About us

Our mission is to facilitate transformational change through the elevation of youth voices.

Our story

What if youth had a voice in the decisions that affect them?

We built In Tandem to find out.

At In Tandem, we believe youth-centered research and design lead to better outcomes. By listening to teens and learning from their lived experiences, organizations can create more authentic and impactful solutions.

Through years of working alongside young people, we’ve learned how to truly listen, understand their perspectives, and design research experiences built on trust, safety, and respect.

This philosophy is the catalyst for In Tandem.

We imagine a world where organizations working to improve outcomes for young people can meaningfully engage them through research, giving teens a real role in shaping the programs, products, and policies that affect their lives.

 

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Our values

Elevate youth

Youth deserve to participate in systems that prioritize their privacy, security, and well-being. When deciding between competing interests, we err on the side of whatever’s better for youth.

Dream big

Transformational change requires optimism. We will set ambitious goals and will not sacrifice impact in the face of adversity. We embrace discomfort in pursuit of our shared goals.

Embody experimental mindset

We are intellectually humble and embrace curiosity, diversity in thought, learning, and agility. Ideas are evaluated based on their merits, not their authors. We view failure as a vehicle for learning.

Foster camaraderie

We will go further for longer if we enjoy the process and each other. We aspire to make work feel like play, value everyone’s ideas and contributions, and promote trust and respect.

“Contrary to popular belief, teenagers definitely have good ideas. [This] is a really good space where teenagers are taken seriously and their input is taken seriously. It’s just a good space for that to happen, and a safe space.”

Manuela C., 9th grader

“Young people have so much lived experience and wisdom to share. Including their perspectives in our recent national surveys helped us identify priority topics that we otherwise might have missed, use language that resonated with youth participants, and uncover additional context related to our findings that helped us make sense of what we were seeing.”

Amy Green, Hopelab

“It is a great honor to provide feedback and have a voice in research studies. I find it fun to answer questions that can potentially help other students my age.”

Marwa Z., 11th grade

“I liked that we got to provide feedback on studies that I never knew existed. It felt like we were an important part of the study, and that we could make a difference.”

Lynda N., 12th grade

Meet the team

Our team is united by a shared commitment to thoughtful, youth-centered research and inclusive problem-solving.

We come from diverse backgrounds but are driven by a common belief in the power of listening to youth and engaging with those directly affected by the challenges organizations are working to solve.

IT_Website_July 2024_About Us_Meet the team
IT_Website_July 2024_About Us_Abbie Wyatt McGill

Abbie Wyatt McGill

Business Development Director

IT_Website_July 2024_About Us_Clarinda Alcarez

Clarinda Alcarez

Youth Experience Manager

IT_Website_July 2024_About Us_Dave Hersch

Dave Hersh

Chief Executive Officer

IT_Website_July 2024_About Us_Dave Torres

Dave Torres

Chief Growth Officer

IT_Website_July 2024_About Us_Leah Huck

Leah Huck

Systems Director

IT_Website_July 2024_About Us_Rachael Kinnaird

Rachael Kinnaird

Operations Manager

IT_Website_July 2024_About Us_Sophie Leveille

Sophie Leveille

Chief Product Officer

IT_Website_July 2024_About Us_Vanessa Zuidema

Vanessa Zuidema

Customer Success Director

In Tandem - Overlapping Circles

Contact us

Looking to incorporate youth insights into your research, product, or program?
Fill out the form below to learn how In Tandem can support your work.

Interested in becoming a Youth Partner?
Click here to learn more.