International Consulting · Est. Wisconsin, USA

Change that
includes
everyone.

From the field to the boardroom.

Irish Rose Consulting partners with international organizations, UN agencies, and rural development enterprises to navigate complex change — with people at the center of every transition. We bring rare depth across organizational transformation and disability inclusion to every engagement.

Our Practice Areas Start a Conversation
25+
Years Experience
20+
Countries
100+
Clients
2
Disciplines

People-Centered Change · Global Reach · Field-Tested

About Irish Rose

Two disciplines.
One conviction.

Irish Rose Consulting is a boutique international consulting firm built on a single, shared conviction: that lasting change — in organizations, in systems, in communities — only works when it is designed with and for the people it affects.

We are Kathleen and Dennis, a consulting partnership with complementary and deeply compatible expertise. Kathleen brings over two decades of international development work focused on disability inclusion, child protection, and social policy — with field experience across more than 20 countries and a client list that includes UNICEF, WHO, and UNDP. Dennis brings deep expertise in organizational change management, with a particular focus on agricultural and rural enterprise sectors, and a background that spans software development and people-centered organizational transformation.

Together, we offer something rare: expertise at both the organizational and societal level, available independently or as an integrated team, depending on what your challenge demands.

UNICEF WHO UNDP INGOs Rural Development Rural Enterprise National Governments Civil Society

"Change only sticks when it is built around people. We have spent our careers — separately and together — proving this in the field, the classroom, and the boardroom."

Kathleen & Dennis · Irish Rose Consulting

What We Do

Practice Areas

Our practice areas can be engaged independently or in combination. Many of our most impactful engagements draw on both areas simultaneously.

Kathleen · Lead Consultant

Disability Inclusion & Social Development

Evidence-based technical assistance on disability rights, inclusive systems design, and social policy — built on field experience with UN agencies across more than 20 countries.

  • CRPD-aligned policy and programming
  • Disability inclusion in humanitarian response
  • Child protection and safeguarding
  • Mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS)
  • Capacity building and interactive training
  • Accessible communications and Universal Design
  • Self-care for frontline workers
Dennis · Lead Consultant

Organizational Change Management

Practical, people-centered change management for organizations navigating mergers, acquisitions, systems transformation, and cultural evolution — with deep roots in rural development and community-based enterprise.

  • Mergers, acquisitions & restructuring support
  • Technology and systems change (ERP, CRM)
  • Rural development & community enterprise transformation
  • Change readiness assessment
  • Stakeholder engagement strategy
  • Leadership alignment and communication
  • Organizational culture development
Joint Engagements · Our Differentiator

Integrated Engagements

When organizations need both organizational change expertise and deep inclusion knowledge simultaneously — a combination that is genuinely rare in the consulting market.

  • Inclusive organizational transformation
  • INGO internal restructuring with inclusion lens
  • Disability-inclusive rural & community development
  • Change management for social sector organizations
  • Inclusive systems design and implementation
  • Rural community development programs
  • Training and facilitation for leadership teams
— The Consultants

Depth of expertise.
Global perspective.

Kathleen
Disability Inclusion Consultant · PhD

With a doctorate in rehabilitation psychology and over two decades at the intersection of disability rights, international development, and social policy, Kathleen brings both academic rigor and deep field experience to every engagement. A former university professor of 15 years, she is known for highly interactive, accessible capacity-building that transforms how organizations think about inclusion — not as compliance, but as quality.

  • PhD, Rehabilitation Psychology
  • Former university professor (15 years)
  • CRPD, MHPSS, child protection specialist
  • Former clients: UNICEF, WHO, UNDP
  • Field experience across 20+ countries
  • Eastern Europe, South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa
  • Universal Design for Learning practitioner
Dennis
Change Management Consultant · MA

Dennis's career spans software development, organizational psychology, and people-first change management. His master's degree in organizational change, combined with years of technical experience, gives him a uniquely practical perspective: he understands both the systems organizations are changing and the human dynamics that determine whether that change takes root. He has focused particularly on rural development organizations and community-based enterprises navigating large-scale transformation — where the human stakes of getting change wrong are highest.

  • MA, Organizational Change
  • Background in software development
  • Specialization: rural development & community enterprise
  • Mergers, acquisitions & systems change
  • Stakeholder engagement and leadership alignment
  • People-first technology implementation
Selected Impact

Work that matters.

A sample of engagements across our practice areas. Client details shared with permission or anonymized where required by confidentiality agreements.

South Asia · Sri Lanka

Accessible Child Protection Systems for a National Human Rights Commission

Developed bilingual capacity-building materials, accessible Easy Read documentation, and a half-day training package for legal officers on disability rights, child interviewing, and inclusive communication — grounded in Universal Design for Learning principles.

Disability Inclusion
Global · Multi-Country

MHPSS and Self-Care Programming for Frontline Workers

Designed and delivered mental health and psychosocial support frameworks for frontline humanitarian workers across multiple country missions, integrating self-care models with organizational capacity building for INGO partners.

Social Development
North America · Rural Development Sector

People-Centered ERP Implementation for a Rural Enterprise Cooperative

Led organizational change management for a multi-site rural cooperative adopting a new enterprise resource planning system — ensuring staff at all levels were prepared, supported, and retained through the transition.

Change Management
Eastern Europe · Multi-Country

Disability-Inclusive Emergency Preparedness Resources

Created a four-part emergency evacuation guide series for rural low-resource communities in Ukraine, Georgia, and Sri Lanka — designed for accessibility and practical use in crisis contexts where populations with disabilities are disproportionately at risk.

Integrated Engagement
How We Work

Our Approach

01

Field-Tested

Our recommendations come from having worked in complex, resource-constrained environments — not just having studied them. We know what works when conditions are imperfect.

02

People First

Every engagement is designed around the people affected by change. This isn't a tagline — it is the methodology, regardless of sector or geography.

03

Inclusive by Design

We model the inclusive practices we advocate. Our processes, materials, and engagements are built to Universal Design principles — accessible to all participants from the start.

04

Boutique Quality

You work directly with us — not with junior staff. Our small size is a feature: every client receives senior-level attention, customized to context.

Insights

Thinking from the field.

Perspectives on inclusion, organizational change, and what it really takes to build systems that work for everyone.

Article · Disability Inclusion

Why Compliance Is the Wrong Goal: A Case for Genuine Inclusion

Organizations that treat disability inclusion as a box to check are missing the point — and leaving real value on the table. What it looks like when inclusion becomes quality.

Article · Change Management

The Human Cost of Ignoring Culture in Rural Organization Mergers

Technical integration is the easy part. What derails most mergers in rural development and community-based organizations is a failure to account for deeply embedded local culture and values.

Perspective · Joint

Inclusive Change Management: Why INGOs Need Both Skill Sets

International organizations undergoing internal restructuring increasingly need organizational change expertise and disability inclusion knowledge simultaneously — yet rarely find them together.

Work With Us

Let's talk about
your challenge.

Start a conversation

We work with international organizations, UN agencies, INGOs, and rural development organizations globally. Whether you need one of us or both, we'd welcome a conversation about your challenge and how we might help.

We typically respond within two business days. For time-sensitive inquiries, please note that in your message.

Based Fitchburg, Wisconsin, USA · Available globally
Focus International development · Rural development · INGO
Languages English (primary) · Global delivery experience