We’re excited to introduce the accomplished LEEAD Scholars!
Every Leaders in Equitable Evaluation and Diversity (LEEAD) cohort is composed of scholars from a variety of backgrounds and representing multiple interests, each bringing unique perspectives creating a robust community. LEEADers are dedicated to moving the field of evaluation towards social justice through culturally responsive and equitable evaluation (CREE).
Ebony Reddock, PhD, MPH
Dr. Ebony Reddock is a program evaluator with over 10 years of experience working with health and human services organizations to plan, implement, and improve their work. Dr. Reddock completed her MPH and PhD training in Health Behavior and Health Education at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. She have extensive experience in community-based research and evaluation, with particular expertise and interest in participatory, qualitative, and arts-based research methods with community-based organizations. She is also an experienced trainer and instructor, having taught courses and workshops on Community-based Public Health, Health Disparities, Research Methods, Community Health Education and Diversity in Research. Dr. Reddock is a lifelong Michigan resident, having worked with a number of community-based organizations in Southeastern Michigan on program development, management and evaluation projects in areas ranging from higher education pipeline programs, poverty reduction, HIV/AIDS prevention and outreach, youth development and human service programs.
Jaymie Lorthridge, MSW, PhD
Dr. Jaymie Lorthridge is a Westat Senior Study Director with over 20 years of experience working on behalf of vulnerable communities. She transitioned to a research and evaluation career after spending several years as a uniformed patrol officer in Atlanta, Georgia, observing the social determinants that dictated citizens’ quality of life. For the past 15 years, her work has included evaluations of health and human service business processes and community-based programs aimed at improving supports and outcomes for residents, families, youth, and children exposed to violence and at risk of experiencing adverse and disparate health, mental health, and educational outcomes. In collaboration with multidisciplinary teams and through partnerships with government representatives and community stakeholders, she has designed and implemented studies that support data-driven decision making and inform program implementation and policy improvements. She designs data collection tools and uses quantitative and qualitative methods to assess achievement of project objectives.
Jennifer García, PhD, MPH
Dr. Jennifer García is a public health researcher with expertise on the social determinants of health, community organizing as a public health strategy, and community-based participatory research. As a Senior Research Associate at the Psychology Applied Research Center at Loyola Marymount University, she works closely with grassroots community-based organizations on research and evaluation projects that address the root causes of childhood obesity, mental health disparities, and homelessness. She also mentors undergraduate students through the Engaged Learning and McNair Scholars programs at LMU. Her research focuses on the contextual factors that create urban inequality and contribute to health inequity. Specifically, her areas of interest include Critical Race Theory, residential segregation, and stress and resilience. Dr. García holds a PhD in Public Health from the University of California, Los Angeles, a Master of Public Health from the University of Michigan, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from San Diego State University.
Jennifer Torres, PhD
Dr. Jennifer Torres is a Research Scientist at Michigan Public Health Institute (MPHI) in the Center for Healthy Communities. Her current work at MPHI focuses on research, evaluation, and quality improvement in the areas of maternal child health and Native health and wellness. Her peer-reviewed publications cover primarily the topics of gender studies, reproductive and sexual health, and medical sociology. Jennifer received her BS in Psychology from Michigan State University in 2002 and her PhD in Sociology from University of Michigan in 2014. She lives in Howell, MI with her husband and two sons, ages 9 and 14.
Jochebed G. Gayles, PhD
Dr. Jochebed G. Gayles’ programmatic line of research focuses on adolescent well-being in cultural, social and developmental contexts. Dr. Gayles’ substantive research interests have been guided by ecological, social, and holistic developmental science theories for human development. Dr. Gayles’ interest in the dynamic multifaceted and multileveled nature of adolescents and their environments is evident in Dr. Gayles’ theoretical and methodological approaches to studying well-being. This informs Dr. Gayles’ evaluation and translation work, which includes investigating and evaluating evidence-based strategies that target adolescent health and well-being, via applying basic and developmental science and public health models to inform prevention efforts. In addition, Dr. Gayles’ developing evaluation and translation work focuses on the equitable evaluation of policies, practices and programs and the use of equitable policy decision-making spaces, with particular attention to understanding why and for whom programs do not work and how effective strategies can better reach and be tailored to serve diverse populations.
Kimberly Harris, MBA, PhD
Dr. Kimberly Harris is a Senior Research Associate at ETR Services and a former adjunct professor of graduate statistics and research methods at North Carolina Agricultural and Technological State University. Dr. Harris has over a decade of experience working with adult learners in the Workforce Development space. She has conducted extensive career and technical education (CTE) research and served as an adult education professional.
Dr. Harris has conducted research at the University of California, Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science, as part of the Science Learning Activation Lab. She also served as a program evaluator for the Initiative to Maximize Student Development (IMSD) Undergraduate Scholars and Graduate Fellows program, a student support program in the Biological and Behavioral Sciences departments at UC Berkeley.
