At the Groundwater Institute, we believe real change begins beneath the surface. Too often, institutions respond to complex challenges by addressing symptoms in isolation—like patching leaks in one part of a system while ignoring the source. Our mission is to help leaders and organizations see, understand, and change the “groundwater” that sustains interlocking (and often chronic) dysfunction across sectors. We take our name from a metaphor that illustrates this connection.
Imagine a lake full of fish. If a single fish in the lake is sick, it makes sense to examine the fish. If half of the fish in the lake are sick, it’s probably time to look at the water. But if fish in lake after lake show the same signs of illness, the problem is no longer individual fish or even a single pond: it’s the groundwater that feeds them all. In fact, lakes that look disconnected on the surface are usually connected by the unseen groundwater flowing below and between them.
In the same way, persistent inequities and chronic dysfunction across education, healthcare, housing, employment, and other institutions are not isolated events. They’re the result of systemic conditions embedded in the structures and norms of our society. The same could be said of systems within a single organization: patterns of dysfunction and underperformance are typically more linked than they seem.
At the Groundwater Institute, we use this metaphor to help organizations shift their perspective. Instead of focusing solely on individual outcomes or isolated incidents, we encourage leaders to examine the underlying structures and cultures — the “groundwater” — that consistently produce inequity. Only by addressing these root causes can institutions create lasting, transformative change.
The Groundwater Institute (GWI) brings groundbreaking analysis into practice for leaders and organizations across the country. Since its inception, GWI has partnered with hundreds of organizations—from nonprofits to corporations, schools, health systems, and government agencies—equipping leaders with the knowledge and tools to transform their institutions.
Our team combines the lived experience of grassroots organizers, the strategic expertise of consultants, and the passion of institutional leaders.
Meet some of the people shaping this work:
Monica brings a deeply rooted combination of community organizing, institutional leadership, and creative expression to the Groundwater Institute. Her work is rooted in the belief that enduring change requires both radical imagination and disciplined clarity.
With over 30 years of experience across multiple sectors—including education, nonprofit, faith-based organizations, and the arts—Monica has catalyzed institutional and grassroots efforts throughout the U.S. As a trainer, speaker, and facilitator, she’s known for her ability to translate systems-level ideas about power, race, and inequity into frameworks that people can grasp, discuss, and act upon.
Monica helps guide the vision, offerings, and relationships that extend GWI’s reach and impact. By designing and facilitating core GWI programs, she ensures that participants engage both intellectually and emotionally. Her capacity for weaving narrative, history, identity, and structure makes her a bridge for people as they move from insight toward transformation.
Deena is a visionary leader, equity strategist, and community builder whose career has been defined by a relentless commitment to change. As a Partner at the Groundwater Institute and the Co-Founder of Black Wall Street, LLC, she brings both a systems-level lens and a community-centered practice to the work of dismantling inequities and implementing strategies that foster entrepreneurship, wealth-building, well-being, and revitalization in communities that have been systematically sidelined and disempowered.
Widely known for her tenure as a long-time member and current chair of the Guilford County Board of Education, Deena specializes in bridging vision with action—mobilizing resources, cultivating partnerships, and advancing policies that create sustainable change. She is also known for honoring the legacy of thriving, independent Black communities of the past while innovating for the future.
At GWI, Deena helps anchor the organization’s commitment to systemic analysis and real-world application. She ensures that GWI’s efforts are not only rooted in rigorous analysis but also in practical, community-driven solutions that uplift people and institutions alike.
Bayard “Bay” Love is a strategist, educator, and facilitator who helps leaders and organizations translate equity commitments into lasting institutional transformation. Deeply engaged in both private, nonprofit, and civic sectors, he has worked extensively in program design, research, and strategy, equipping leaders to think critically about the systems that shape their work.
Bay combines a rigorous understanding of structural racism and social movements with hands-on experience in leadership development, strategy, and organizational change. He’s widely recognized for his ability to blend data, narrative, and systems analysis into accessible, actionable insights.
As a partner at GWI, Bay is both a convener and a coach. He advises executive leaders, helping them move beyond surface-level commitments toward deep organizational change; he co-designs and facilitates cornerstone programs, ensuring that participants engage with the material in ways that connect analysis to strategy; and he supports the development of bespoke engagements tailored to client needs, whether in philanthropic, educational, healthcare, or corporate contexts.
Groundwater Institute works with organizations of all kinds: from grassroots nonprofits to Fortune 500 companies. Here are some examples of who we serve.
Suppose a regional hospital system begins to notice persistent disparities in patient outcomes and satisfaction across different groups and it’s struggling to achieve desired outcomes across the board. By engaging in an Immersive Experience with senior leadership and clinical staff, then working with GWI in a series of follow-on strategy sessions, the hospital could begin to shift its approach. Instead of treating equity as an HR initiative—or an issue affecting one subpopulation—it could embed it within its clinical quality strategy and address gaps to improve outcomes for everyone. Leaders develop new tools to track patient progress, creating accountability, improving care for every patient, and increasing engagement and morale across the workforce.
Consider a national foundation that discovers its grantmaking unintentionally reinforces inequities. With support from GWI, program officers and board members could interrogate funding patterns and adopt new criteria that prioritize community-led initiatives, wealth-building strategies, and long-term sustainability. This shift would align resources with systemic equity goals, ensuring dollars go where they can drive lasting impact.
Consider a multinational tech company facing challenges with retention and advancement for one subset of employees. Exit interviews reveal concerns about limited pathways to leadership and a lack of trust in internal reporting systems. The company’s executive team uses the GWI core training to build a strong, resilient team with shared analysis. With that foundation in place, they work with GWI to articulate the case for change and set concrete, measurable goals, such as:
Over time, the company begins to see shifts: employee engagement surveys show stronger perceptions of belonging and the company develops strong new talent pipelines into leadership.
Rooted in the Groundwater approach for a world where everyone can thrive, GWI delivers best-in-class training, supports leaders through project-based strategy and coaching engagements, and curates the Groundwater Network. All our offerings share a common approach that drives deep impact:
The work doesn’t end with training. Through advisory partnerships, we support executives and leadership teams with coaching, strategy, and organizational development. These services build on the insights from your Immersive and Activation sessions, ensuring leaders can carry their work forward in sustainable and measurable ways.
Change is more powerful when it’s collective. Groundwater Institute fosters a growing community of practice where people from corporate and community spaces come together to share experiences, challenges, and successes via the Groundwater Network. This network provides ongoing support and inspiration to thousands of leaders from various sectors across the country, helping them see that they’re not alone in the work of institutional transformation.
Every organization has “groundwater” running beneath it. The question is whether it sustains inequity—or supports all. At the Groundwater Institute, we help leaders see the difference and chart a path toward transformation.
If your organization is ready to go deeper, we invite you to connect with us. Together, we can create systems where equity isn’t the exception—it’s the foundation.