Helping progressive organizations build strong, diverse, and equitable teams.
About Meso Solutions
We make the hiring process for progressive work smarter, more efficient, and more equitable.
At Meso, we believe that real progressive change is the result of thousands of people working hard every day, in ways both small and large. Most of those people are “behind the scenes,” but we know how important they are to achieving our goals. Your success is our success, and that can only happen with passionate, talented, and hard-working people having the opportunities to impact the world.
Many of the organizations and companies fighting for progressive change have limited resources, and hiring can consume dozens of hours of valuable time, in addition to valuable money and resources. We know you may need help to get everything done.
That’s why we established Meso Solutions — to help organizations fill every role, not just the executive role. If this sounds like you, let’s talk.
Why Us
A dedicated team supporting you every step of the way.
Meso Solutions helps progressive organizations and campaigns build capable teams by supporting you in recruiting, interviewing, and hiring diverse talent to advance your cause. With more than a decade of experience hiring in campaigns, issue-based work, and advocacy, Meso knows that shaping diverse and equitable teams are key to achieving long-term, progressive change.
With Meso supporting you, you will bring on the right people who can help you achieve the change you seek. You will have the luxury of staying focused on your mission or end goal, while we handle the time- and labor-intensive work of hiring.
What’s in a Name?
Meso (pronounced MEH-zo) refers to “mesoscale analysis,” a weather prediction process. It allows forecasters to make sense of a wide variety of factors at play in creating the storm and help them hone in on the right target.
We recognize that hiring can often feel like the chaos of weather, but we’re here to help you throughout the process.
The Meso Solutions Team
Lena T.
Founder
She/Her/Hers
Lena Tom is the President and Founder of Meso Solutions. With 20 years of experience in nonprofits, political campaigns, labor unions, and more, she brings a depth of knowledge on what helps an organization thrive.
Lena has spent more than 10 years specializing as a data and analytics practitioner, connecting the numbers to the people. Throughout her career, she has helped hire dozens of staff and interns, as well as advised countless others on successful hiring.
She was also the primary author of the Hiring Guidelines released via Analyst Institute, which is now seen as a “go-to” resource for organizations in the process of hiring.
In 2017, she co-founded Progressive Data Jobs with Annie Wang. The site publicly posts data, analytics, and tech jobs to increase visibility of the work.
Her experience includes work with the 2008 and 2012 Obama elections, AFL-CIO, Analyst Institute, Interfaith Worker Justice, and Repower America, among others.
She previously served on the Board of North Side Federal Credit Union (now Great Lakes Federal Credit Union). She is an advisory board member for Inclusv.
Lena is a proud granddaughter of Chinese immigrants, a preacher’s kid, an artist, and a Midwesterner.
Darin D.
Vice President of Outreach & Engagement
He/Him/His
Darin Dorsey joined Meso Solutions in March 2021 as the Vice President of Outreach and Engagement. He brings with him over a decade of experience working in nonprofit and progressive organizations as a violence prevention advocate, facilitator, and coalition builder.
Darin’s recent experience includes coordinating statewide sexual violence prevention activities in Washington State in collaboration with the Washington State Department of Health and Office of Crime Victims Advocacy. During the 2020 legislative session, he led statewide sexual violence prevention efforts by engaging grassroots organizations throughout the state and implementing a coalition-building strategy into his organization’s policy work.
Darin is committed to working with organizations to ensure that their external values are reflected in their internal policies and practices. He believes that creating joyful and liberating workplaces is the first step that organizations can take in creating social and political change.
Temi A.
Senior Associate, Outreach & Engagement
She/Her/Hers
Temi Akande joined the Meso Solutions team in March 2020, first hired as a Search Associate. A recent graduate from the University of Illinois at Chicago, Temi holds a B.A. in Political Science with a minor in International Studies. While in college, she volunteered in various initiatives and was a part of the student government.
A lover of all things progressive politics, Temi prides herself on being an advocate for all marginalized communities, but especially black women. From a young age, Temi was vocal about wanting to be the change she wants to see in the world. And up until now, her goal is to thrive in spaces that are not only diverse but inclusive.
Lara H.
Senior Associate, Search
She/Her/Hers
Lara Haddadin joined the Meso Solutions team in March 2020, first hired as a Search Associate. Graduating from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2016, Lara attained a B.A. in Gender and Women’s Studies with a minor in Sociology. Since graduating, Lara has worked extensively in the nonprofit world helping advocate for folks who may not be able to advocate for themselves, such as sexual assault survivors, children, and those recently incarcerated.
In her professional career and her volunteer work, Lara strives to change systems in order to give marginalized folks the tools they need to live and succeed. Lara is an Arab-American who is passionate about social justice and activism, fundraising for grassroots organizations, and her cat, Gaara.
Paige B.
Executive Assistant
Phan T.
Director of Purrsonnel
Progressive Data Jobs
Meso also hosts a sister site, ProgressiveDataJobs.org, where we post jobs in data, analytics, tech, and engineering in the progressive space. The service is free for employers and employees.