Team

Alex consults on project teams in the fields of mental and behavioral health, substance use prevention, and public health. As a Project Consultant, Alex brings her experience in community research and evaluation to inform planning and design, data collection tool development, qualitative data analysis, report writing, and presentation of evaluation findings to diverse stakeholder groups with culturally responsive approaches. Alex supports data collection efforts through the facilitation of focus groups, interviews, and listening sessions in both English and Spanish. In addition to her work at EVALCORP, Alex spends her time in academia as a Teaching Associate at UCI.

Education

Ph.D. Candidate in Criminology Law, and Society – University of California, Irvine

M.P.P. – University of California, Irvine

B.A. in Political Science – University of California, Los Angeles

As a Project Consultant, Gabriela consults on project teams across the fields of early childhood development, education, and substance use prevention. Additionally, Gabriela supports data collection efforts through the facilitation of focus groups, interviews, and listening sessions in both English and Spanish.

Education

M.P.P.  – University of California, Irvine

B.A. in Criminology, Law and Society – University of California, Irvine

Celina works on project teams in the fields of mental health and criminal justice. As a Research Associate I, Celina uses her methodological expertise to collect, analyze, and interpret qualitative and quantitative data to inform clients’ decisions and optimize their effectiveness. An experienced evaluator, Celina focuses on helping clients understand and utilize evaluation skills and findings. Prior to joining EVALCORP, Celina worked in education as a teacher and as a program evaluator. She earned her M.A. in Education with a focus in Social Research Methodology at the University of California, Los Angeles. There, her work focused on programs that support underrepresented communities through education, social service, and youth service programming.

Education

M.A. in Education, Social Research Methodology – University of California, Los Angeles

B.A. in Spanish (minor in Education) – Wellesley College

Meghan supports project teams across the fields of mental health and community health. As a project assistant, Meghan assists with data collection (e.g., surveys, interviews, and focus groups), performs data entry, and prepares actionable, user-friendly reports and other project deliverables. Meghan is a Clinical Psychology Ph.D. student at the University of California-Irvine studying risk and protective factors for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

Education

M.S. in Gerontology – University of Southern California

B.S. in Neurobiology – University of California-Davis

Kelly is a licensed social worker with a master’s degree from Columbia University. She has spent the last decade promoting social justice and amplifying the voices of marginalized populations, specifically justice-involved and low-income individuals and families, through program monitoring, evaluation, and community-based and interdisciplinary research. Kelly began her career as a forensic social worker in Family Court and has worked on numerous federally funded justice programs and initiatives. Kelly’s expertise also includes consulting services to the federal government through the Administration for Children and Families. More recently, Kelly has been involved in both internal and external evaluation roles, supporting large court and criminal justice systems. She is adept at developing data processes and tools for deferred prosecution programs, overseeing the data management of large multi-pronged jail reduction efforts, creating internal and external dashboards to promote transparency, and managing large and complex datasets to inform decision making and creating actionable insights for stakeholders. 

Education

M.S.W. in Social Work – Columbia University

B.A. in Psychology and Sociology – Boston College

Rae brings over 20 years of municipal and county government experience to EVALCORP, specializing in substance use prevention, mental health, and community health promotion. As a Senior Consultant, Rae supports projects focused on policy development, multiagency collaboration, innovative community partnerships, data report cards, and system-level change initiatives.

While serving as mayor and eight-year councilmember in Ojai, California, Rae advanced the county’s first Social Host Ordinance to reduce youth alcohol use and launched an interagency taskforce to enhance substance use prevention strategies. She has supported numerous youth substance use prevention projects from data- and community informed perspectives and brings decades of experience in environmental prevention to our work.

Education

Attended Loyola University Chicago

A.A. in Liberal Studies ­– Ventura College

Alex is a behavioral and cognitive scientist with over 15 years of end-to-end research program management. She holds a Ph.D. in psychology with a focus on the behavioral and cognitive neurosciences. Prior to joining EVALCORP, Alex oversaw longitudinal research studies and clinical trials focused on women’s health outcomes across the adult lifespan as well as how stress exposure impacted health outcomes in later life. At EVALCORP, Alex works on projects to support all aspects of the evaluation and assessment process, from methods development to deliverables.

