J. Sickler Consulting

What J. Sickler Consulting does

J. Sickler Consulting (JSC) is a private, woman-owned evaluation and research consulting firm founded in 2009 by Jessica Sickler and headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The firm specializes in evaluation, audience research, and program planning for organizations operating in informal education settings — principally museums, zoos, aquariums, science centers, and public engagement with science programs. Client work emphasizes translating evaluation findings into actionable decisions for non-evaluator stakeholders, using customized engagement designs rather than off-the-shelf products.

JSC delivers five core service lines: Evaluation & Research (customized studies on audiences, exhibits, and programs), Evaluation Capacity-Building (including the 'Think Like an Evaluator' program), Program Planning (logic models and theories of change), Synthesis (distilling reports and data into actionable insights), and Custom Consultation. Underlying intellectual property includes the 'Data Party' collaborative interpretation methodology with Data Placemats, the 'Methods Menu' co-construction approach, and peer-reviewed publications in journals such as Visitor Studies and International Journal of Science Education. There is no software platform, API, or AI/ML product — the technology stack is human-delivered research methodology.

The business model is professional services on a custom project-based pricing structure with multi-year contract cadences at marquee clients. Go-to-market combines direct outreach, referrals, conference presence (VSA, ASTC, AAM, ACM, AZA), and a 500+-reader monthly 'Evaluation Therapy Newsletter' with free lead-magnet content. The firm operates with 5 team members and has no disclosed external funding, acquisition activity, or geographic expansion beyond the United States.

Name

J. Sickler Consulting

Legal name

J. Sickler Consulting, LLC

Website

https://jsickler.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

J. Sickler Consulting is a private, woman-owned evaluation and research firm that delivers customized studies, capacity-building, and program planning for museums, zoos, aquariums, and public engagement with science organizations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Evaluation & Research Consulting

NAICS

Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611), Management Consulting Services (54161), Other Management Consulting Services (541618)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Organization Design & Change Management Consulting (BPAHACAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Data, Analytics & AI Consulting (BPAHACAI), People Analytics, Assessment & Psychometrics Consulting (BPAHAGAH)

Keywords

• Informal education evaluation
• Museum audience research
• Program evaluation consulting
• Evaluation capacity building
• Exhibit impact assessment

Headquarters

HQ city

Pittsburgh

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Evaluation & Research Services: Project-based consulting engagements providing evaluation and research studies for museums, zoos, aquariums, and informal education organizations. Projects are customized to address specific organizational needs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

J. Sickler Consulting is a woman-owned evaluation and research consulting firm that delivers customized audience research, program evaluation, exhibit evaluation, evaluation capacity-building (training and coaching), program planning (logic models and theories of change), and synthesis services to museums, zoos, aquariums, science centers, environmental educators, and public engagement programs. Each project is tailored to the client's specific questions and emphasizes findings clients can use to improve programs, demonstrate impact to funders, and build internal evaluative thinking skills.

Product overview

J. Sickler Consulting is a private, woman-owned evaluation and research consulting firm offering five core service lines: Evaluation & Research (customized studies for museums, zoos, and informal education venues), Evaluation Capacity-Building (training including the 'Think Like an Evaluator' program), Program Planning (logic models and theories of change), Synthesis (distilling reports and data into actionable insights), and Custom Consultation. The firm also provides supplementary resources including the 'Evaluation Therapy Newsletter' and a free 'Data without Surveys Tip Sheet.' Their approach transforms evaluation from a funder requirement into a catalyst for inspiration, making evaluation and research accessible and actionable for organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Evaluation & Research Customized evaluation and research studies that answer critical questions about audiences, strategy, and goals for museums, zoos, aquariums, and informal education programs; emphasizes findings that can be used before, during, or after the development process.
• Evaluation Capacity-Building Training and coaching that helps client staff understand and implement the evaluation process through workshops, expert advice, and coaching; includes the Think Like an Evaluator program that builds evaluative thinking skills for educators and program developers.
• Program Planning Documentation of a project's vision in clear, compelling, and visual ways using logic models and theories of change to elevate funding proposals, anchor implementation guides, and serve as a shared evaluation plan.
• Synthesis Analysis and reporting that distills lengthy reports, academic research papers, or unanalyzed data into actionable insights for stakeholders who lack time or expertise to interpret the source material themselves.
• Custom Consultation Advisory and support services including competitive landscape reviews, literature reviews, and project advising, customized to specific project needs; draws on Principal Jessica Sickler's years of experience evaluating informal education experiences.
• Evaluation Therapy Newsletter Monthly email newsletter providing practical evaluation strategies, clarity, and encouragement with pop culture references for informal education audiences; reaches 500+ readers as a thought-leadership and inbound lead generation channel.
• Data without Surveys Tip Sheet Free downloadable guide offering 15+ alternative methods for measuring what and how people learn without relying on traditional surveys, intended for museums and informal educators and used as a lead-generation resource.

