Meet Andrew.
I am a coach, facilitator, and barber. A bridge-builder by nature and community organizer by training, my work centers on helping people lean into curiosity and lead with integrity.
I grew up as a white Polish American man in a multiracial, working-class family in Detroit and its suburbs—often feeling in-between communities. That shaped how I move through the world and showed me early that meaningful connection requires listening across difference.
My organizing work started in college with the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless and continued when I returned to Detroit with MOSES, where I conducted hundreds of one-on-ones with community members, faith leaders, and union workers. I learned that change happens through relationships—and what we practice on a small scale can create patterns that impact the whole system.
I went on to facilitate intergroup dialogues at the University of Maryland and later enrolled at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where I studied leadership development and organizational change. It was here that I deepened my understanding of how people grow and what gets in the way. After graduate school, I joined Promise54, a consulting nonprofit focused on building diverse and equitable teams. I also trained as a mediator with SEEDS Community Resolution Center in the Bay Area. All of it kept pointing to the same insight: knowing better doesn’t always mean doing better. Even if people know what they need to do, they may need some help navigating the challenges holding them back.
Along the way, I started cutting hair more seriously. I enrolled at Moler Barber College in Oakland, earned my license, and joined a barbershop. Turns out a good haircut and a good conversation both require presence and trust.
Today, I work as a facilitator and coach with students at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, helping them build self-awareness and practical interpersonal skills to cultivate connection. I also cut hair at Dax Lee's Barber & Apothecary in Oakland. Both roles involve creating space for people to show up as their whole selves.
I hold a B.A. in Sociology from Loyola University Chicago and an Ed.M. in Human Development and Psychology from Harvard, where I was an Equity & Inclusion Fellow. I'm an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) through the International Coaching Federation and a certified conflict mediator. I’m based in Oakland with my partner, Nimah.