Education

Ph.D. in Psychology, emphasis in Cognitive Neuroscience – University of Southern California

M.A. in Psychology, emphasis in Behavioral Neuroscience – University of Southern California

B.A. in Psychology – University of Southern California

Ian lends his data analysis expertise on complex projects across the fields of criminal justice and substance use prevention. As a Senior Data Analyst, Ian designs and manages complex data systems with datasets often exceeding millions of cases. He also provides expertise and technical support for intricate data analysis, and is EVALCORP’s ‘go to’ when It comes to large, messy administrative datasets.

As an industry thought leader, Ian has published nearly a dozen academic and professional reports on approaches to reentry, recidivism, drug use prevention, addiction treatment, foster care placement, child welfare research, and HIV risk behavior. Additionally, Ian holds accreditation from the National Center for State Courts’ Institute for Court Management as a Certified Court Manager.

Education

Ph.D. in Philosophy, Social Work – University of Illinois at Chicago

MSW – University of Illinois at Chicago

M.A. in Psychology – San Francisco State University

B.A. in Psychology – University of Tennessee

Jen is a senior program evaluation consultant, public health professional, and a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. With a strong foundation in qualitative and quantitative research methods, Jen aligns evaluation methodologies with programmatic goals and processes. Prior to joining Evalcorp, Jen oversaw the implementation and evaluation of substance abuse prevention programs for 8 years. Her clinical background includes utilizing attachment science, trauma-informed practices, and evidence-based therapeutic modalities to provide mental health support to children, adolescents, and adults.

Education

M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy – Hope International University

M.P.H. – Loma Linda University

B.S. in Neuroscience – University of California, Los Angeles

As EVALCORP’s Project and Development Coordinator, Sally leads and supports client work including evaluation, strategic planning, capacity building, and needs assessment projects. She assists in the development of evaluation and methodological plans, conducts quantitative and qualitative data collection, and leads key components of report development. Additionally, Sally coordinates and oversees business development activities and web/brand initiatives in support of firm growth.

Before joining EVALCORP, Sally specialized in marketing and public health, with her previous work including digital health communication, non-profit, and substance abuse prevention.

Education

M.P.H. – University of Southern California

B.A. in Psychology – Johns Hopkins University

Breena supports project teams with data collection and program evaluation activities. As a Research Assistant, Breena conducts literature reviews, performs quantitative and qualitative data entry and analyses, supports data collection activities (e.g., coordinating, scheduling, and taking notes of focus groups and interviews), and develops user-friendly reports and other project deliverables.

Breena has experience in econometrics and income fluctuations, and prior to joining EVALCORP, worked as a graduate assistant at California State University, Long Beach.

Education

M.A. in Economics – California State University, Long Beach

B.A. in Economics – University of California, Riverside

Stella supports project teams on a wide range of evaluation activities in the fields of public health, mental health, and criminal justice. As a Research Assistant II, she leverages her expertise in data collection tool development, facilitation of stakeholder interviews and learning sessions, qualitative and quantitative analysis, and report development to support the execution of work plans and implement projects for our diverse clientele. Stella maintains expertise in Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNAs), Electronic Health Record (EHR) data, and literature review development.

Prior to joining EVALCORP, Stella served as a Research Project Manager at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, focusing her work on developing and implementing trauma and PTSD-related treatment programs for older veterans residing in rural areas. She has also conducted more than 500 motivational interviews as part of a large-scale COVID-19 project, and spearheaded the creation and launch of a Contract Tracing Summit designed to share best practices with 20 major universities. Stella brings codebook creation, syntax development, and her subject matter expertise in evidence-based interventions to her work, as well as 5+ years of project management, quality improvement, and strategic planning experience.

Education

M.P.H.  – Boston University School of Public Health

B.S. in Health Sciences – Boston University

Tara is an applied social psychologist with over a decade of training and experience in both quantitative and qualitative research methods, including a special focus on survey design and methodology. She has conducted research on how to reduce stigma surrounding mental illness and increase support to individuals affected by mental health challenges. Prior to joining the EvalCorp team, Tara worked for more than 9 years in the field of clinical research investigating treatments for cognitive and mental health conditions. 

