WHO WE ARE
Vision
Learning systems that help people and organizations understand complexity, adapt with confidence, and create meaningful change.
Mission
KOT Consulting partners with educators, organizations, and communities to design learning ecosystems that expand access to knowledge, deepen understanding through systems thinking, and build the capacity to make informed decisions.
Rather than delivering one-size-fits-all solutions, KOT works collaboratively with clients to understand their unique context, identify opportunities for growth, and develop practical strategies that strengthen people, organizations, and the communities they serve.
Our philosophy is simple:
Access creates understanding.
Understanding creates agency.
Agency creates lasting impact.
We believe sustainable change occurs when people are equipped not only with information, but with the ability to recognize relationships, think systemically, and apply knowledge in ways that improve their organizations and communities.
At KOT, our goal is not to create dependence on consultants. It is to help build systems that continue learning, adapting, and creating value long after our work is complete.
OUR PEOPLE
RICK BEAL PHD
Partner and Executive Director
Dr. Richard Beal is currently the Director of International Programs and Accreditation at Terra Science and Education and formerly worked at SUNY ESF from 1999 to 2018, and was the Assistant Dean of K-12 STEM Education and Director of ESF in the High School, and Adjunct Associate Professor in Environmental and Forest Biology. Rick was the Director at Large of Environmental Science for the Science Teachers Association of New York. Rick received a B.S. degree in biochemistry from the University of Buffalo in 1991 and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the same institution in 1997. He was a Peace Corps teacher in Eritrea (East Africa) from 1997 to 1998 and a Fulbright Scholar in Cambodia in Fall 2016. He specializes in University Teaching and Outreach, STEM Education, and University Partnerships. More recently, he was the Director of International Programs and Accreditation at Terra Science and Education. He is also the Director of Coaching for Onondaga FC.
MATTHEW C. WILLIAMS, PH.D.
Independent Contractor and Senior Consultant
Experienced Principal with a demonstrated history of working in the secondary education industry. Skilled in English as a Second Language (ESL), Common Core State Standards, Secondary Education, Classroom Management, and Educational Consulting. Strong education professional with a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) focused in Education: Leadership, Thought, and Policy from University of Rochester.
LILAH AL-DUBAI M.S.
Partner and Senior Consultant
Abdulilah Al-Dubai was born in Taiz, Yemen and grew up in Eritrea, East Africa. Al-Dubai is a former Yemen national team soccer player and received a scholarship to attend Le Moyne College. From LeMoyne he has earned a B.S. degree in Business Administration with a minor in economics, and an M.S. in Education from the same institution. Using his proficiency in five different languages (Arabic, Amharic, Tigrinya, Afar and English) he has worked as a nationality working for the Syracuse City School District since 2010. In 2009 he cofounded the North Side Learning Center (NSLC) to help educate and empower refugee population in our community, and has been its volunteer assistant director since its inception. Abdulilah Al-Dubai currently works within the Syracuse City School District as an Arabic Teacher and teaches at Cazenovia College as well.
THYDA TENG BSN
Bookkeeper and Records
Ms. Teng was a Peace Corps Educator in East Africa and has extensive experience as a bookkeeper in the nonprofit arena.