Clients & Testimonials
What our clients say about us
Alexa Young, CA
Malaika Cheney-Coker is a unicorn in the field of her expertise. Applying top-shelf listening and engagement skills, I have experienced Malaika’s unique ability to absorb complex problem sets and sort out what matters most in determining how an organization can apply its skillsets, know-how and networks to solutions. Malaika worked with us at Northwest Harvest to establish a theory of action that perfectly translated our goals to reduce hunger to strategies that can drive change. Further, Malaika is a warm, dynamic, and powerful communicator who enables uptake of her ideas. Malaika is a co-creator and is generous with her time and talents. We will continue to partner with Ignited Word and with Malaika because we are deriving great value out of our collaboration.
Thomas Reynolds
CEO, Northwest Harvest
Malaika brings the unique capacity to combine rigorous analysis and research with a gift for storytelling. She is a terrific, thoughtful practitioner with exceptional skills, depth, and truly the ability to ignite a project or program.
Michelle Nunn
President and CEO, CARE USA
We are deeply appreciative of Yulia's, Malaika's, and Abbie's exceptional work and collaboration. Their unique contributions have left an indelible mark on our recent evaluation. Yulia, Malaika, and Abbie exhibited unparalleled professionalism and commitment. Throughout the process, from planning to data gathering, analysis, and reporting of results. Their experience shines through in every aspect of their work, setting a standard that is truly top of the market. One aspect that particularly stood out was their unwavering focus on engaging stakeholders at every step of the journey. Their proactive approach to soliciting input, addressing concerns, and ensuring transparency throughout the process was remarkable.
Julia Engelhardt
Senior Evaluator, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
Alexa Young, CA
Malaika Cheney-Coker has the rare ability to listen to people from all over the world, and hear what they are saying from their perspectives, rather than hers. She is a synthesizer, she is eloquent, and she has great organizational skills--the last of these traits seems rare among those with the first two. She is also just fun to work with.
Richard Green
Chair, Department of Real Estate Development, University of Southern California
Ignited Word was a very collaborative research partner and receptive to feedback. We found the overall experience really positive…[We specifically appreciated] how receptive Ignited Word was to feedback and to incorporate other views in the process.
Matilde Chora
Monitoring and Research Officer,
The Freedom Fund
Yulia distinguishes herself for three unique areas of strengths: a) her intellectual brilliance, analytical rigor, professional competence, consistency of high quality work; b) her communication and interpersonal skills, cross-cultural sensitivity, collaborative spirit, personable disposition, ability to work in teams; c) her commitment to problem-driven, stakeholder-engaged research that leads to equitable and sustainable solutions and impacts in global development, public health, and education. The combination of these qualities and attitudes is a huge asset to any work environment.
Carla Roncoli
Director, Master's in Development Practice Program, Emory University
Alexa Young, CA
Malaika is brilliant – strategic, thoughtful and a powerful communicator. She can take complexity and distill it to something beautifully said and crystal clear. She is a synthesizer – but also able to inspire change by not just summarizing but truly articulating new (and not obvious) value.
Dan Vanderbeck
Former Chief Innovation Officer,
CARE USA
Malaika has an elite level of ability to get a sense of the gravitas of a time, a vision, and the words and opportunity to bring that together to optimize them. She also has an exceptional ability to bring people together to accomplish more than they ever could alone.
Patrick Kelley
Vice President, Habitat for Humanity's Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter
Working with Ignited Word did not only lead to incredible products for us to use to better explain our work, but also provided the space for us to reflect on our work in a different way.
WomenStrong's Knowledge and Learning Team
WomenStrong International