Education

Ph.D. in Basic and Applied Social Psychology – Claremont Graduate University

M.A. in Social Psychology – Claremont Graduate University

M.A. in Clinical Psychology – Pepperdine University

B.S. in Psychology – University of La Verne

Devan consults on project teams in the fields children’s services (0-5), mental health, criminal justice, and public health. As a Senior Consultant, Devan brings her experience as an epidemiologist and data analyst to assist with all stages of the evaluation process. Additionally, Devan uses her skills in SQL, Python, Tableau and R to assist with extracting, assembling, analyzing, and presenting quantitative data, and specializes in developing data dashboards.

In addition to her work at EVALCORP, Devan is an Epidemiologist with NASA-contracted MEI Technologies on their Lifetime Surveillance of Astronaut Health team. Prior to MEI, Devan worked as a Data Analytics Specialist, Quantitative Research Associate, and Data Analyst for organizations ranging from Baylor College of Medicine to First 5 Los Angeles.

Education

M.P.H.– Indiana University

B.S. in Recreation, Parks, and Leisure Administration – University of Minnesota

As a Senior Editor, Shanti ensures all our written reports, briefs and client materials are high quality, concise, and client friendly. She brings over 25 years of grant development experience to the firm and supports our project work in the realms of criminal justice, mental health, public policy, and education.

Education

M.A. in Social Psychology – Loyola University Chicago

B.S. in Psychology – Loyola University Chicago

As a Senior Consultant, Tronie brings her more than 20 years of experience as an applied researcher and statistician. Tronie’s expertise in all aspects of evaluation and research design, instrument development, quantitative and qualitative methods and analysis, and report writing enable her to easily address program evaluation challenges and provide useful information for program improvement and decision-making.

Tronie consults on project teams in the fields of public health, mental health, education, and children’s services (0-5). Additionally, Tronie specializes in statistics and large volumes of both quantitative and qualitative data. She also spends her time in academia as a Psychology Professor at Los Angeles Community College.

Education

Ph.D. in Education with a specialization in Research Methods – University of California, Los Angeles

M.S. in Psychology – California State University, Los Angeles

B.S. in Russian – Georgetown University

Lorena brings more than 22 years of experience to EVALCORP with content expertise in criminal justice, substance abuse treatment and prevention, human services, and education, and provides data management on large-scale projects across the fields of criminal justice and substance use prevention. As a Senior Data Manager, Lorena establishes and manages complex databases, provides statistical consultation to clients, and develops actionable recommendations for clients based upon quantitative and qualitative information.

Lorena has worked on multiple federally funded projects and regularly presents findings from her work with community-based agencies at local and national conferences. She is a member of the American Evaluation Association, American Society of Criminology, and the National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP), and holds accreditation from the National Center for State Courts’ Institute for Court Management as a Certified Court Manager.

Education

M.A. in Criminal Justice with a specialization in Research and Evaluation – Loyola University Chicago

B.A. in Social Ecology (concentration in Psychology and Social Behavior) – University of California, Irvine

B.S. in Social Sciences (concentration in Research and Analytic Methods) – University of California, Irvine

Mariana de Santibañes holds a Ph.D in Public Policy from New York University, where she conducted research in the intersections of gender, social, labor, and family policy. Her work has focused on studying the processes by which welfare states recognize, assume, and promote social co-responsibility in caregiving, as well as the conditions that facilitate the emergence of transformative care policies and gender equality policies across the Americas. Recently, she also investigated the effects of COVID-19 lockdown on family dynamics and women’s standard of living across ten countries.

Mariana’s educational background includes a Licenciatura in Philosophy from the University of Buenos Aires and a Masters in Public Administration from NYU, which have provided her with a broad perspective on various disciplines. Before joining Evalcorp, Mariana worked in various roles in research and evaluation, where she actively explored critical topics within her field and dedicated her efforts to addressing the needs and challenges faced by marginalized communities, including Indigenous women, undocumented immigrants, waste pickers, and domestic workers.