Quantifiable outcome

• Organizations report building sustainable 'culture of evaluation' and internal capacity for ongoing evaluation practice
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ASTCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation of Science and Technology Centers - JSC conducts evaluation of ASTC's Cultivating Community Science partnership grantees, helping assess the impact of community science initiatives across the ASTC network.
• AAAScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science - JSC has conducted retrospective evaluation of the Leshner Leadership Institute and evaluation of the IF/THEN Ambassadors Program, supporting AAAS's public engagement with science initiatives.
• Oceans of Data Institute / EDCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-year evaluation partnerships on Ocean Tracks programs (elementary through college edition) and other data literacy initiatives. JSC evaluates instructional and professional development strategies for building data literacy skills.
• Nurture Nature CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term partnership including CREATE Resilience and CREATE Connections programs, Building Insights through Observation middle school project, and ongoing evaluation support. Includes evaluation of climate resiliency education approaches.
• National Air & Space MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-year evaluation of Teacher Innovator Institute professional development network, helping museum educators build capacity for STEM teaching integration.
• Aquarium of the PacificcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term partnership including Pacific Visions exhibit evaluation, CELP Scholars program evaluation, and ongoing education department evaluation capacity building.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Institute for Learning Innovation: Long-standing research and evaluation firm specializing in informal STEM learning, museums, zoos/aquariums, and out-of-school-time settings. Angie Ong previously worked there before joining JSC, and the two firms serve overlapping client segments with similar methodologies — the closest direct peer.
• Concord Evaluation Group: Evaluation consulting firm serving education, museum, and nonprofit clients. Shares JSC's focus on building evaluator capacity in client organizations and uses similar collaborative interpretation methodologies in informal education contexts.
• Randi Korn & Associates, Inc. Boutique evaluation and research firm focused on museums, zoos, aquariums, gardens, and historic sites. Founded by Randi Korn, it shares JSC's niche specialization, boutique scale, and emphasis on capacity building rather than extractive consulting.
• Knology: Research and evaluation nonprofit working with museums, zoos, science centers, and cultural institutions on audience research and impact evaluation. Operates at slightly larger scale than JSC but addresses the same informal-education evaluation market with similar client types.
• Inverness Research: Independent evaluation firm with deep history in informal science education and STEM program evaluation. Closely aligned with JSC in methodology and customer base (museums, science centers, NSF-funded programs), though typically operates at slightly larger scale with broader geographic reach.

Others

• Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC): Professional association serving science centers and museums — JSC already evaluates ASTC programs (Cultivating Community Science). Represents the broader ecosystem of organizations that fund and consume informal-ed evaluation services like those JSC provides.
• Visitor Studies Association: Professional association for visitor studies and informal-learning evaluation, not a direct competitor. However, it shapes the field in which JSC operates, hosts the conferences where JSC presents, and its membership overlaps heavily with JSC's potential client base and referral network.

Broad incumbents

• Goodman Research Group: Established evaluation and research firm serving museums, science centers, and informal learning institutions alongside formal education clients. Operates at larger scale than JSC with broader methodology offering, but directly competes in the museum/informal-ed evaluation space.
• Rockman et al: Independent research and evaluation firm with extensive museum, library, and informal education portfolio. Larger and more established than JSC, but competes directly for evaluation contracts with major cultural institutions like those in JSC's client roster.

Regional players

• Museum of Science, Boston — Research & Evaluation: Large museum with in-house research and evaluation team that conducts internal audience research while also publishing widely cited work in visitor studies. While not a competing firm, it shares JSC's informal-ed research methodology focus and is a peer in the field's professional community.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/j-sickler-consulting

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about J. Sickler Consulting