The people behind Workswell
Workswell Design was built on the premise that the best consultants are people who've actually done the work — led organizations, served on boards, built things from scratch, and navigated the hard moments that don't show up in frameworks. That's who we are.
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Jill Vialet (she/her) is a serial social entrepreneur and organizational strategist with more than three decades of experience building, leading, and transitioning mission-driven organizations. She is the founder of Playworks, the national nonprofit that transformed school recess into a tool for social-emotional learning — scaling from a single school in Oakland to hundreds of schools across the country. She also founded Substantial Classrooms, which addressed the teacher shortage through a grow-your-own educator pipeline, and MOCHA, the Museum of Children's Art in Oakland.
After years as an entrepreneur and operator, Jill turned her attention to the governance and leadership challenges she'd observed across the sector. She served as Interim Executive Director at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business Center for Social Sector Leadership, and has since built Workswell as a vehicle for bringing her experience — and her hard-won perspective — to organizations at critical inflection points.
Jill's current obsession is the board chair role: how it works, why it's so often underprepared, and what it looks like when it's done well. That obsession gave rise to The Chair Project.
She is the author of three books: Recess Rules, Substantial Classrooms, and Why Play Works. She speaks and writes regularly on leadership, governance, and organizational design.
After years as an entrepreneur and operator, Jill turned her attention to the governance and leadership challenges she'd observed across the sector. She served as Interim Executive Director at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business Center for Social Sector Leadership, and has since built Workswell as a vehicle for bringing her experience — and her hard-won perspective — to organizations at critical inflection points.
Jill's current obsession is the board chair role: how it works, why it's so often underprepared, and what it looks like when it's done well. That obsession gave rise to The Chair Project.
She is the author of three books: Recess Rules, Substantial Classrooms, and Why Play Works. She speaks and writes regularly on leadership, governance, and organizational design.
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Elizabeth Cushing (she/her) brings deep experience in nonprofit leadership, organizational management, and social sector strategy. She has spent her career working at the intersection of mission, operations, and impact — in roles that have required her to be both a visionary and a pragmatist.
While still leading Playworks, Elizabeth is largely supporting Workswell from the sidelines at the moment. Nonetheless, as a Co-Owner and Principal, Elizabeth is instrumental in ensuring that Workswell is being built in a way that honors a shared conviction: that the organizations doing the most important work deserve the best thinking and support available.
While still leading Playworks, Elizabeth is largely supporting Workswell from the sidelines at the moment. Nonetheless, as a Co-Owner and Principal, Elizabeth is instrumental in ensuring that Workswell is being built in a way that honors a shared conviction: that the organizations doing the most important work deserve the best thinking and support available.
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Cash Cobb-Vialet
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Cash (they/them) manages our operations and digital presence, making it possible for the principals to do their best work. They received their BFA in Theater from NYU Tisch School of the Arts in 2018, and have been acting in theater and film since. Cash's album (Endless Void) and EP (Curtain!) are available on all streaming platforms. Outside of performing, Cash has experience working in roles spanning office administration, property management, and recording studio work.