Currently, Dr. Harris serves as an evaluator and researcher on social justice projects that include food justice, workforce development in STEM, and housing insecurity.
L. Brooke Keliikoa, DrPH
Dr. L. Brooke Keliikoa is an Assistant Specialist in the Office of Public Health Studies at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. As a member of the Healthy Hawai‘i Initiative Evaluation Team, her faculty position entails evaluating various chronic disease prevention and health promotion efforts. Dr. Keliikoa’s research interests include cross-sector collaboration and built environment approaches for physical activity. She has a Doctor of Public Health degree from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa and a BA in Psychology from Lewis & Clark College. Dr. Keliikoa was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawai‘i.
Nitya Venkateswaran, PhD
Dr. Nitya Venkateswaran is a senior research associate in the Center for Evaluation and Education Equity at RTI International. Dr. Venkateswaran has extensive experience researching the implementation of K-12 and post-secondary educational initiatives aimed to improve youth outcomes for wide range of local, federal, and private foundation clients using qualitative and quantitative methods. She aims address structural inequities that systematically marginalize groups across dimensions of race, class, and gender and is committed to a participatory program evaluation process that elevates stakeholders and ensures they play a meaningful role. Dr. Venkateswaran received her PhD in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Washington. She has specific expertise researching central office and school leader practices that support instructional improvement, teacher learning and professional development, and authentic community/family engagement. Before RTI, she worked in various youth-serving nonprofits in diverse communities of color.
Rachel Powell, PhD, MPH
Dr. Rachel Powell currently serves as a Senior Program Officer at CDC Foundation with a diverse portfolio including global and domestic work. In addition, she is an adjunct professor at Georgia State University and has served as an independent consultant with non-profit and universities. Previously, Dr. Powell worked on emergency response efforts for the hurricane response in Puerto Rico and US Virgin Island; two Zika response projects in Puerto Rico, and Ebola response in the U.S. She was an ORISE fellow at CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity & Obesity serving as the Operations Manager for Let’s Move Child Care, a sub-section of the First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign.
Dr. Powell’s interests include media literacy, targeted unhealthy food marketing, maternal and child health (women’s health; breastfeeding; childhood obesity in schools, communities, and early care and education), health communication (risk communication; campaigns; social marketing; formative research), and qualitative research.
Rosemary Nabaweesi, DrPH
Dr. Rosemary Nabaweesi, has expertise in health services research, focusing on implementation research and childhood trauma. Dr. Nabaweesi’s research explores innovative methodologies for observation of home and car passenger safety practices, understanding psychosocial factors that contribute to disparate uptake of infant safe sleep recommendations by vulnerable populations. Her research focuses on childhood injury prevention and health disparities reduction for rural and minority populations. She uses implementation science tools and academic-community partnerships to improve rural minority children’s health status. She also studies the impact of policies (recommendations) on clinical provider practices and child caregivers.
For her KL2 research project she conducted a developmental formative evaluation within a local African American community organization to determine barriers faced by and facilitators encountered by community advisors (when advising mothers) and expectant mothers when participating in or seeking safe sleep interventions. She used focus groups and key informant interviews.
Sandy-Asari E. Hogan, DrPH, MPH
Dr. Sandy-Asari E. Hogan recently joined Booz Allen Hamilton as an Evaluator. Prior to this, Dr. Hogan worked as a PPEO (ORISE) Evaluation Fellow in the CDC National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC) on the Division of Analysis, Research and Practice Integration (DARPI) team – providing evaluation related technical assistance and working on various prescription drug/opioid-related (PDO) projects. Previously, Dr. Hogan served as the Maternal & Child Health Director for the Dallas & Fort Worth March of Dimes and, as a policy analyst in the Department of Government Relations at Parkland Health & Hospital System in Dallas, Texas. Sandy is a servant leader whose interests focus on efforts that support the elimination of health inequities and continues to contribute to the field of public health through the examination of various determinants of health and the application of translational research to improve health outcomes, promote social justice, and achieve health equity.
Tamara Cadet, PhD, LICSW, MPH
Dr. Tamara Cadet is an Associate Professor at Simmons University School of Social Work. She brings more than 25 years of practice experience to her research and teaching working in the fields of substance abuse, adoption, mental health, health care, schools, and oncology with children, adults, families, and older adults, as both a social worker and as a community organizer. She has a motto, that if she is not thinking about the underserved or under-represented client or patient, then she has forgotten the most important part of conducting research. It is this commitment to social justice that permeates every aspect of her research. Her ultimate objective is to advance efforts to develop health promotion interventions for underserved and underrepresented older adults in order to contribute to reducing oncology-related disparities. She particularly enjoys translating her research to practice for community-based organizations where she serves and preparing social workers for effective evidence-based practice.
