Sage Step Consulting specializes in community engagement, facilitation, and strategic planning. Since our founding in 2018, we’ve partnered with small businesses, nonprofits, funders, local governments, and regional coalitions to navigate complexity, align around shared purpose, and create lasting, community-centered change. We believe the most powerful solutions emerge from within local communities.
Founded by Summer Hess to serve Central and Eastern Washington, Sage Step has grown in response to increasing demand for skilled facilitation and inclusive planning. Our approach blends creative thinking, active listening, and practical tools to help organizations and communities build trust, uncover shared priorities, and take action together.
Sage Step Consulting is committed to continuous learning and professional excellence, with recent training through the International Association of Public Participation (IAP2), the Parent Leadership Training Institute, Art of Hosting, and the Dispute Resolution Center—strengthening its expertise in inclusive engagement and facilitation.
Whether you're launching a new initiative, facing a critical decision, or shaping long-term strategy, Sage Step Consulting offers expert guidance to help you move forward with clarity, purpose, and community at the center.
Since launching Sage Step in 2018, Summer has helped clients across Central and Eastern Washington navigate complexity and create community-centered change. Her consulting draws from two decades of experience in project management, facilitation, communications, and higher education. She has held leadership roles at Measure Meant and the Community Building Campus in Spokane, where she led community-centered development initiatives alongside 30+ tenant organizations.
Summer has professional certificates in public participation from the International Association of Public Participation an M.F.A. in Nonfiction Writing from Eastern Washington University, where she also taught writing classes and worked as a writing consultant. A former Fulbright Scholar in Chile, she brings a global perspective and a commitment to public service to every engagement.
Summer’s full resume is available here.
Iris is a bilingual (English/Spanish) project coordinator and a 2025 graduate of the Leadership Institute of North Central Washington. As a volunteer in her community, Iris is playing a key role in bringing the Boys & Girls Club of Quincy to life.
Amy serves as a Project Coordinator at Sage Step Consulting, where she provides project support, data analysis and synthesis, and administrative oversight. Her professional background spans communications, administration, operations, marketing, project management, and community engagement—all of which contribute to her ability to support the firm’s mission and clients effectively.
Amy is currently pursuing a graduate degree in mental health counseling, and her academic work and research have enhanced her contributions to Sage Step Consulting by strengthening her analytical skills and deepening her commitment to the community-led efforts championed by Sage Step's clients.
Sage Step Consulting facilitates strategic, inclusive meetings for mission-driven groups in Central and Eastern Washington to turn vision into action.
Learn More
Sage Step Consulting designs and leads inclusive public engagement strategies for nonprofits, governments, and coalitions across Washington, helping communities build trust and make informed, people-centered decisions.
Learn More
Sage Step Consulting leads inclusive, community-centered strategic planning for public agencies, nonprofits, and coalitions—helping teams align around shared goals and turn vision into measurable action.
Learn MoreCollaborating with Summer Hess on NCW Libraries' 3-year strategic direction was an inspiring experience. Leveraging our pre-pandemic long-range strategic plan as a foundation, Summer’s deep understanding of North Central Washington guided us in transforming these initial initiatives into a set of new, actionable strategic directions. Her methodical approach to strategic planning, embracing diverse perspectives and creating an inclusive environment, facilitated meaningful contributions from our board of directors, executive leadership, and marketing team. Summer excels in transforming organizational goals into strategic initiatives that enhance our vision and objectives. Her ability to identify practical strategies not only increased our brand's value and visibility but also cemented her role as an integral part of our team. Working with Summer—whose expertise and insight are unparalleled—has been a genuine pleasure.
Summer is a community leader and convener whose dedication to excellence speaks to her ability to provide invaluable guidance and support for any project she undertakes. I recently had the privilege of collaborating with Summer on a project that demanded a sharp focus on community engagement and meticulous project management. Throughout our work together, she demonstrated not only an impressive talent for conducting research critical to supporting our planning process but also a keen ability to navigate the complexities inherent in managing such projects. Notably, Summer seamlessly integrated into our team dynamic, which helped propel us toward success with remarkable efficiency. With Summer’s support, I can state with confidence that any strategic planning project stands to benefit from her exceptional leadership.
Summer provided change management support for our organization when we had the opportunity to launch a state-wide project and needed to scale quickly. She helped us articulate a new strategy and guided us through processes that set us up for long-term success. She also helped us create our own consulting framework and approach to stakeholder engagement. Her knowledge and ability around collective impact work is second to none!
Summer is excellent at facilitating meetings and at designing an inclusive approach so that everyone feels valued and part of the process. Summer has been coordinating two working groups that are leading large-scale initiatives in the Our Valley Our Future Action Plan. Over a few short months, she has helped build trust and a shared understanding among group members, kept work moving between meetings, and effectively communicated end goals.
Summer is a true delight. She worked with the Community Building for 8 years on everything from website content and design, event planning, project management, and editing and writing a book. During that time we depended on her many gifts including leadership, persistent focus, creativity, relationship building, and her beautiful writing.
Working with Summer has been an absolute pleasure. We partnered with Summer on a project with NCW Tech Alliance to design and launch a website that hosts national community skilling campaigns. Summer’s organizational skills and attention to detail are spot-on! She has a deep understanding of how to move projects forward creatively and logistically, plus she’s an incredible thought partner in every decision. But on top of that, I really want to say that as someone who’s worked with many consultants and producers, I am struck by how much she cares about the process and final product, and how much respect and love she has for everyone she works with! We’d love to continue partnering with Summer.
One-Block Revolution honors the chorus of diverse changemakers who show up every day to build their community. Part counterculture manifesto and framework for participatory placemaking, part handbook for nonprofits and social enterprises, this anthology tells one of Spokane’s most essential stories, while providing inspiration and practical guidance for organizations across the world.
Sage Step did lead not all the projects alone! We work diligently alongside our clients and other amazing organizations to deliver quality results. Some of our partners include:
.svg)
.svg)
.png)