Education

Ph.D. in Public Policy – New York University

M.P.A. – New York University

Licenciatura in Philosophy – University of Buenos Aires

Sarah is a key team member for multiple program evaluation and evaluation capacity building projects at the firm. As a Project Assistant, Sarah conducts literature reviews, assists with data collection tool creation and implementation, facilitates interviews and focus groups, and supports data entry and analysis activities. She is a Health Psychology PhD student at the University of California-Irvine, and her academic research experience centers on markers of risk and resilience to health outcomes in trauma-exposed populations, primarily survivors of childhood maltreatment.

Education

M.A. in Social Ecology – University of California, Irvine

B.S. in Psychology – University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

As a Research Assistant II at EVALCORP, Luis supports and leads key components of data collection, analysis and interpretation components of evaluation, needs assessment, and strategic planning projects for government and non-profit agencies. Luis has been trained in, and has published using, qualitative, quantitative, and experimental methods. He specializes in qualitative methods. Luis has research experience in criminology, deviance, drug and alcohol use, education, public health, qualitative methods, and decision-making. Before joining EVALCORP, Luis worked as a postdoctoral fellow at UCLouvain (Belgium) studying how public policy affects public support for the European Union. He then worked as a postdoctoral fellow at Aarhus University (Denmark), where he helped lead a qualitative research project on public attitudes about experts.

Education

Ph.D. in Sociology (Graduate Minor in Cognitive Science) – University of Arizona

M.A. in Sociology – University of Arizona

B.A. in Sociology (Minor in Business Administration, Cum Laude) – Seattle University

Dr. Gabrielle Walker is a dedicated nurse scientist with over seven years of experience in qualitative and quantitative research methods, complemented by years of community engagement. A registered nurse since 2013, Gabrielle was also a licensed family nurse practitioner from 2015 to 2020, certified by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. Her research has primarily explored the complex interplay between parenting and the experience of stroke, as well as the structural and social factors contributing to inequities in stroke risk among working-age adults. Currently a Research Associate I, Gabrielle leverages her expertise to develop program evaluation plans, design and administer data collection tools and conduct both quantitative and qualitative data analyses. Before joining EVALCORP, she led and supported health equity research projects, collaborating with diverse stakeholders to enhance the health of marginalized communities.

Education

Ph.D. in Nursing – Duke University

M.S. in Nursing – Winston-Salem State University

B.S. in Nursing – Winston-Salem State University

Sherri provides consulting expertise in support of EVALCORP’s client projects, specializing in the fields of early childhood education and development, behavioral health, and law enforcement. As a project consultant, Sherri brings more than 10 years of mixed-methods research and evaluation experience in developmental psychology and educational and family interventions. She is skilled at designing data collection tools, conducting quantitative and qualitative data analyses, and developing presentations and reports that support client goals and objectives.

In addition to her work at EVALCORP, Sherri also consults on educational interventions and social-emotional learning programs.

Education

Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology — Boston College, Newton MA

M.A. in Developmental Psychology — University of British Columbia, Vancouver BC

B.A. in Psychology — University of British Columbia, Vancouver BC

As President and Principal Consultant of EVALCORP, Kristen assists agencies in determining current and future needs, measuring the impacts of programs and initiatives, and providing planning and development services for maximized effectiveness.

Kristen began her career as an internal evaluator for county and state government where she not only assessed the impacts of numerous government funded programs, but also became acutely aware of the complex environments in which programs and public policy originate. She maintains decades of subject matter expertise in the fields of mental health, criminal justice, public health, education, children’s services, and organizational development. She brings her pragmatic, utilization-focused and empowerment-centered approach to her love of evaluation, strategic planning, and needs assessment work – and is humbled by the incredible work EVALCORP’s clients engage in on a daily basis.

Education

Ph.D. in Applied Social Psychology – Loyola University Chicago

M.A. in Applied Social Psychology – Loyola University Chicago

B.A. in Psychology with Business Administration Minor – St. Mary’s University of Minnesota

Ken is a strategic CFO, with experience that spans corporate and government financial functions, treasury management, human resource, marketing, and sales. Ken’s background includes several industries such as product development, membership-driven businesses, private equity, and venture capital. Ken also gained exposure to a multitude of diverse B2B and B2C product-led companies through his experience advising start-up hardware companies.

