to stakeholders.

P.S. Kevin prefers to remain mysteriously off camera. We think it adds to his charm.