Philosophy

At Oot Consulting, we believe that good nutrition is the foundation for health, learning, and economic prosperity. Yet millions of women and children continue to face the lifelong consequences of poor nutrition, undermining their well-being, limiting their potential, and hindering social and economic development worldwide.

Our philosophy is guided by three core principles:

  • Equity: Every woman and child deserves access to the nutrition and health knowledge and services they need to thrive.

  • Evidence: Effective programs are built on the best available data and research, adapted to local contexts.

  • Collaboration: Lasting and sustainable impact comes from working hand-in-hand with governments, communities, and local and global partners.

By combining technical expertise with a commitment to partnership and innovation, Oot Consulting helps transform ideas into action—supporting a healthier, better nourished future for all.

Photo courtesy of USAID Advancing Nutrition

About Lesley Oot

Lesley Oot is a global health professional with fifteen years of experience supporting the design, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation of maternal, infant and young child health, nutrition, and food security programs in Africa and Asia.

Growing up overseas in Kenya and Nepal, Ms. Oot saw firsthand the negative impact that limited access to and use of quality health and nutrition services has on vulnerable communities and has dedicated her career to addressing the multiple forms and causes of malnutrition across the globe. She founded Oot Consulting to help address the continued need for technical expertise in the field of maternal, infant, and young child nutrition – despite (and because of) the current turmoil within international development in 2025. Now, perhaps more than ever, women and children around the world face the negative consequences of malnutrition. Oot Consulting believes its resources can contribute to improved nutrition and related health and development efforts so that all women and children receive the knowledge, care, and services they need to not just survive, but thrive — this includes ensuring that families receive high quality, holistic, nutrition, health and development information and services that can help fully address their needs throughout their lives.

Ms. Oot has worked on four flagship global nutrition projects funded by both USAID (A2Z, FANTA, and USAID Advancing Nutrition) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (Alive & Thrive Initiative), in which she focused on improving women and children’s health and nutrition through advocacy, research, health systems strengthening, and implementation of effective multi-sectoral approaches including the integration of infant and young child feeding and early childhood development counseling. She is an experienced program manager, with expertise in implementation research, nutrition policy and advocacy and stakeholder engagement, and program design and implementation. She is also a veteran technical writer, with proven expertise developing advocacy materials and strategies, journal articles, practical tools and guides, technical references, reports, briefs, strategies, and business development materials.

Recent examples of her work include development of the Responsive Care and Early Learning Addendum, Ages and Stages Toolkit, and the FANTA Guide to Anthropometry. Please see the Publications section for additional examples. She earned a Master’s in Public Health in Global Health Nutrition from Emory University and a Bachelor of Art in Psychology from Dickinson College.

Areas of Expertise

Nutrition & Health Systems Expertise

  • Maternal, infant, and young child nutrition

  • Infant and young child feeding

  • Adolescent nutrition

  • Integration of early childhood development into health and nutrition services

  • Multi-sectoral nutrition programming, including linkages with food security, climate-smart agriculture, climate change prevention and mitigation, immunization, and resilience programming

  • Policy analysis and advocacy for nutrition and health investment

Research & Evidence Generation

  • Design and management of implementation research studies

  • Development of study protocols, data collection tools, and supportive supervision approaches

  • Quantitative and qualitative research, data analysis, and synthesis

  • Translation of evidence into practical tools, strategies, and policy recommendations

Program Design & Implementation

  • Development and implementation of holistic, context-specific nutrition and health programs

  • Design of collaborative nutrition programs that integrate climate change adaptation and resilience strategies

  • Facilitation of co-creation and program design workshops with diverse stakeholders

  • Application of behavior change, capacity strengthening, and quality improvement approaches

  • Experience developing and adapting training materials, job aids, and counseling cards to diverse country contexts

  • Country-level technical assistance across Africa and Asia

Policy & Advocacy

  • Experience with nutrition advocacy models such as PROFILES

  • Development of advocacy strategies, briefs, and investment cases

  • Facilitation of advocacy workshops and strategies sessions to influence donor and government investment in maternal and child nutrition

Technical Writing & Knowledge Translation

  • Authorship of peer-reviewed journal articles, technical reports, reference guides, and briefs

  • Development of advocacy and communication materials for policymakers and donors

  • Production of practical tools for program managers and frontline implementers

  • Creation of tailored evidence and messaging for global, national, and local audiences

Grant Writing/Business Development

  • Technical design of competitive proposals for the U.S. Government, Gates Foundation, UNICEF and other donors

  • Leading and managing multi-partner proposal development processes

  • Development of theories of change, program narratives, and costed strategies