QED Associates LLC is a trusted and experienced partner for strategic planning, development, and communication, offering expert guidance and support to nonprofits, museums, government agencies, foundations, and content creators in a variety of fields. QED’s services are carefully calibrated to the needs and capacities of its partners. It creates new opportunities through close personal attention and a dynamic process of problem solving, goal setting, and content creation.
SPHERES OF EXPERTISE
Empower Your Organization
Strategic Planning
QED excels in practical approaches that recognize the partner’s financial capacity and organizational capability. Through discussion with the partner, QED develops short-, medium-,
and longer-term goals, paying special attention to fundamental organizational issues in
governance, program, finances, outreach/marketing, and community engagement. QED works
with the partner to evolve a dynamic step-by-step plan in one or more of these areas and to facilitate implementation.
Development
QED explores the funding landscape for opportunities to meet the needs and goals of the partner.
It assesses the suitability of funders /donors for the partner organization and is a bridge between the partner and funder/donor. QED prepares proposals, background, support, and presentation materials.
Communication
QED works with the partner to identify and communicate their vision and message to relevant audiences. QED has extensive experience researching, writing, editing, and producing technical studies, general-interest publications, annual reports, advocacy papers, exhibitions, marketing and
fundraising material, and presentations.
Why Choose QED Associates?
Three Decades of Experience
50+
PARTNERS
Museums, universities, nonprofits, foundations, government agencies & departments, advocacy groups
300+
CONTENT CREATION
Books, articles, research papers, exhibitions, presentations, speeches, and films
20+
GLOBAL EXPERIENCE
China, Germany, Italy, Morocco, Egypt, The Netherlands, Poland,
Portugal, Russia, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium,
Switzerland and others
PEOPLE
Marjorie Lightman, PhD
mlightman@qedassociatesllc.com
Marjorie Lightman is a founding partner of QED Associates LLC with an impressive international background in the nonprofit world, the academy, and social activism. She has led nonprofit organizations, sat on foundation boards, and directed projects for museums, community groups, research institutes, and film and television productions in the United States and abroad. Her popular and scholarly publications span a variety of fields, including international affairs, international human rights, women’s history and gender studies, and immigration. Marjorie Lightman holds an MA in American history from Hunter College and a PhD in ancient Greek and Roman history from Rutgers University.
William Zeisel, PhD
William Zeisel is the managing partner of QED Associates LLC. An academically trained public historian, he has worked with public and special collection libraries, foundations, national academic organizations, community groups, and universities. He has directed projects about education, food, transportation, and coastal fisheries with grant support from national foundations. As writer and editor, he has held consultancies with major foundations for reports, travel guides, and scholarly books and was chief editor for multiple editions of the most frequently consulted guide to the United Nations. Dr. Zeisel holds BA and MA degrees in history from the University of Chicago and a PhD in medieval history from Rutgers University.
Lesley L. Weiss
Lesley Weiss is special consultant to QED Associates LLC. An expert in Holocaust education and advocacy for Jewish communities in Eastern Europe and Eurasia, she has worked in a number of Jewish organizations and represented them at international meetings and conferences. She was appointed by President Biden to the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad, which she chairs. She is a member of the U.S. Delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. Her academic credentials include graduate degrees from Baltimore Hebrew University and the University of Maryland School of Social Work.
Meredith Fascett
Meredith Fascett is a Senior Consultant, Strategic Communications, with QED Associates LLC. She brings experience advising nonprofit organizations, public agencies, educational institutions, and community-based initiatives on strategic communications, stakeholder engagement, public affairs, workforce development, education policy, and organizational strategy. She has helped clients develop communications plans, community outreach campaigns, public programs, event marketing strategies, and partnership initiatives designed to strengthen visibility, engagement, and impact.
Most recently, Meredith served as Chief Operating Officer of Just Right Reader, an education company focused on improving literacy outcomes for children. She managed the scaling of the company's product offerings and operational capacity, enabling its rapid growth and expansion to serve schools and families across the country. Her professional background also includes service with the U.S. Department of Labor, political and public affairs leadership roles, and experience in the private sector.
Meredith served as Chair of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6D, representing Southwest and Navy Yard in Washington, DC. She has also held leadership positions with community organizations and nonprofit boards, including service as Executive Vice Chair of the Navy Yard BID. Her work has focused on building partnerships among residents, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and the private sector to advance community development and public engagement.
Meredith holds a Master in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School and a bachelor's degree from Boston College.
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Start a Conversation
Connect with QED associates to embark on a journey toward transformative consulting solutions.
Ph: 202.285.4674
QED Associates LLC
996 Maine Avenue SW, Suite 326
Washington, DC 20024