About Pearl Strategies
About Pearl Strategies
Pearl Strategies, LLC is a small, woman-owned consulting firm based in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Pearl provides services to small, medium, and large public agencies and private organizations focused on the design, delivery, and evaluation of education and human services.
Pearl Strategies primarily supports the homeless education sector and its human service partners — including child welfare, housing, homeless response, and workforce development — to strengthen program and system design and function, school-community partnerships, and client-level outcomes.
Pearl leadership
Pearl Strategies is owned and operated by Christina Dukes. Prior to founding Pearl Strategies, Christina provided federally-funded technical assistance and direct services for 20+ years, specializing in supports for children, youth, and families experiencing homelessness, systems involvement, or migrancy. She served in various roles at the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE) for 18+ years, including as its Director of Partnerships and Policy. In 2015, she received the 2015 National Award for Distinguished Service and Leadership from the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth.
One of the hallmarks of Christina’s career has been working with education, housing and homeless response, child welfare, juvenile justice, philanthropy, and other partner systems to design and implement coordinated community responses to youth homelessness in 70+ urban, suburban, and rural Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP) communities across the country.
Christina’s goal is to demonstrate excellence, attention to detail, a service mindset, and a sense of joy in her work.
Christina has a B.A. in Spanish from Tulane University and an M.A. in Latin American Studies from Vanderbilt University.
The name
Marjorie Canada, née Breeze
The full name of Pearl Strategies’ Founder and Principal is Marjorie Christina Dukes. While Christina has gone by her middle name since birth, she was given her first name in honor of her maternal grandmother, Marjorie Canada, née Breeze. The name Marjorie means “pearl”. Also, Christina was born in June, whose birthstone is the pearl.
In addition to having family and personal significance, pearls carry symbolic and faith meaning. Across cultures and history, pearls have been associated with wisdom, honesty, integrity, and worth.
Company values
Pearl Strategies believes in and seeks to demonstrate the following values:
Excellence, as demonstrated through attention to detail, deep subject matter expertise, a growth mindset, and high-quality and trustworthy work
Service, as demonstrated by a commitment to act with integrity, pursue human-centered design, be responsive to the needs of our clients, and add value to the work of our clients
Boldness, as demonstrated through a steady passion for and commitment to human services work, a focus on innovation, a “go get it” mindset, and a “whatever it takes” approach
Collaboration, as demonstrated through a focused pursuit of mutually beneficial partnerships and professional networks with and for our clients
Authenticity, as demonstrated through a continual focus on assets and solutions, balanced with the ability to acknowledge challenges and complex realities
Joy, as demonstrated through weaving levity and humor, when appropriate, into our work and client relationships