Education

B.A. in Political Economy – Juniata College

As EVALCORP’s Lead Accountant, Amber supports all aspects of Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, and Payroll, while working closely with the CFO on finance activities such as preparing and analyzing financials, budgeting, and assisting with KPIs that drive informed business decisions for the firm. Amber brings nearly 20 years of accounting experience across a wide range of industries, including Healthcare, Legal, Nonprofit, and Corporate sectors. Amber enjoys collaborating with clients and internal teams to streamline processes, maximize efficiencies, and support the company’s growth objectives.

Education

B.S. in Accounting – Midstate College

Microsoft Excel Certified

As EVALCORP’s Business Analyst, Marcus implements and supports business process improvements firmwide, ranging from enhanced technology and software to BI and AI tools to optimize internal and day-to-day operations. Marcus brings years of experience working as a business analyst for government agencies – automating processes, improving workflow, and assessing departmental opportunities to increase overall effectiveness and efficiencies.

Before joining EVALCORP, Marcus worked as a telecommunications manager where he increased customer service levels and satisfaction following a 14-year career in the United States Marine Corps.

Education and Credentials

M.I.S./B.A. in Information Systems with Business Analytics minor – University of Phoenix

B.S.A. in Accounting with Taxation Minor – University of Phoenix

N+ certification

Six Sigma certification – Green Belt

Google Guru certification

SAS certification

AWS certifications

SQL certifications

Kaggle certifications in Data Science

Andrea Holmes is an accomplished writer, urban planner, and policy expert. As a Planning & Development Consultant, she brings to the team 10 years of project management experience at the intersection of public policy, infrastructure development, and digital strategy. Before joining EVALCORP, Andrea oversaw proposal writing and management of a multi-year, multi-million dollar grant with the US Department of Transportation on behalf of the University of Southern California. Andrea is trained in human-centered design and has applied this skillset at the municipal level, leading the procurement and design of the City of Toronto’s first digital payment platform serving 3 million+ citizens. In 2021, she received the Toronto City Manager’s Award of Excellence for her contribution to government service transformation. In addition, Andrea brings extensive experience organizing and facilitating stakeholder consultations with diverse communities on behalf of all three levels of government.

Born and raised in Toronto, Canada, Andrea’s early involvement as a Legislative Page at the age of 13 built her dedication to making a difference. Her passion for creating livable, healthy cities is the driving force behind her accomplishments. Andrea holds a Master of Urban Planning (M.U.P.) from the University of Southern California and a Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.) from the University of Toronto.

Education

M.U.P. – University of Southern California

M.P.P. – University of Toronto

Valerie brings more than twenty years of experience in communication and design consulting to EVALCORP. As Senior Development Consultant, she provides guidance on our printed and digital communication, public outreach, and visual identity. She also provides communication consulting for client reports and publications, presentations, community-facing information, and public education and outreach materials. Valerie has content expertise in criminal justice, education, and gendered violence, and has worked in the nonprofit, private, and higher education sectors.

In addition to her time with EVALCORP, Valerie teaches university classes on communication, persuasion, race, and gender. She regularly presents findings from her research on public advocacy and media at local and national conferences.

Education

Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Public Culture – Indiana University, Bloomington

M.A. in Multicultural Communication – DePaul University

B.F.A. in Graphic Design – Iowa State University

For the past 5 years, Shayla has supported our Development Team through the identification of new business opportunities, design and submission of proposals, communication with potential new clients, and preparation of fulfillment staff for new projects. Additionally, she has content experience across the fields of public health, mental health, education, tobacco control, and substance use prevention.

Before her time with EVALCORP, Shayla taught research methods at the University of California, Irvine and worked with the Center of Evidence Based Corrections to evaluate a criminal justice re-entry program in Los Angeles County.

Education

M.P.P. in Public Policy – University of California, Irvine

B.A. in Sociology with an emphasis on social inequality – University of California, San Diego