Founded in

2016

Hours of client work

28,000+

Successful Projects

200+

Our Story

Ideal State is on a mission to empower great organizations to reach new heights.

It all began back in 2014 in Washington, D.C. when co-founders Sara Teitelman and Jeremy Nurse started meeting regularly for an after-work glass of wine. The conversation often turned to the best tactics for helping complex organizations transform their operations and impact through smarter use of technology. Both were leading large-scale technology projects at the timeSara as a director of knowledge management for an international NGO and Jeremy as an IT strategy consultant for the U.S. Veteran's Administration. 

Fast forward to 2016. Sara and Jeremy sit down at their now-shared kitchen table with a specific goal in mind: to revolutionize the traditional IT consulting space by putting people first. Soon after,  Ideal State launched and quickly became a leading partner for nonprofit digital transformation. While the nature of our work continues to grow and evolve along with the technology landscape, we remain true to our co-founders' vision and respect for the humanity of every employee.

How We Work

Our values are the driving force behind everything we do

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Human-Centered

Listening to people is where transformational change begins

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Collaborative

Working together makes us stronger and more impactful

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Transparent

Open and honest communication is the key to healthy partnerships

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Generous

Sharing our knowledge helps others learn
and grow

Our Team

Sara Teitelman, MPH

Sara Teitelman, MPH

Co-Founder and CEO

Sara's journey as a digital transformation leader began in the early 2000s while working for large, research-focused international health organizations at the height of the HIV pandemic. Over the next 15 years, her work was focused on designing systems and strategies for improved data capture and use and improving knowledge flows across teams, organizations, and time zones.
Read more about Sara

Em Beauchamp

Em Beauchamp

Solutions Designer

Em is a highly talented data and technology professional with a strong passion for supporting organizational knowledge sharing through effective data collection, management, and analysis.
Read more about Em

Laura Schuck

Laura Schuck

Sr. Service Delivery Manager

Laura is an experienced nonprofit professional with expertise in program management, knowledge management, grants management, and training development and delivery. 
Read more about Laura

Jeremy Nurse

Jeremy Nurse

Co-Founder and COO

Jeremy began his career in 1995 at Forrester Research before moving to Silicon Valley and working at the intersection of IT and business strategy. He went on to lead dozens of large-scale enterprise technology projects for diverse organizations, including Ford Motor Company, the Veterans Administration (VA), Blue Cross Blue Shield, Children’s Medical Center, and Nationwide Insurance.
Read more about Jeremy

Joyann Jerriho

Joyann Jerriho

Engagement Lead - Change Management

Joyann is a seasoned change management and employee experience professional with prior experience leading people-centered technology projects at IBM, Cornerstone, and Docebo. 
Read more about Joyann

Carmen Brooks

Carmen Brooks

Sr. Business Development Manager

Carmen comes to Ideal State from the cybersecurity sector, where she helped fast-growing Microsoft partners manage cross-functional teams and build strategic partnerships and alliances.
Read more about Carmen

The Ideal State Toolbox

Ideal State Toolbox 2024