A more just system built on access for the people inside it.
Tandem Advising translates the complicated into programs that actually run.
Start a conversationWhat Tandem does
The four ways I most often help, usually more than one on the same engagement.
Higher education in prison
Hands-on support for colleges building and running degree programs in prison, from Prison Education Program applications to financial aid and program quality.
Governance & organizational strategy
Board development, leadership transitions, and capacity building for mission-driven organizations, including standing up and strengthening independent nonprofits.
Facilitation & convening
Designing and leading the working groups and convenings where partners who rarely share a table have to move in the same direction.
Technical assistance & tools
Embedded, hands-on help for teams doing the work, plus the guidance, toolkits, and training that outlast the engagement.
Who's behind Tandem
Allan Wachendorfer, MSW
Co-Founder & Principal Consultant
Allan is a national leader in the implementation of higher education in prison. He helped restore Pell Grant access for incarcerated students and connect colleges into prisons across all fifty states.
He founded Tandem Advising to bring that expertise directly to the colleges, agencies, and organizations doing the work on the ground.
A first-generation college graduate and formerly incarcerated student parent, Allan brings both lived experience and technical depth to the work. He co-founded and chairs Nation Outside, an organization led by formerly incarcerated people.
Tadzia Wachendorfer, MA
Co-Founder & Strategic Advisor
Tadzia shapes Tandem's business strategy and leadership development, and provides the behind-the-scenes support that keeps everything running. She gut-checks the big decisions, names the risk no one else caught, and reads the people and character behind the work, not just the work itself.
Who I work with
- Government agencies
- Colleges & universities
- Foundations
- Nonprofit organizations
Let's connect.
If you're working on something hard in education or corrections, let's work on it together.
Email Tandem AdvisingRates available on request. A sliding scale is offered for mission-aligned organizations.