Tamarah Moss, PhD, MPH, MSW
Dr. Tamarah Moss is currently an assistant professor with the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research at Bryn Mawr College. Dr. Moss’ main research interests are threefold: 1) evaluation in community practice and health service delivery; 2) health equity among adolescents, LGBTQ+ and HIV positive communities; and 3) international social work and social work education. She is currently the primary investigator for evaluation on a demonstration project designed to advance hospital services for youth who have been sex trafficked, and those at risk in Washington, DC. Children’s National Health System is the prime recipient for this work, funded by the Office of Victims of Crimes, Department of Justice. Dr. Moss volunteers in leadership positions with national and international organizations, including the American Evaluation Association, Association of Caribbean Social Work Educators, and Council on Social Work Education. Dr. Moss is honored to be a part of the 2019-2020 cohort of Leaders in Equitable Evaluation and Diversity (LEEAD) Scholars Program, emphasizing equitable and culturally responsive evaluation.
Tanisha Tate Woodson, PhD
Dr. Tanisha Tate Woodson has more than 13 years of experience developing, implementing and managing collaborative projects on a variety of research topics including early childhood education, health care quality, behavioral health and community development. Currently, she is the Project Director of a statewide needs assessment focused on understanding the reach and quality of early childhood education services for children ages birth to five in the state of Oregon. Over the course of her research career, she has used a variety of research methods and approaches and incorporated a community-based participatory research and equity evaluation lens for studying the most vulnerable populations.
Dr. Woodson has authored peer-reviewed articles, presented her research at national conferences and taught college courses in research methods, program evaluation, and community-based research approaches. She earned her masters degree in Health Management and Policy from the University of Michigan, and earned her doctorate in Social Welfare from Case Western Reserve University.
Tiberio Garza, PhD
Dr. Tiberio Garza is an Assistant Professor of Educational Psychology and Higher Education at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) and Associate Director for UNLV’s Center of Research, Evaluation, and Assessment (CREA). His interest is the application of advanced statistical analysis and culturally relevant evaluation research and methods. In his position, he works with community, school, and university advocates for the betterment of young students’ lives and motivating them to pursue higher education. He is passionate about utilizing evaluation and statistics for helping young people, regardless of language and culture barriers, become resilient and succeed in their life and educational pursuits.
A. Christson Adedoyin, MSW, PhD
Dr. A. Christson Adedoyin is currently Professor of Social Work in the Department of Social Work, School of Public Health, Samford University, and Birmingham, Alabama. His research interests include: Evidence synthesis and program evaluation of (faith-based) social services and innovative program interventions to address educational, socio-economic, and health disparities among African Americans, African Immigrants and African Refugees.
Chad E. Kee, PhD
Dr. Chad Kee is the Founder & CEO of WhitworthKee Consulting, LLC. He has over 15 years of secondary and postsecondary educational administration work, program evaluation, grants management with various higher education institutions, and government agencies. Most of his career has been spent on improving the experiences and completion rates of college students with specific focus on underrepresented populations including racial minority groups, non-traditional students, veterans, and students with disabilities. He has extensive experience in curricular and co-curricular program design, implementation, and evaluation.
Dr. Kee served as a government employee for the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) and the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) coordinating Career and Technical Education programs and managing grant funds for No Child Left Behind. Prior to government employment, Dr. Kee served as an administrator in higher education. During this time, coordinating diversity and inclusion training for faculty and staff, teaching first-year experience courses, and implementing co-curricular learning opportunities. Dr. Kee has worked diligently to strengthen campus environments in order to establish welcoming communities and to promote student engagement.
Chandria Jones, PhD, MPH
Dr. Chandria Jones has extensive research and evaluation experience in public health focusing on youth-related areas such as behavioral health, homelessness, obesity, health equity, and health communication. Trained in epidemiology and behavioral and community health, her research focuses on social and environmental determinants of health for vulnerable populations such as racial and ethnic minorities, low-income youth and families, and individuals with mental health and substance use disorders. Her research emphasizes the need to go beyond individual behavior change to understand the social, cultural, and physical environments in which people live, that either encourage or inhibit opportunities for health and well-being. As a Senior Study Director at Westat, Dr. Jones has worked on projects for federal agencies such as the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and for foundations like the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
David Garcia, EdD
Dr. David Garcia is a bi-cultural, Xicano transplant to New York from Texas, via the Midwest and Seattle. He possesses over twenty years of experience in public health management including a proven record in disease prevention, treatment, testing, support, and access to care to culturally diverse populations. He earned a Doctorate in Health Education and Behavior from Columbia University Teachers College and a Master of Public Health from the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. Dr. Garcia is dedicated to working with diverse communities to educate, empower, and organize them towards improving their health outcomes, thereby reducing racial ethnic health disparities. He is currently the Director of Capacity Building, Research and Evaluation for the Latino Commission on AIDS and serves as an Adjunct Assistant Professor in Health Education for Hostos Community College in the Bronx. Originally from San Antonio-Texas, Dr. Garcia enjoys dancing in front of mirrors, science fiction, fashion, and knowing everything about Beyoncé.
