Research & Evaluation
I serve as the CEO and principal research consultant of Pillar Consulting, a program evaluation research firm dedicated to helping organizations measure the impact of their initiatives. We partner with non-profit, academic, corporate, and philanthropic organizations to provide consultation on the development, implementation, evaluation and dissemination of their efforts. My work has led to a career that has spanned research in the Americas, Africa, Europe, and Australia, and have co-authored several peer-reviewed publications in national and international journals.
With 15+ years of equity, capacity building and social impact expertise, my clientele has included Harvard University, Wake Forest University, NC A&T State University, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Under my leadership, Pillar Consulting has spearheaded efforts funded by the National Science Foundation, DuPont Foundation, deBeaumont Foundation, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, U.S. Department of Education, and the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration.
Leadership
Whether you are exploring career options, looking to make your portfolio more competitive, or in need of structure and guidance for goal-setting for a new venture, I can help! With 15+ years of leadership experience in academic and corporate settings, I have worked with clients to help them prepare, develop and refine their portfolio, build their confidence to apply for the job of their dreams, or launch an entrepreneurial endeavor.
My philosophy is to lead with compassion and integrity.
I produce results and am truly invested in making you a better version of yourself.
My services include:
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Professional development
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Career exploration/planning
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Resume/cover letter development
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Goal-setting
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Work-life balance
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Interview preparation
What are clients saying?
Research & Evaluation
"[Our] training was a fantastic experience. Both engaging and informative, Dr. Banks incorporated interactive and hands-on components to foster learning and to promote participant skill acquisition. In addition, Dr. Banks created a learning environment that was both fun and professional, promoting collaboration and cooperation among the group. I completed the training with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to be successful in my work with [the project]. Dr. Banks is a brilliant presenter and a dynamic leader, and I highly recommend attending one of her trainings."
- Jenna Barnes., NC State University
"The pace [of the training] was brisk, and since there was so much information to understand, the pace helped keep stay me engaged. The training was respectful and professional. Each person had a voice even though Bahby clearly led the presentations."
- Dr. Pamela Fitzpatrick, READS for Summer Learning
"Bahby’s work included recruiting, screening, and hiring interviewers, developing training materials and executing training sessions for them, implementing the consent process in a public school context to recruit subjects, and working with school administrations and personnel to arrange logistics and schedule the interviews. On top of these implementation tasks, she tracked progress and made regular reports to me, troubleshooting any problems and proposing options where we faced roadblocks.
I found Dr. Banks’ work to be of the highest professional caliber. In particular, her interpersonal skills served the project very well as she dealt with schools where she had implementation challenges. Her manner is both professional and warm, and she presented a very good face for the project."
- Renee Robins, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Leadership/Career Coaching
"I found Dr. Banks to be very professional, detail-oriented, friendly, and efficient. She led me through a series of exercises that allowed her to gain a better understanding of my work experience, then meticulously revised my resume to include stronger language that aligned duties for potential employers. I submitted this revised resume to several job postings, and I was called in for an interview for every single one! Dr. Banks’ services helped me to secure these interviews and led to my employment at my current position!"
- A.B., Program Associate
"I sought out the expertise of Dr. Bahby Banks with the hope that she could create a colorful masterpiece for a position that I was more than excited about pursuing! Within hours, she developed a cover letter draft that was in alignment with the job description and strongly suggested that I use more active language (admittedly, I was very humble when describing my work experience). Her feedback made me think critically about my key tasks and how to translate them into impressive, marketable qualities. Initially, this was painfully uncomfortable, but it forced me to be more specific about my experience and less abstract.
There was no hand holding involved, nor did she re-write the entire letter. This joint effort still required some personal responsibility on my end which I greatly appreciated. I was very happy with the final version! In fact, I received an email requesting a phone interview within two hours after submitting my cover letter and resume to the hiring manager! I’ve already requested her assistance with mock interviewing! Connect with her sooner rather than later. Trust me, you’ll be glad that you did! Thank you Dr. Banks!"
- Y.H., Senior Manager
Bahby's attention to detail and fast turnaround on my resume and cover letter were amazing! Impeccable work. I have not met a career coach who is as committed to and passionate about helping others grow and develop professionally and personally. I would highly recommend Bahby's services, and I am so happy I was able to have this experience with her!! She FAR exceeded my expectations.
- M.B., Health Specialist