trepwise

trepwise Trepwise is a strategy consulting firm that unlocks the potential of purpose-driven organizations. Innovation drives organizational success.

And many organizations, whether they are new or established, for profit or non-profit, recognize the need to be innovative in order to compete. But they often struggle with “the how.”

trepwise is a fast growing advisory firm whose mission is to use entrepreneurial thinking and approaches to grow and sustain organizations by providing innovative and practical solutions. Based in New Orleans, a hu

b for innovation and entrepreneurship, the firm works with incubators that serve entrepreneurs, start-ups, growth ventures, and established organizations, both for profit and non-profit, who want to foster an entrepreneurial culture. Building from a foundation of entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship expertise, trepwise helps organizations innovate and efficiently grow. We are not your typical consulting firm: we are not theoretical and we do not do fancy presentations that sit on shelves. We are trusted, experience-based advisors who meet organizations where they are and, working together, we roll up our sleeves to create the impact required to achieve success.

Communities thrive when the people, culture, and businesses that shaped a corridor are positioned to drive and benefit f...
06/01/2026

Communities thrive when the people, culture, and businesses that shaped a corridor are positioned to drive and benefit from its future too.

Trepwise’s Kyla Carlsen joined New Growth Innovation Network Cityscapes last week for a conversation on cultural preservation, community wealth-building, and equitable development along Bayou Road — New Orleans’ oldest commercial corridor.

The site visit was paired with conversations surrounding how communities can protect legacy businesses, support long-term stewardship, and ensure revitalization benefits the people and culture that have built our commercial corridors into vibrant cultural hubs.

Kyla presented alongside Bobby Boone of &Access, Shana Sassoon of Broad Community Connections, and Andrea Stricker of McKenna Museums and Black Bayou Cultural Heritage and Economic Development Association.

New Orleans has always known culture is an economic driver, which should stay a priority as our neighborhoods evolve.

Organizations are constantly evolving. The strongest teams are the ones willing to listen, adapt, and build alongside th...
05/29/2026

Organizations are constantly evolving. The strongest teams are the ones willing to listen, adapt, and build alongside the people they serve.

That is why co-creation and responsiveness are a core part of The Trepwise Way.

We have seen time and again that better solutions emerge when organizations design with stakeholders instead of for them. A strategic plan becomes stronger when community voices shape it. A vision becomes more durable when people see themselves reflected in the process.

This principle also asks leaders to stay responsive. Not reactive, but open - to learning, to adjusting, and to navigating complexity without losing sight of purpose.

Whether through strategic planning, facilitation, culture-building, or stakeholder engagement, we believe collaboration creates stronger outcomes and stronger communities.

From the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival & New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation and the Chris Long Foundation, co-creation has helped our clients move important work forward in meaningful and lasting ways. (See some of our client case studies in action here, https://trepwise.com/case-studies/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=casestudytrepwiseway).

How is your organization creating space for collaboration and shared learning?

Our team loves live music AND libraries, so naturally we’re all in when the two come together. 🎶📚 Check out this free ev...
05/27/2026

Our team loves live music AND libraries, so naturally we’re all in when the two come together. 🎶📚 Check out this free event tomorrow, May 28th!

Music and Culture Coalition of New Orleans and the New Orleans Public Library are bringing together working musicians and bandleaders for an honest conversation about what it really takes to lead a stage band in New Orleans. The music, the business, the pressure, the culture… all of it.

Featuring Margie Perez, Derrick Freeman, Hannah Kreiger-Benson, and Colin Davis, moderated by Danovan “Bettis” Calhoun-Bettis.

Will we see you there?

After more than a century of serving families, Clover New Orleans was focused on what comes next.We partnered with Clove...
05/26/2026

After more than a century of serving families, Clover New Orleans was focused on what comes next.

We partnered with Clover to help bring clarity to that next chapter. Together, we built a 2023–2026 Strategic Framework that connects Whole Family supports, centers participant voice, and strengthens how education, employment, health, and economic security show up in practice.

Alongside that, we led regional workforce research in Greater New Orleans, combining surveys and focus groups to better understand barriers to employment and translate lived experience into insight providers, employers, and policymakers can actually use.

(📑 Explore that workers report here: https://clovernola.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/WATW-GNO-Full-Report-1.pdf)

Today that planning has been turned into action. ✅

Since our work together, we’ve seen it show up in a few important ways: clearer alignment inside Clover, a shared language across partners, and tools that are actively shaping decisions across the region.

Learn more in our latest case study: https://trepwise.com/casestudy/clover/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=clovercasestudy

Senior Advisor Haley Burns, based in Huntsville, Alabama, spent a day at the Navigate Nonprofit Network Conference, join...
05/22/2026

Senior Advisor Haley Burns, based in Huntsville, Alabama, spent a day at the Navigate Nonprofit Network Conference, joining nonprofit leaders from across the region for a full day of learning, connection, and practical insight. 💡

Hosted by the Community Foundation of Greater Huntsville, the conference brought together organizations working across North Alabama to strengthen impact and share approaches for advancing mission-driven work.