Dayna Alexander, DrPH, MSPH
Dr. Dayna Alexander is an Adjunct Instructor at Concordia University and a Health Scientist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As a Health Scientist, she serves as an adolescent girl and young women subject matter expert providing technical support to Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe on HIV programs and interventions. She utilizes community engagement and mobilization strategies to ensure adoption and sustainment of healthy lifestyle habits among community members. Dr. Alexander has over 10 years of experience successfully designing, implementing, and evaluating health disparity and inequity initiatives in academic-, clinical-, and faith-based organizations and government agencies using qualitative and quantitative methods. Her research and evaluation interests include community health, sexual and reproductive health, patient-provider communication, and chronic conditions (HIV, diabetes, and obesity). She earned her Doctor of Public Health in Community Health Behavior and Education from Georgia Southern University. She enjoys reading, traveling, dancing, and spending time with loved ones.
Emily Calderón Galdeano, EdD
Dr. Emily Calderón Galdeano is a bilingual advocate, scholar, educator, and evaluator with nearly 20 years in the education policy arena at federal, state, local, and institutional levels. She is the CEO of Elevate Consulting Group, which provides evaluation and data storytelling services. Emily also serves as the Executive Director of the Texas Senate Hispanic Caucus. In her prior role as Director of Research for two national organizations, Dr. Calderón Galdeano integrated research, policy, and data to help accelerate student success in higher education. She has served as a university faculty member and is the co-editor of an international award-winning book, Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs): Advancing Research and Transformative Practice that focuses on the group of institutions where 66% of Latino undergraduates choose to enroll. Emily is a co-founder of Fiesta Wishes, a nonprofit organization celebrating birthdays for foster and homeless children to inspire hope, create memories, and bring smiles.
Felisa Gonzales, PhD, MPH
Dr. Felisa Gonzales is the Evaluation and Learning Manager at The Colorado Trust. She is trained in applied social psychology and epidemiology and has more than 10 years of experience conducting research on health disparities affecting populations of color. Findings from her research studies and collaborations are documented in 20 peer-reviewed publications, 2 book chapters, and 2 reports. In her current position at The Colorado Trust, Felisa oversees the evaluation of a health equity advocacy strategy that aims to establish a field of advocates who can promote health equity through policy.
Gail Dana-Sacco, PhD
Dr. Gail Dana-Sacco, Passamaquoddy, applies her research experience in Native communities and her knowledge of Native American health to develop and implement community driven interventions to restore strong, healthy Native communities. Her critical inquiry examines persistent health inequities to identify policy levers and structural changes needed to improve Native health and self-sufficiency. Through Wayfinders for Health she provides public health research, evaluation and consulting services. In her position as Associate Faculty at the Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health, she collaborates with a national research team developing and testing interventions to improve outcomes for Native and immigrant women experiencing intimate partner violence.
Isabel Cuervo, PhD
Dr. Isabel Cuervo is a Senior Research Associate and currently works at the Barry Commoner Center for Health and the Environment at Queens College, City University of New York (CUNY) on bilingual, inter-institutional community-engaged research, evaluation, and service projects focused on environmental and immigrant workers’ health. Dr. Cuervo attained her doctoral degree in Environmental Psychology from The CUNY Graduate Center and attended Barnard College for undergraduate studies. Dr. Cuervo grew up in Queens and her family is originally from Colombia.
Jacqueline Ng-Osorio, DrPH
Dr. Jacqueline Ng-Osorio is a Faculty Specialist at the University of Hawaii at Manoa School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene. She is responsible for the assessments and evaluation for the school. She also works with graduate ‘IKE AO PONO students as an advisor, which focuses on Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students. Prior to coming to UH Mānoa Dr. Ng-Osorio worked as a researcher at Kamehameha Schools focusing on the K-12 internal and external programs. Her research focuses on Native Hawaiian adolescents, healthy lifestyle behaviors including physical activity and eating habits, as well as the relationship between education and health outcomes. She also provides training and workshops on the qualitative methodology Photovoice.
Jennifer Burrell, PhD
Dr. Jennifer Burrell founded MadX, a research and evaluation firm in July of 2014. She earned her PhD in Developmental Psychology at Howard University. Her research interests include adolescent development, identity/culture in the classroom, and STEM education. Her research has primarily focused on empowering underrepresented groups to pursue, persist, and succeed in educational endeavors. In 2013, Dr. Burrell published her first co-authored article on Math and Science Middle School students in the journal, Culture and Psychology. She has served as interim chair of the American Education Research Association’s Talent Development Special Interest Group and on grant proposal review panels for the U.S. Department of Education, the National Science Foundation, and the DC Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation. This year, her co-authored research article on citizen empowerment and technology was awarded the Best Paper Award (Top 1%) at the prestigious Association for Computing Machinery’s Computer Human Interaction Conference.
