Introducing Momenta Advisors: Oversight That Builds Ownership
Who We Are
Momenta Advisors consists of former HHS leaders who recognize the potential of independent monitors in driving system transformation. Monitors should do more than keep score; they should help agencies build the capability to create success that endures long after oversight ends. Our model combines accountability with practical partnership, enabling agencies to meet their obligations and embed the habits of a self-correcting system.
What Sets Us Apart
Momenta aims to go beyond monitoring for the sake of fulfilling a requirement. Rather than judging from a distance, we work alongside agency leaders to diagnose root problems, advise on workable solutions, and accelerate implementation. This posture preserves independence while avoiding the counterproductive adversarial dynamics that can stall progress. We align with external stakeholders, including plaintiffs, to ensure that reforms earn credibility and momentum without compromising the rigor that courts expect. In our experience, alignment is essential because agencies are under pressure to respond to multiple authorities simultaneously. Our team’s background helps us navigate those realities while maintaining neutrality and the trust required of a court-appointed monitor.
Who We Serve
Our work serves three audiences. First and foremost, state and agency leadership benefit from a monitor who can translate order language into operational plans and align interagency partners across child welfare, behavioral health, ID/DD, education, and the courts. Second, plaintiff’s counsel should see their core interests honored through transparent metrics, credible verification, and clear exit criteria. Finally, courts rely on an independent voice that documents findings with rigor and proposes realistic pathways given the agency’s constraints and context. In each case, we aim to build ownership inside the system while preserving the independence that monitoring requires.
How We Work
Momenta’s perspective is grounded in hands-on leadership. We have “sat in the chair” during class-action litigation, budget constraints, staff turnover, and public scrutiny, and we know that success depends on concrete pathways, not just performance dashboards. We connect leaders with peer systems and subject-matter experts, and support the development of best practices that have the potential to contribute to real and sustainable improvements in the system.
Durability matters as much as speed. Sustainable reform requires cultural and workforce investments to ensure improvements endure through leadership transitions and litigation cycles. We help teams establish communication rhythms, supervisor coaching, job aids, and onboarding practices that tie everyday work to shared goals. By institutionalizing these routines, agencies become more resilient over time and are equipped not only to meet benchmarks but also to continue improving once oversight ends.
We provide front-loaded guidance and resources to enable agencies to achieve near-term wins without compromising integrity or sustainability. We measure our effectiveness by how quickly and responsibly the jurisdiction demonstrates the conditions for exit. Effective monitoring should empower agencies, rather than entrenching oversight.
We help teams establish CQI loops that enable self-correction, establish case-review cadences, and set note-quality standards that supervisors can coach in real-time. We prioritize workforce support, role-based training, job aids embedded in systems, and practical coaching because implementation fidelity depends on what happens at the point of service. And while technology can provide an accelerant, we treat it as a means to an end and proceed incrementally, with guardrails, so improvements are feasible, auditable, and sustainable.
Meet our monitors
Justin served as the Secretary of Human Services for the State of Oklahoma until late 2023. After having directly witnessed the passion of the incredible workforce in human services, he is forever committed to supporting systems transformation to unlock the potential of passionate teams across the nation, serving people and addressing the most significant issues in our community.
Samantha brings twenty years of deep experience in human services. She has expertise in child welfare, childcare licensing, child support, self-sufficiency programs, aging, and adult protective services. Still, she is most known for her impact on eliminating the long-standing waiting list for Oklahomans with developmental disabilities.
Mike Leach is a dedicated public servant and leader with a deep passion for child welfare, social justice, and systemic change. His career has been shaped by a lifelong commitment to advocating for vulnerable populations, ensuring that people feel seen, respected, and empowered.
