Favoritism and unclear metrics hinder growth opportunities - Anonymous employee Carnegie Dartlet Employee Review

The people are truly kind, collaborative, and mission driven. Everyone genuinely cares about supporting higher education and helping clients succeed, and that shows up in how teams work together day to day. There are a lot of smart people here, and the culture is collaborative rather than competitive. It feels like everyone wants each other to win. There are strong opportunities to work cross functionally, learn new skills, and try new ideas. There is also real room to fail, test new approaches, and learn without fear.

The pace is very fast. The work is good and meaningful, but it can feel intense at times. I also wish compensation were higher, especially given the speed and level of responsibility.

The client portfolio is genuinely interesting, and the peer-level team is incredibly talented, collaborative, and supportive. There are great people working here at the execution level, and you will build strong professional relationships.

Retention and management are major issues. Turnover is incredibly high, particularly within the first 90 days for new strategists. The company conducts surveys regarding capacity, but internal data is ignored—workloads routinely exceed promised limits (e.g., managing 12 clients when internal models cap roles at 8). Furthermore, the management style leans heavily toward negative critique rather than constructive coaching, creating a lack of psychological safety. Internal mobility is also poorly handled. Toxic culture.