Karen Trujillo, PhD
Dr. Karen Trujillo has been an educator in New Mexico for over 20 years. She has served the children in New Mexico as a teacher, a principal, a grant writer and a researcher. She has been a research faculty member for the past 6 years at New Mexico State University. She is currently the director of The Alliance for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning where she is the PI and Co-PI of both federal and state grants. She also serves as the state director of Educators Rising and the STEM Outreach Alliance Research (SOAR) Lab. The SOAR Lab employs undergraduate and graduate students who work with K12 Outreach programs on research and evaluation. She is excited to be part of the LEEAD cohort so that she can learn new evaluation skills to use professionally and to pass on to the students in the SOAR Lab.
Lauren Causey, PhD
Dr. Lauren Causey is the Manager of Sponsored Research at Augsburg University (Minneapolis, MN), in the Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs. In this role, Dr. Causey provides guidance and direct support to secure funds from external agencies for faculty and student research, with an emphasis on the natural sciences. She steers federal proposals from idea generation to project closeout, is involved with broader strategic planning for research development on Augsburg’s primarily undergraduate campus, and ensures that federal regulations (especially Uniform Guidance) are being adhered to. Dr. Causey has experience as a social science researcher and program evaluator. Her work is attentive to issues concerning race-, class-, and gender-based disparities in formal and informal educational settings. Dr. Causey holds a PhD from the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities, a master’s degree from Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a bachelor’s degree from Howard University.
Moctezuma García, PhD, MSSW
Dr. Moctezuma García is Assistant Professor at Texas State University with an MSSW from Columbia University and a PhD from the City University of New York. Dr. García is also a former research fellow at Yale University’s Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS. Current research endeavors have focused on mixed-methods research on access and engagement to care for HIV related services among Latino MSM in Texas and Puerto Rico. Dr. García also has international experience in monitoring and evaluation at UNICEF as well as human rights program development for local community-based organizations in Cambodia.
Ndidiamaka Amutah, PhD, MPH, CHES
Dr. Ndidiamaka Amutah-Onukagha is the President and Founder of Amaka Consulting and Evaluation Services, LLC and has over 15 years of experience conducting health disparities work, with specialties in program development, evaluation, and mixed methods research. She has consulted and worked with Federal, State, and local agencies as an evaluator and research scientist. Her contributions have included projects focused on health equity, sexual assault, strategic planning, HIV/AIDS, adolescent health, mental health services, and maternal and child health.
Her most recent research consultations have included a mixed methods analysis of a programmatic intervention aimed at improving pregnancy outcomes for underserved communities and women of color, as well as the evaluation of a state-wide maternal and child health program aimed at assessing the quality of health services delivered to women in rural communities. Her skills and focus include needs assessment, survey development, interview administration, focus group facilitation, and program implementation and evaluation.
Noé Rubén Chávez, PhD
Dr. Noé Rubén Chávez is currently an Assistant Professor at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, in the Community Counseling Program. He is a trained community psychologist, focused on research in health equity and cultural competency in healthcare. He earned his PhD in Community Psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and completed two postdoctoral fellowships, focused on adolescent health, the first at Columbia University Medical Center and more recently at the comprehensive cancer center of City of Hope (COH). At COH he collaborated with biologists on science education for underrepresented youth of color. There he also worked with a multisectoral coalition conducting youth participatory action research (YPAR) empowering youth to improve local community health. Currently, he is working with the MLK Community Healing and Trauma Prevention Center in South Los Angeles conducting a mixed-methods evaluation of the center.
Nyron N. Crawford, PhD
Dr. Nyron N. Crawford is a Visiting Associate Research Scholar in the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, and an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Temple University (on leave AY 18-20). He is also a fellow in the Faculty Leaders Program for Policy Research and Analysis at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. Dr. Crawford received his doctorate in Political Science from The Ohio State University, a BA in the same discipline from Howard University, and has certificates in survey research, social enterprise development, and non-profit management and leadership. Prior to joining Temple, he was a diversity dissertation fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Sofía Bahena, EdD
Dr. Sofía Bahena is an assistant professor of education at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Her research interests include identifying, promoting, and leveraging community-based resources – as well as sound education policy – to create pathways to (and through) higher education for under-represented populations in the United States. Dr. Bahena received her B.A. in sociology and business administration from Trinity University (San Antonio, TX) and an EdM and EdD from the Harvard Graduate School of Education (Cambridge, MA).
Tywanda McLaurin-Jones, PhD
Dr. Tywanda McLaurin-Jones is a licensed Clinical Psychologist and serves as the Director of Behavioral Sciences in Department of Community & Family Medicine at Howard University. She received her doctorate from Howard University with specialties in pediatrics and behavioral medicine. She completed her residency at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Dr. McLaurin-Jones’ broad research interests include culturally-specific interventions to reduce risk behaviors among emerging young adults. Her current research focuses on identifying ethnic, spiritual, and family protective factors of alcohol use among minority, college women.
