About Natalie Guerrero

From Culinary Excellence to Litigation Consulting Leadership

Natalie Guerrero’s career path is anything but conventional—and that is precisely what makes her invaluable to Act4 Consulting and Stitch Risk Assessment. Her journey from the high-pressure kitchens of Houston’s finest restaurants to leading operations for cutting-edge litigation consulting firms has equipped her with a rare combination of skills: precision under pressure, systems thinking, quality control expertise, and the ability to orchestrate complex projects with multiple moving parts.

Culinary Foundations: Excellence and Innovation

Natalie began her professional career in the culinary world, rising to Executive Sous Chef with the James Beard Award–winning H Town Restaurant Group. At Backstreet Café and Hugo’s Mexican Restaurant, she worked alongside acclaimed Executive Chef and owner Hugo Ortega, developing new menu items, building sophisticated inventory management systems, and conducting detailed food and labor cost analysis.

Her culinary career culminated in a guest appearance at the legendary James Beard House in New York City—a prestigious honor that reflects exceptional talent and discipline. These experiences instilled in her a deep commitment to excellence, meticulous attention to detail, and the ability to perform flawlessly under high-stakes conditions—qualities that translate directly to litigation consulting.

Media and Quality Assurance: Building Systems That Scale

After taking time to focus on family, Natalie transitioned into the media industry as Quality Assurance Manager at Ad Results Media. There, she was responsible for onboarding prominent radio and podcast personalities, training QA staff, and leading a comprehensive reorganization of the quality assurance division.

This role sharpened her ability to build scalable systems, enforce consistent quality across large teams, and manage relationships with high-profile clients—skills that would become foundational in her later consulting leadership roles.

Litigation Consulting: Leading Digital Transformation

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Natalie joined EDGE Litigation Consulting as Business Operations Manager. Rather than simply adapting to remote work, she led the firm’s rapid transformation into a fully operational online consulting model—without sacrificing methodological rigor or client confidence.

Working with advanced research platforms including Qualtrics, SPSS, and Tableau, Natalie:

• Identified operational deficiencies and designed comprehensive improvements
• Implemented new workflows that increased efficiency and research quality
• Conducted training for consultants and staff on emerging technologies
• Helped establish EDGE as a leader in online jury research during the pandemic era

Her work demonstrated that online jury research could deliver the same depth of insight and strategic value as traditional in-person research—reshaping industry expectations.

Founding Act4 and Stitch: The Next Chapter

In 2025, Natalie joined several of her EDGE colleagues—including Dr. Dan Jacks and Dr. Mark Sobus—to co-found two innovative litigation consulting companies:

Act4 Consulting specializes in traditional, high-touch services such as in-person jury research, jury selection, and witness preparation.
Stitch Risk Assessment focuses exclusively on online jury research, delivering rapid, cost-effective, data-driven insights for law firms and corporate clients.

As Managing Director of both companies, Natalie oversees:

• Business operations and strategic planning
• Technology infrastructure and research platforms
• Client relationship management
• Strategic partnerships with technology, audio/video, and market research providers
• Quality assurance and process improvement
• Team training and professional development

Innovation Through Strategic Partnerships

Natalie is pioneering new approaches to both live and online consulting services by cultivating strategic partnerships across multiple industries. By collaborating with technology providers, audio/video specialists, and market research firms, she is helping build innovative solutions that enhance the quality, efficiency, and accessibility of litigation consulting.

Her unique background—combining culinary precision, media quality control, and litigation consulting leadership—allows her to see opportunities others miss and to design systems that deliver consistent excellence at scale.

Core Expertise & Responsibilities

Education

• Associate of Applied Science (Honors) – Culinary Arts, Art Institute of Houston (2003)

Skills & Technical Proficiencies

Philosophy & Approach

Excellence Through Systems

Natalie’s approach to operations is rooted in a simple but powerful principle: excellence isn’t an accident—it’s the result of well-designed systems executed consistently. Whether in a restaurant kitchen, a media QA department, or a litigation consulting firm, success comes from:

• Attention to Detail: Small things matter. From data quality to client communication, every detail contributes to the overall experience.
• Process Over Perfection: Rather than relying on heroic individual efforts, build systems that make excellence repeatable and scalable.
• Continuous Improvement: Good systems become great systems through constant refinement based on feedback, metrics, and evolving needs.
• People First: Technology and processes are tools. The real value comes from empowered, well-trained teams who understand the “why” behind what they do.
• Client-Centric Innovation: Innovation isn’t about adopting the latest technology—it’s about finding better ways to solve client problems and deliver value.

From Kitchen to Consulting: Transferable Excellence

Natalie’s culinary background might seem unrelated to litigation consulting, but the parallels are striking:

• Mise en place (everything in its place) → Meticulous preparation and organization
• Pressure performance → Delivering excellence under tight deadlines
• Quality control → Consistency across every “dish” or deliverable
• Team coordination → Orchestrating multiple specialists toward a common goal
• Continuous improvement → Refining processes and techniques based on results

These principles, honed in Houston’s top kitchens, now drive operational excellence at Act4 Consulting and Stitch Risk Assessment.

Why Work With Act4 & Stitch

Operational Excellence You Can Feel

When you work with Act4 Consulting or Stitch Risk Assessment, you experience the difference that exceptional operations make:

• Responsive communication – Quick replies, clear updates, proactive problem-solving
• Seamless coordination – Projects run smoothly from start to finish
• Technical sophistication – Advanced platforms delivered with user-friendly support
• Quality assurance – Rigorous checks ensure accuracy and reliability
• On-time delivery – Deadlines met, expectations exceeded
• Continuous support – Questions answered, concerns addressed, guidance provided

This isn’t luck or effort—it’s the result of thoughtfully designed systems led by someone who understands that operations is where strategy becomes reality.