Our story

Grounded in the Work of Schools

Drawing from over 25 years in public service, working within districts as well as with organizations that support schools, we understand what makes education work.

Mission, vision & Values

What Drives Us

Our Vision

A world where schools and education organizations operate as whole, interdependent systems, where strong leaders and cohesive teams create equitable opportunities for every child, regardless of zip code.

Our Mission

Holonomy Consulting partners with schools, districts, and education organizations to develop leadership capacity and strengthen team culture. Through listening, coaching, and community-led facilitation, we help the adults who lead build the systems, relationships, and practices that turn equity commitments into lasting outcomes for students.

Holonomy ethos

The Holonomy Ethos

First, Do No Harm

We hold a 'first do no harm' commitment, courageously naming organizational norms and practices that cause harm to staff or communities, and prioritizing approaches that build trust, foster belonging, and create conditions where everyone can do their best work.

Good Over Profits

We prioritize doing good over seeking profits, ensuring that meeting the needs of the project comes before hour-counting, and holding ourselves to the highest standards of project management and process-oriented work.

Centering Those Closest to the Work

We center our process on the people closest to the problem, treating those who experience the challenge directly as essential experts throughout the design process, because durable solutions come from those who understand the need most intimately.

Dream Client Partnerships

We proactively seek to partner with dream clients whose missions align with our own: organizations that prioritize equity, student voice, and meaningful change over quick fixes or compliance-driven approaches.

About Mariah Cone

Mariah Cone, Ed.D.

Accomplished, Practical, Equity-Centered

Holonomy Consulting Founder Mariah Cone, Ed.D. is an accomplished professional with demonstrated skills leading, motivating, and developing adults with or without formal authority. She has a strong ability to analyze organizational performance gaps, problem solve, collaborate on multiple solutions, design, launch, and execute new programming.

Mariah was born in Jamaica to two Peace Corps volunteer parents who instilled daily how important it is to make our lives matter, to right the wrongs of the world. After her undergraduate experience as a Psychobiology major at the University of Southern California, she spent fourteen years in Los Angeles Unified as a high school science teacher and instructional coach. She learned the power of community and collaboration through her experience with Al-Anon Family Groups, an organization that uses the power of the group to support families suffering from the effects of alcoholism, and sought to replicate the tenets of connection, collaboration, and community within her team of teachers at John Marshall High School.

This led her to pursue her educational doctorate at UCLA, a cohort-based model of learning that elevated her understanding of research methods, social justice, and the K–16 opportunity gap. Appalled by the scope of racist systems that ensure a child's zip code is among the most significant factors determining life opportunity, Mariah dedicated her career to chipping away at the problem.

Hear It From Mariah

Listen to “Our Why”

Narrated by Mariah Cone, founder of Holonomy Consulting.