Wytress Richardson, EdD
Dr. Wytress Richardson is an Associate Professor in the College of Professional Studies and Advancement, School of Social and Behavioral Sciences at National Louis University and has spent the last 17 years in higher education. She is the Chair of the Applied Behavioral Science Department. Dr. Richardson’s clinical background spans 20 years of her career in the Human Services field where she has held positions as a dually certified counselor in mental health and substance abuse. Prior to joining National Louis she spent 7 years as a Program Director in the Intensive Rehabilitation Department at the Salvation Army Harbor Light Center.
Corron Sanders, PhD
Dr. Corron Sanders has more than 10 years of experience in research design and implementation. At the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center she managed a National Institute of Health (NIH) multi-center program and was a co-investigator for a study examining the psycho-social factors associated with medication overdose. She has presented nationally and has several peer-reviewed publications from previous collaborations. Her research interest includes social and behavioral determinants to health and the interactions that influence health outcomes. In addition, Dr. Sanders enjoys spending time with her husband Donald and their two children Donald J. and Abigail who all reside in The Colony, TX.
Daniel López-Cevallos, PhD, MPH
Dr. Daniel López-Cevallos is Associate Professor of Ethnic Studies, and Assistant Vice Provost in the Office of Undergraduate Education, at Oregon State University. He collaborates with college leadership and faculty to improve course-based learning and success, and create a transformative education that is accessible to all learners. His research & evaluation efforts focus on the intersections of race/ethnicity, gender, class, and other socioeconomic and sociocultural constructs, and their relationship to health and health care issues. Furthermore, Daniel interested in the development and implementation of community, institutional, and policy-level strategies to better serve Latinx and other marginalized communities. He is an Affiliate Investigator with the Hispanic Community Health Study/ Study of Latinos, and a member of the American Public Health Association and the Health Equity Network of the Americas. Daniel earned his PhD in Public Health at OSU, and MPH and BS degrees from Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador.
Jori Hall, PhD
Dr. Jori Hall is an associate professor in the Department of Lifelong Education, Administration, and Policy in the College of Education at the University of Georgia. Dr. Hall’s research focuses on investigating and applying mixed methods and qualitative approaches to inquiry to improve educational programs.
Dr. Hall uses qualitatively driven mixed methods approaches to interrogate the internal accountability system of schools and how it interacts with external accountability policies at the district and state levels. In addition to studying mixed methods and qualitative designs, Dr. Hall is an evaluator. Because Dr. Hall is committed to social justice, she urges investigators to consider responsive approaches to evaluation. Her work on responsive evaluation approaches has resulted in articles published in multiple evaluation journals. Dr. Hall holds a BS from Bradley University, a master’s degree from DePaul University, and a doctorate from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
José Muñoz, PhD
Dr. José Muñoz is an Associate Professor at CSU San Bernardino. In collaboration with scholars at CSUSB, Dr. Muñoz participated in the development of a Community-Based Research (CBR) Toolkit which provides research design models, readings, and other tools to aid in CBR. As part of these efforts he included an Introduction to CBR and Applied Sociology courses into the curriculum. Dr. Muñoz co-authored a paper in the Journal of Public Child Welfare. The paper “Language is not enough: institutional supports for Spanish speaking client-worker engagement in child welfare” explores the relationship between Latina social workers and their undocumented Spanish speaking clientele. Currently, Dr. Muñoz serves on the American Sociological Association’s Task Force on First-Generation and Working Class Persons in Sociology. As part of a national longitudinal project that employs multiple methods the Task Force looks at educational mobility processes and the role of higher education in mitigating or exacerbating inequalities.
Juan J. DelaCruz, PhD
Dr. Juan J. DelaCruz is an Associate Professor of Economics and Business at Lehman College and faculty in the Doctor of Public Health Program at the Graduate Center (City University of New York). His area of expertise is health economics and his work focuses on the economic and social determinants of health influencing the HIV epidemic globally and in New York City. He is committed to the analysis of HIV-related disparities and the estimation of economic costs of interventions for people with HIV. The purpose of Dr. DelaCruz’s work is to analyze psychosocial factors affecting quality of life among HIV-infected individuals from an economics perspective. His research sustains that HIV-infected longtime survivors are facing disproportionate health outcomes, including disability and early death. He is using mixed quantitative methods to evaluate the economic costs and effects of HIV on human capital, emphasizing the differences in health outcomes across age, sexual orientation and race/ethnicity. In previous work, he has claimed that early and well-targeted interventions to improve quality of life are beneficial to stop the progression of the epidemic. His scholarship provides an opportunity to assess the needs of older HIV-infected individuals from an economic and multi-cultural perspective. He is expecting to advance in the construction of a framework of economic analysis to understand public health problems, leading to a more rigorous study of health disparities and economic costs. Statistical methods include econometric devices such as regression analysis, computer-based simulation and decision analysis to estimate the disease burden.