It was a valuable opportunity to listen in on the challenges and priorities shaping the sector right now and to learn alongside the leaders doing that work every day.

At Trepwise, we believe strong strategy grows from staying close to the conversations happening in the field and bringing those insights back into the work we do with partners.

Are you a nonprofit or coalition in North Alabama looking for support to strategically maximize your mission? Reach out to Trepwise to learn more about how we can help.

What a great couple of days in New Orleans hosting a planning retreat with Latticework Capital Management and First Medi...
05/20/2026

What a great couple of days in New Orleans hosting a planning retreat with Latticework Capital Management and First Medical Associates!

Over 1.5 days, we worked through
👉aligning mission, vision, and values
👉strengthening the operational core and culture
👉building a roadmap to scale impact

… and there was no shortage of engagement, thoughtful discussion, and energy in the room.

We’re grateful for our longstanding partnership with Latticework and the opportunity to support many of their purpose-driven portfolio companies in aligning people, growth, and operations for long-term success.

So excited to see what’s next for First Medical Associates. You’ve built an incredible team, and it was a pleasure spending time together in New Orleans.

In Reserve, Louisiana, the local library has become much more than a place for books.It is a makerspace, a learning hub,...
05/19/2026

In Reserve, Louisiana, the local library has become much more than a place for books.

It is a makerspace, a learning hub, a telehealth access point, a teen gathering space, and a true community connector.

In our latest “Conversations with a Client,” we sit down with Andrea Tullos, Executive Director of the St. John the Baptist Parish Library, to explore how the system has redefined what public service looks like in a changing world.

With a new 30,000 square foot branch and a 2024–2027 Strategic Plan built alongside staff and community voices, the library has been actively reshaping how it serves the parish.

As Andrea shared with us, “Libraries continue to bring people together, which makes the library a key connector during hard times.”

Andrea, thank you so much for contributing to this conversation and for the leadership you bring to this work.

Read the full conversation on our website and step inside a story about what it looks like when a library becomes a lifeline: https://trepwise.com/the-library-as-a-lifeline-a-conversation-with-andrea-tullos-of-st-john-the-baptist-parish-library/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=librarylifelineblog

What does your community library mean to you?

Nonprofits are losing their strongest people for a reason we keep misunderstanding.We’re excited to share a new article ...
05/15/2026

Nonprofits are losing their strongest people for a reason we keep misunderstanding.

We’re excited to share a new article from Trepwise CEO Kevin Wilkins, published in the The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

In it, Kevin unpacks what’s really driving burnout across the nonprofit sector and offers four practical, structural fixes leaders can use to better support their teams and strengthen long-term capacity. Think board-level accountability, redesigned roles, and reshaping funder expectations.

Burnout is not an individual burden, it is an organization’s responsibility. 📝

At Trepwise, this thinking is central to how we support leaders and organizations every day. Sustainable impact starts with sustainable people systems.

Read the full piece: https://www.philanthropy.com/solutions/4-practical-fixes-for-the-nonprofit-burnout-crisis/

Have you ever experienced burnout?

At Trepwise, we’ve seen time and again that strong organizations are built around people.That belief is the first princi...
05/14/2026

At Trepwise, we’ve seen time and again that strong organizations are built around people.

That belief is the first principle of The Trepwise Way: Putting People at the Center.

It sounds simple, but it shapes everything. The way teams communicate. The way decisions get made. The way leaders listen. The way workplaces respond when challenges show up.

When people feel trusted, informed, and included, organizations become stronger, more adaptable, and better equipped to deliver on their mission.

We’ve helped clients bring this principle to life in a lot of ways, from designing stronger hybrid work environments to building shared leadership models that create ownership across teams to helping legacy institutions strengthen culture during moments of change.

No two organizations look the same, but the through line is consistent: when people are at the center, progress follows.

As you think about your own team, it may be worth asking:

Are people empowered to contribute ideas?
Do they understand how decisions are made?
Does your culture make room for both accountability and humanity?

The strongest strategies come to life when the people behind them are supported, heard, and set up to succeed.

05/13/2026

At Trepwise, we work alongside leaders in the social sector who are building things that matter, often in the middle of real complexity with real stakes.

Over time, we have learned that lasting impact does not come from one big answer. It comes from how you work, how you make decisions, and how you bring people together when things feel messy or unclear.

👉 That is what The Trepwise Way is about.

It is our set of guiding principles for how we show up in partnership with organizations. It helps us align people, processes, and vision so teams can move forward with more clarity and intention even when the path is not obvious.

While every organization we work with is different, we have seen these mindsets create real traction across a wide range of challenges, and they continue to guide how we partner with clients.

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New Orleans, LA

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+15049576280

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