About Us
Elevyst (elevate + catalyst) is a comprehensive consulting group specializing in helping organizations of varying sizes further their community and public health initiatives individual and organizational coaching, education, and partnership.
WE DO THIS BY
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Promoting
Promoting public health responses to complex problems through training, research, and technical assistance.
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Empowering
Empowering organizations to creatively problem solve and meet their goals through project mapping, planning, and management.
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Developing
Developing advocacy and organizing strategies that engage community members .
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Increasing
Increasing awareness of community health initiatives through marketing and digital engagement strategies.
Our Team
The Elevyst team combines our unique backgrounds in harm reduction, social work, public health, healthcare, advocacy, and health education to best support the goals of our clients.
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Jessica Hessler (she/her) is the Chief Operating Officer and co-founder of Elevyst. She received her Master of Public Health in Behavioral and Community Health Sciences and Master of Social Work in Community Organizing and Social Action from the University of Pittsburgh. Prior to attending the University of Pittsburgh, she received her Bachelor of Arts in Design Studies/Design Management from the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at Arizona State University. Her academic and professional experiences have been centered in social justice and advocacy for equity across a variety of issues, including affordable housing and housing insecurity, access to healthcare, and, predominantly, harm reduction.
In addition to her work at Elevyst, she is currently an adjunct faculty professor at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Public Health. She previously served as a board member for Alpha House and The Open Door and as the chair of the development committee for Prevention Point Pittsburgh.
She is based in Akron, Ohio.
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Dr. Sean Fogler (he/him) is a physician living in long-term recovery and a leading advocate for compassionate, evidence-based drug policy. As Co-Founder and CEO of Elevyst, he leverages lived experience, clinical insight, and systems-level expertise to drive change at the intersection of public health and public safety.
Sean has led statewide efforts to expand naloxone access, implement medication-assisted treatment in underserved settings, and advocate for syringe service program legalization. He has partnered with the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) to identify strategies to address mental health and substance use in the criminal legal system, and co-chaired the Health Justice for PA Coalition, a partnership with the ACLU of Pennsylvania advancing harm reduction policy reform.
He has collaborated with health systems, public health departments, academic organizations, government, and law enforcement agencies to develop, deliver, and evaluate training that drives systems change. As adjunct faculty at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, he works to integrate harm reduction strategies into traditional healthcare settings, and reduce stigma through education and research. Through this work, Sean partners with RIWI, a leader in real-time data collection and sentiment analysis, to explore public attitudes toward mental health, addiction, and recovery.
A committed member of the recovery community, Sean supports peers through the LiveWell Foundation and Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers Pennsylvania, and serves on the advisory board of The Bridge Way School, Philadelphia’s only recovery high school, and is an advisory council member of the Hire Calling Foundation, Inc.
Sean holds a bachelor’s degree from The University of Toronto, and completed his residency training in internal medicine and anesthesiology at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia, PA.
He is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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Kate Oliver Clark (she/her) is the Chief Strategy Officer at Elevyst, leveraging her extensive experience in strategic planning, program development, and organizational capacity building. Previously, she served as Chief of Staff and Partnerships at The Kennedy Forum, a public policy think tank dedicated to mental health and substance use system transformation. Her experience living in long-term recovery adds depth to her professional and volunteer work, including her role on The Bridge Way Recovery High School board. She has held leadership positions and developed award winning, replicated programs at Drexel University, Jefferson Hospital, Philadelphia Corporation for Aging, the New York City Parks Department and the Syracuse Department of Economic Development. She is a Fulbright Scholar and a Hartford Foundation Policy Fellow, and holds degrees from Clark University and The Maxwell School at Syracuse University.
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In her lifetime, Mattea (she/her) plans to see a world in which people who use drugs and people who are in recovery are treated as full and complete human beings. Mattea previously served as research director and then senior advisor of National Priorities Project, a federal budget think tank. Subsequently, she has spent a decade as an independent researcher and writer, focusing on the local and intimate effects of federal drug policy. Mattea has provided commentary, analysis, and reporting to media outlets including The Nation and The Washington Post, and she has appeared on MSNBC. Mattea holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Amherst College and a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard.
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Ellen Carroll (she/her) is a social scientist with over five years of mixed-methods research experience. She will receive her PhD in Social Psychology from the University of Arizona. Prior to attending the University of Arizona, she earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Western Washington University. Her work takes a person-centered approach to identifying systemic inequities in policy and institutions, and she uses data-driven methods to highlight how such issues can be addressed.
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Thomas M. Maioli Jr. (he/him) serves as the Director of Law Enforcement Initiatives. He has served in the law enforcement community for over four decades at the county, state, and federal levels, and in the private law enforcement training sector. Additionally, he has formerly served as Executive Director of the PA Sheriffs’ Association, a private contractor, and an adjunct professor. In Tom’s position with the Sheriffs’ Association, he was instrumental in designing and implementing the first joint law enforcement and public health harm reduction program in Pennsylvania. Tom is currently a freelance consultant, providing subject matter expertise and training services to multiple associations and law enforcement groups nationwide.
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Jon Gans, Ph.D. is an accomplished educator, program strategist, and technical training expert with over two decades of cross-sector experience. His career spans higher education, global industry, and public-sector consulting, with a focus on developing and delivering impactful learning and workforce development programs. He has led international training initiatives for major corporations, managed educational technology in higher education, and advised on strategic planning for workforce development.
Jonathan holds a Ph.D. in Policy Analysis and Management from Cornell University, where he specialized in program planning and evaluation.
Based in Aurora, NY, he is also a dedicated community volunteer and serves as a Captain with the Aurora Volunteer Fire Department.