Juan José Bustamente, PhD
Dr. Juan José Bustamante is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Arkansas. He has a joint appointment between the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice and the Latin American and Latino Studies Program. He received his PhD in Sociology from Michigan State University, and an M.S. and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Texas Pan American. Born in Mexico City and raised in both Mexico and Texas, his research interests include Latina/o communities, international immigration, and qualitative research methods. Dr. Bustamente’s current work collecting ethnographic data from Latina/os and migrants living in the American South extends his research on racially and community structured components of migration beyond the physical limits of the US-Mexico border. He is interested in studying and documenting the impact of Latino population growth, distribution, and age structure on local educational, labor, housing, and public safety services, as well examining the strategies larger social institutions have adopted to address the demographic shift in the area.
Julia Lechuga, PhD
Dr. Julia Lechuga received her PhD from the University of Texas at El Paso in Health Psychology in 2008. In 2010, she was a finalist for the Harry and Pola Triandis Outstanding Dissertation Award from the International Association of Cross-Cultural Psychology (IACCP) and received an Honorable Mention. Dr. Lechuga completed a National Institutes of Health NRSA Ruth L. Kirschstein postdoctoral fellowship at the Medical College of Wisconsin in 2010. In 2010 she started a faculty position at MCW and in 2013 moved to The University of Texas at El Paso, where she currently is assistant professor.
Dr. Lechuga’s research focuses on the development, cultural adaptation, and dissemination and implementation of behavioral interventions to reduce the risk of infectious disease in ethnic minorities and underserved populations. In 2011, shortly after completing her postdoctoral training, Dr. Lechuga received a two- year highly competitive grant ($200,000 direct costs) awarded by the Advancing Healthier Wisconsin Partnership Consortium to evaluate a comprehensive sexual and reproductive health behavioral intervention being implemented by Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin. In 2012, Dr. Lechuga received an NIH R21 to design a sexual and reproductive health behavioral intervention for Latina mother- daughter dyads.
Keneshia Bryant-Moore, PhD
Dr. Keneshia Bryant-Moore is currently an Associate Professor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) with a primary appointment in the College of Nursing and a secondary appointment in the College of Public Health. Her research career is dedicated to the prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment of depression, particularly among rural African Americans. Additionally, Dr. Bryant-Moore is devoted to educating the community about common mental health disorders with the mission to increase awareness, detection, and early intervention.
Dr. Bryant-Moore is the Director of Growing Our Own in the Delta (GOOD) program which is funded by a HRSA-Nursing Workforce Diversity grant. GOOD is designed to increase the number of under-represented advanced practice registered nurses, particularly those residing in the Arkansas Delta region. These include first generation college students, males, and under-represented racial and ethnic minorities.
Kenyatha V. “Ellie Mae” Loftis, PhD
Dr. Kenyatha V. Loftis is co-founder and Chief Executive of Local Scholars and Mentors Unifying Research and Practice to Harvest Excellence for the Future (L.SMURPHE.F) Enterprises, Ltd. Co.—a consulting firm rooted in the mantras sankofa* and climbing together.
An excellent listener and innovative strategist, Dr. Loftis develops streamlined solutions for multidimensional problems. Her subject matter expertise includes program evaluation: culturally-responsive formative/process/implementation and outcome/summative/impact evaluation; research methods: research design, developing data collection tools, quantitative and qualitative analytics, and mixed-methodology research; education: policy analysis, school leadership, parent involvement, turnarounds, early childhood, and out-of-school time; and American politics: public policy governance and implementation, public opinion, political institutions, race/ethnicity, gender, and poverty.
Dr. Loftis is a graduate of Yale College (BA in Political Science), the University of Michigan (PhD in Public Policy & Political Science), and Rice University (Certificate in Education Entrepreneurship, School of Business).
*Sankofa: Go back for what has been forgotten.
LaShaune P. Johnson, PhD
Dr. LaShaune P. Johnson is a health equity researcher who focuses on breast cancer and maternal and child health. She is an evaluator who employs participatory arts-based, and culturally-responsive methods. She is an associate professor in the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies at Creighton University and the Community Liaison for the Creighton University at Highlander community. Additionally, she is a faculty associate for Creighton’s MMA program, and a member of the Center for Health Research and Patient Safety. As an evaluator, she is the owner and principal for Estella Lucia Evaluation, LLC., and a Consultant for TerraLuna Collaborative. She earned a degree from Wellesley College in Sociology and Medieval/Renaissance Studies. She earned her PhD in Sociology (with emphases in Feminist Studies and Human Development) at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and has completed postdoctoral studies at the University of Connecticut Health Center and the University of Missouri School of Health Professions. She is the former Co-Chair of Omaha’s Metro African American Breast Cancer Task Force, the Non-clinical co-chair for the Health Disparities Implementation Group for the Nebraska Cancer Coalition (NC2), and the Affiliate Member of the Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center (Cancer Prevention and Control Program). She serves as a member of the Blog Editorial Board for the Interdisciplinary Association for Population Health Science. She is also a Council Member for the ASA Sociological Practice and Public Sociology Section.
