While working with a local organization in Mali, Emily Janoch, associate vice president for thought leadership and design at CARE, first realized the importance of being able to sit in different conversations when decisions were being made and present evidence to change the outcome of those decisions. Later, back in the United States and working in a fundraising role with CARE, she became increasingly interested in how repackaging information and building evidence chains could make it easier for her to write proposals. These experiences drew Janoch toward the thought leadership and knowledge management space, which she has now worked in for over a decade.
The work involves thinking about evidence and learning as tools to solve problems and create impact, Janoch said. Many tools and resources are underused or packaged poorly, she explained, making it hard for people to act on the information to adapt programming or shape communications and advocacy, for example.
With a global remit and an abundance of information now available, one of the challenges of Janoch’s role is helping people prioritize where to make changes and figure out what needs to be put in place for this to move forward. The other half of the job is being a “sort of organizational therapist.”
About the author
Emma Smith@emmasmith_bcn
For four years, Emma Smith covered careers and recruitment, among other topics, for Devex. She now freelances for Devex and has a special interest in mental health, immigration, and sexual and reproductive health. She holds a degree in journalism from Glasgow Caledonian University and a master’s in media and international conflict.
