Advancing
values-based,
sustainable, and
visionary leadership. 

ōen (おうえん), pronounced “oh-en”, means to root for, support, and cheer on.

〰️

ōen (おうえん), pronounced “oh-en”, means to root for, support, and cheer on. 〰️

We are a creative social impact practice specializing in elevating the strategies, leadership, and governance of justice- and equity-driven organizations.

OUR EXPERTISE

Strategy development

  • Participatory needs assessment

  • Equitable program design

  • Strategic planning + execution

  • Team + community facilitations

Board development

  • Foundational trainings + workshops

  • Officer + director recruitment

  • Board engagement strategy

  • Policy + asset buildout

Leadership development

  • Tailored management trainings

  • 1:1 leadership + strategy coaching

  • Equitable hiring + executive search

  • Visioning + values refinement

Our mission is to elevate justice- and equity-driven leaders, teams, and funders so that they can thrive sustainably and achieve impact on their own terms.

From grassroots movement builders to equitable funders, we’ve partnered with organizations that lead work in issue areas including:

Environmental & racial justice

Youth empowerment & development

Immigrant rights advocacy

Outdoor equity & education

Narrative & culture change

Re-entry & community engagement

Gender equity and integration

BIPOC social sector leadership

Equitable workforce development

OUR PARTNERS

“ōen studios has worked scrupulously alongside Youth on Root as we expand our internal systems of strategic planning, program design & implementation, and equitable hiring practices, ensuring that all organizational structures are rooted in our mission and values, as well as always being action-based and growth-oriented.”

Rachael Meyers (she/her)
Executive Director, Youth on Root

Our Core Values

Equity and justice: All of our work is guided by our north star to advance access to opportunities and address root causes of oppression.

Integrity: We are thorough, principled, and always turn to our values when guiding our decision-making. We bring the very best of ourselves to our work with our clients, recognizing the privilege and opportunity to co-create a better future with you.

Community: We value diverse lived expertise because they inform thoughtful strategies. We empower participatory processes to distribute power and center ground truth.

Creativity: As a creative social impact practice, we invite multidisciplinary methods of innovation and ideation to our work. We pride ourselves on using inclusive and collaborative approaches across learning styles to shape our strategic recommendations.

Partnership: We always build alongside our clients and partner organizations in genuine and meaningful partnership. We are feedback-driven and prioritize communicating proactively and thoughtfully to support a positive and valuable collaboration.

“I highly recommend Jen’s capacity-strengthening workshops for organizations that offer leadership development and skill-building opportunities, and her facilitations for teams looking to build a thoughtful strategy together.”

Laura Hernandez (they/them/elle)
Program Coordinator, Justice Outside

Welcome
to the ōen studios community

Jennifer Fei (she/her) is the Founder and Principal of ōen studios. She is a strategist, facilitator, and leadership coach based in Brooklyn, NY.

With over a decade of experience and through past senior leadership and advisory roles, Jen has launched grassroots non-profit organizations, managed cross-functional teams and budgets, led successful multi-million dollar fundraising campaigns, and implemented global partnership programs. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from UC Berkeley and her Master’s in International Policy from Stanford University. With extensive experience in philanthropic, corporate, research, and non-profit organizations, she is passionate about leveraging her skills and expertise for the benefit of impactful leaders and teams and in service of a more just and equitable world.

In addition to leading ōen studios, Jen also serves on the Board of Directors of the Mockingbird Incubator, a non-profit accelerator for grassroots non-profit organizations and activists. She is a grantmaking panelist for the Brooklyn Arts Council and a two-time fellow of the Women’s Impact Alliance leadership development program. She also volunteers with the Asian American Justice and Innovation Lab.

Jen is a 500-hour Yoga Alliance certified advanced yoga and mindfulness teacher with specializations in trauma-informed and restorative yoga. She incorporates all of her training and experience into her facilitation, coaching, and leadership style. 

Selected Testimonials

  • "I am deeply grateful for Jen's empathic partnership in defining our future strategy. She listened carefully to my vision as Founder and the input of stakeholders, and reflected these back with analysis and clarity. The resulting strategy is already providing unity, clarity, and rich partner engagement opportunities."

    Jose Antonio Vargas (he/him), Founder and President, Define American

  • "Whether it was facilitating a high-stakes international partnership meeting, diving into the weeds of a challenging problem or creating clarity out of ambiguity from multiple stakeholders, Jen was simply amazing! Her leadership, creativity, and dedication drove the growth of a key new pillar of work for our organization, while simultaneously establishing best practices in partnership management."

    Duncan Lawrence (he/him), Founding Executive Director, Immigration Policy Lab at Stanford University

  • "I am incredibly grateful for Jen's partnership and leadership as we worked to define a new, scalable strategy informed by a wide range of stakeholders and more than a decade of organizational experience. Jen expertly guided the process, moving seamlessly between listening deeply, analyzing data, and presenting concepts. I am absolutely certain that our forward-looking strategy is clearer, more informed, and likelier to support successful impact at scale as a direct result of Jen's work."

    Jenn Bender (she/her), Chief of Staff, Define American

  • "I highly recommend Jen’s capacity-strengthening workshops for organizations that offer leadership development and skill-building opportunities, and her facilitations for teams looking to build a thoughtful strategy together.”

    Laura Hernandez (they/them/elle), Program Coordinator, Outdoor Educators Institute, Justice Outside

  • "Jen led an informative and dynamic session that really helped our program participants learn and apply complex and important tools and frameworks on their social sector leadership journeys. We appreciated the co-creative process that Jen took with us to design the curriculum to meet our capacity building needs."

    Capacity strengthening client

  • "I cannot recommend ōen studios enough to leaders looking for an empathetic partner to support resource accumulation, collaborative ideation, and strategic planning as your projects or major transitions move from vision to actualization."

    Rachael Meyers (she/her), Founding Program Director, Youth on Root

  • "Jen's facilitation and presentation style was beyond exceptional. The presentation had normal colors, standard fonts, easy to read and understand. Thank you for your time and patience. Your passion and genuine happiness makes a difference in the presentation and our Zoom setting."

    Program strategy workshop attendee

  • "Jen was an amazing facilitator for our retreat. I appreciated how we were able to interact even outside of the times for group discussion and that helped me feel like I could personally relate to you and learn from your expertise. I very much appreciated having you as our facilitator."

    Strategy development retreat participant

  • "I appreciate Jen sharing her facilitation skills and how we as a team can move forward toward our own personal and professional journeys. It was also valuable to break down our goals in short-, mid- and long-term formats to allow more open discussion on how we can achieve them."

    Eliza Jane Palao (they/she/he | siya), Program Coordinator, Outdoor Educators Institute, Justice Outside

  • "Jen had great energy and pacing, and her workshop featured a lot of valuable content. I appreciated the camera on/off options and opportunities to connect in breakouts. While I learned a lot, it felt very low-pressure and low-stress which was awesome."

    Capacity strengthening workshop attendee

Let’s connect

Let’s discuss your vision and how we can make it happen.
Book an introductory call with us here.