About us

A small consultancy built around getting things done.

We started Latitude to make sure good plans don't just become a deck filed away in a folder. We work alongside mission-driven organizations — schools, non-profits, and the agencies and firms that serve them — to turn strategy into systems, funding, and outcomes that hold up over time.

We embed, we don't hand off.

We add organizational capacity and stay through implementation — translating plans into systems that run after we leave.

Depth in education, and beyond.

Years across non-profits, state government, local school systems, and charter schools — charter authorization, accountability, funding, and compliance.

Specific over inspirational.

We trade mission-statement language for concrete plans, measurable outcomes, and the unglamorous work that actually moves an organization.

The team

Who you'll work with.

Julie Fielden Bourgeois

Julie Fielden Bourgeois

Partner · Grant Development & Program Design

For nearly 20 years, Julie has helped mission-driven organizations grow, change, and bring strong ideas to life. She specializes in technical writing and competitive grant development — winning millions in federal and state funding — and in the complex, multi-stakeholder project management that turns a proposal into a funded, working program. Her work aligns program design, operations, governance, and budgeting so that every piece tells a clear, credible, and compelling story.

Areas of expertise

  • Competitive federal & state grant development
  • Technical writing & proposal strategy
  • Program design & evaluation
  • Complex, multi-stakeholder project management

Experience

  • Executive Director of Development, New Schools for New Orleans
  • Director of Development, Foundation for Science and Math Education
  • Founding Program & Development Director, Special Education Leader Fellowship
  • Executive Director, Leading Educators

Selected work

  • Wrote the federal grant that secured $10M in SEED funding for a Tulane / New Schools for New Orleans teacher-pipeline initiative — helping grow a high-school 'Grow Your Own' program from 2 to 9 schools and 24 to 135 students
  • At Leading Educators, raised $1.7M+ in philanthropic funds and grew earned revenue from 0% to 36% of budget while more than doubling Fellow enrollment
LinkedIn
Laura Hawkins

Laura Hawkins

Partner · Strategy, Policy & Systems

Laura has spent 18 years leading K–12 work from the inside — at New Schools for New Orleans, the Louisiana Department of Education, and the Recovery School District. Her expertise spans charter authorization, accountability, and governance; school choice and enrollment; and state and federal policy. She pairs that systems knowledge with strategic communications, research, and fundraising — helping clients navigate complex challenges and do work that lasts.

Areas of expertise

  • Charter school authorization, accountability & governance
  • Systems building & implementation
  • State & federal education policy & compliance
  • Strategic communications, fundraising & research

Experience

  • Chief of Strategic Advancement & Communications, New Schools for New Orleans
  • Interim Assistant Superintendent, District Planning & Portfolio, Louisiana Department of Education
  • Chief of Staff, Office of School Improvement, Louisiana Department of Education
  • Chief of Staff, Recovery School District
  • Research Manager, Cowen Institute for Public Education Initiatives

Selected work

  • Oversaw the successful applications of three federal grants, bringing approximately $35 million federal dollars to the city of New Orleans for education initiatives.
  • Annually designed and launched a federally-mandated school improvement process that became a national model for efficiency that additional states continue to adopt and adapt to their contexts.
  • Designed Louisiana's charter accountability framework and managed the team responsible for executing the processes and making high-stakes accountability decisions.
  • Managed the unification of the New Orleans school system on behalf of the Recovery School District including the transition of approximately 75 staff members.
  • Led project planning and management for a number of important strategic initiatives, including the launch of the citywide Youth Opportunity Center and the New Orleans Therapeutic Day Program.
LinkedIn

What partners say

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