Professional and Education Experience:
Haydée Cuza, EdD (pronounced I-day, she/her) is a race and class conscious strategy consultant with a focus on collaborative coaching, practical resources, and thought partnership, specializing in organizational structures and restructures, budget planning, and implementation strategies for nonprofit, philanthropic, and government entities.
She brings deep expertise across leadership, research, and operations, shaped by roles as an executive director, program leader, policy specialist, and strategy advisor and consultant to close to a hundred organizations.
She’s also had the honor to contribute to national publications on youth perspective and recommendations on transitions in foster care; healing-centered practices for young people in foster care; and senior-centered workforce development programs. She also advised Japan’s Children and Family Agency on best practices for youth engagement and transitioning from primarily institutional to family placement practices.
Her approach centers equity by honoring each client’s distinct realities while critically engaging with the tensions and contradictions embedded in social impact frameworks and the entrenched inequitable systems they often reproduce.
A bit more personal:
My spirit is expressed through my name, Haydée Adelita, shared with historic figures centered in liberation. The fundamental worthiness of all of us to be fed, housed, clothed, loved, and live with an abundance of joy guide me.
My identities as a Cuban-American, mixed-race, femme queer womyn; child of revolutionaries; mother, lita, wife, daughter, sister, tia, titi, cousin, scholar, and friend—shaped by experiences of homelessness and foster care—are inseparable from how I walk through the world. Each role, each history, each kinship is present with me, including in my work with clients. I carry them not as separate fragments but as a constellation, a reminder that, like a grain of sand within our vast ocean of life, I belong to something greater, and that belonging informs every connection I make.
I am deeply grateful to partnerships and collaborations that are committed to learning through the transformative power of co-creation, stumbling blocks, and celebrations.
Formal Education: Associate of Arts, a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies and African American Studies, and a Doctorate in Education Leadership with a Critical Race Theory focus.
What People Are Saying
Within a year, after successfully implementing employee and program evaluation systems and bringing in new innovative peer programming, she transitioned to the Executive Director. As the ED, she transformed the relationship with our primary funder, reduced operating expenses, and diversified the funding so additional new peer-led programs could be brought to the community, including a robust youth program, peer certification, and special messages support network. She worked well with the board and created a transparent, co-partnership relationship that has had a positive, long-lasting impact on the organization's sustainability. I valued her sense of collaboration, deep knowledge, and genuine empathy. - Board President
“I feel comforted knowing that there are people like you in the world who hold space with love, care, fierce intelligence, and an unwavering commitment to pursue a world that we can feel proud that we are leaving to future generations.” - Consultant, Finance and Executive Coaching
“Haydée is a dynamic and visionary leader who has made a significant impact in advancing social justice and equity. As a strategist and mentor, she partners with stakeholders to align organizational structures and finances with mission. Her collaborative and visionary leadership style unites people around a shared vision, inspiring those around her. Haydée's transformative work is rooted in her understanding of the impact of economic oppression, exploitation, and racism on vulnerable communities. It has been an honor to work with and be mentored by Haydée, and her thoughtful approach has left a lasting impression on me.” - Executive Director
“Haydée has been one of the most incredible collaborative partners I have worked with. She brings not just knowledge and expertise, but an incredible passion and empathy for those she is working with as well as those she is working for.” - Vice President of Strategic Development
“Haydée is a wonderful facilitator and guide. I recently worked with her on fiscal trainings for our staff and board. She was responsive and took the time to get to know our team and our needs. She helped us design clear and efficient internal budgeting processes that we launched with great results. Her insights at our board training have inspired action and a renewed enthusiasm for fundraising. I look forward to working with her more in the future.” - Development Director
“The perspective and experience you bring is a gift to us all and I feel privileged to have worked along side you” - Director, Client Services
“Haydée brought a unique combination of experience with executive leadership and community-based initiatives. One of the most important contributions she made was the complete transformation of organizational finances. She transformed a deficit budget into a full-cost structure that supported staff raises, new administrative roles, and new youth-led programs, while also completely paying off past debt and rebuilding the reserves. We worked closely together to develop accurate cash projections and annual budgets for long-term planning and sustainability. She was a pleasure to work with and improved the board's understanding of budget building and organizational sustainability strategies.” - Board President
