Facilitator Spotlight: Jake Ross, MSW, LISW-S

“Helping people turn meaningful work into stories others can understand and remember.”

Jake Ross brings the perspective of someone who has worked at nearly every level of human services—from direct clinical practice with youth and families to leading programs, organizations, and large-scale clinical operations. A Senior Consultant & Trainer with Presidential Consultants, Jake has spent more than 15 years helping organizations strengthen the way they support people navigating trauma, mental health challenges, poverty, and complex systems.

That range of experience gives Jake a distinctive ability to connect what happens on the front lines with the decisions made in leadership rooms. His work has taken him through adolescent residential treatment, foster care and adoption services, statewide child and family initiatives, and national healthcare operations spanning 20 states. Across those settings, he has remained focused on a central question: How do we help people understand the difference this work actually makes?

Signature Strength

Jake’s signature strength is helping professionals turn meaningful work into meaningful stories. He understands that human service professionals often see impact every day but struggle to communicate it beyond their own field. Jake helps them translate complex programs, clinical work, and community outcomes into clear, credible stories that connect with the people who need to understand their value.

That strength is central to his work with the Impact Storytelling Lab, where participants learn to move beyond simply describing what they do and begin communicating why it matters. Through practical storytelling techniques, including establishing credibility, creating connection, and building concise impact stories, Jake helps professionals develop language they can use with funders, community partners, decision-makers, and other stakeholders.

Best-Fit Situations

Jake is particularly impactful with professionals and organizations working in child welfare, behavioral health, prevention, foster care and adoption, youth services, and rural or Appalachian communities. He is also a strong fit for teams that need to communicate their impact more effectively, strengthen trauma-informed practice, navigate ethical challenges, or translate complex human-service work into language that resonates beyond the field.

Experience & Focus

Jake holds a Master of Social Work from Concord University, where his academic focus on Rural Appalachian Social Work continues to inform his understanding of generational substance use, socioeconomic instability, trauma, and resilience. He is a Certified Trauma Practitioner and PRIDE Foster/Adopt Trainer, with extensive experience in clinical operations, workforce development, program design, and organizational leadership.

What distinguishes Jake’s facilitation is his grounded, relatable approach. He does not separate strategy from the realities professionals encounter every day. Whether helping leaders strengthen services or helping practitioners tell the story behind their impact, Jake creates learning experiences designed to move people from insight to action—and from important work to a story others can understand.

If you would like to explore how Jake Ross can support your team or audience, schedule a 15-minute Quick Win Consult to discuss your goals and determine the right fit.