Latrice C. Pichon, PhD
Dr. Latrice C. Pichon, is an Associate Professor in the Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences, School of Public Health. She completed her PhD in Public Health with a concentration in Health Behavior from the Joint Doctoral Program in Public Health at San Diego State University and the University of California, San Diego in August of 2008. She received extensive post-doctoral training in the application of community-based participatory research (CBPR) in the Kellogg Health Scholars Program at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. In 2011, she was selected to participate in the prestigious and highly competitive Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS) 3-year Visiting Professor Program for scientists conducting research to reduce HIV/STI health disparities. Her general program of research centers around the application of CBPR approaches to improving the health of Black Americans by reducing racial disparities in HIV. Specifically, she focuses on exploring the role of the faith-based community in addressing HIV awareness and prevention, and partnering with community-based organizations to understand HIV outreach, care, and utilization needs among vulnerable groups. Dr. Pichon’s service to the Memphis and Mid-South community reflects her professional philosophy and adherence to CBPR approaches. Additionally, exudes a personal commitment and passion of hers to have an active stake, voice, and face in the community to reducing racial disparities and improving the health status of Black Americans.
Mindelyn Anderson, PhD
Dr. Mindelyn Anderson is the Founder + Principal of Mirror Group LLC, a consulting firm that leverages partnerships with fellow evaluators, researchers, subject matter experts, and change makers to bring collaborative, participatory, utilization-focused evaluation and capacity-building to communities and learning organizations. She earned her doctorate in Sociology from The Johns Hopkins University and an undergraduate degree in Sociology with minors in Anthropology and Policy Studies from UCLA. Dr. Anderson, a California Bay Area native, currently resides in Washington, D.C. with her husband (the other Dr. Anderson), three daughters and a son. You can find her out and about in the DC, Maryland, Virginia area serving community organizations dear to her including Zion Church and John Eaton Elementary School as well as working toward racial equity and inclusion through Juniors Read and Mirror Group. Feel free to ask her anything about work, life, and everything in between.
Patricia Y. Miranda, PhD, MPH
Dr. Patricia Y. Miranda is Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Administration and Demography at The Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Miranda received her PhD and MPH from the University Of Michigan School Of Public Health, and was a Kellogg Health Scholar Postdoctoral Fellow at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Department of Health Disparities Research, Center for Research on Minority Health. Dr. Miranda’s research interests focus on cancer prevention among vulnerable populations, specifically disparities in cancer screening affecting immigrant and Latino populations. Dr. Miranda’s research reflects the shifting demographics of the United States; examines how policies and screening guidelines may differentially impact vulnerable populations; explores the role of place in understanding access to health services; engages affected populations in a community-based participatory research approach to create recommendations for future interventions and policy efforts at local, regional and national levels, as well as methods of engaging policymakers as members of a community to create multilevel interventions for reducing health disparities. Dr. Miranda has examined the underserved cancer prevention needs within Latino populations, specifically among the Mexican-origin population, describing how these vulnerable groups may disproportionately face higher rates of cancer mortality without further investigation of these higher risk factors, or a focus on the social determinants of their low rates of screening.
Tracy M. Hilliard, PhD
Dr. Tracy M. Hilliard has over fifteen years of leadership experience in community-based research and evaluation, systems improvement, program and policy development, and strategic planning for equity in public health and social services. She has an extensive history of commitment to leadership and service in several professional and community organizations. Dr. Hilliard was appointed to the United States Department of Health and Human Services’ first Regional Health Equity Council for Region X, on which she has served for over four years. She is Chair of the American Public Health Association, Health Informatics and Information Technology Section. She previously served four years as an Advisory Board Member for the Disparities Interest Group of AcademyHealth, the largest professional organization for health services researchers in the US. She is extremely passionate about community service activities encouraging students of color to pursue higher education, particularly science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. In addition to her volunteerism, Dr. Hilliard enjoys spending time with family and friends, swimming, event planning, travel, and live music.
Victoria A. Anyikwa, PhD
Dr. Victoria A. Anyikwa is an Associate Professor in the Graduate Social Work Program at Saint Leo University, located in North Florida in the Tampa region. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Queens College in New York, a Masters Degree in Social Work from New York University, and a PhD in Social Work from Barry University in Miami Shores.
Prior to joining Saint Leo University, Dr. Anyikwa served as the Commissioner of Social Services in Greenwich Connecticut for over three years. A clinical social worker by training, Dr. Anyikwa has held many clinical and executive positions, and was the Executive Director for the Brooklyn Psychiatric Centers, Inc. for over nine years prior to moving to Florida with her family. She has served on various task forces on mental health issues in New York City and New York State mental health systems. Dr. Anyikwa has published and presented on local, national and international levels on issues relating to her research interests. These include clinical issues such as: mental health, trauma, domestic violence, cultural competence, particularly as it relates to people of African descent, women, children and families. She also has an interest in organizational behavior and leadership and the responsibility to the provision of culturally competent services. A recent and burning interest includes attention to African American/Black males and their structural locations in American society. Additionally, Dr. Anyikwa has presented on issues related to teaching and learning in the online environment.
Dr. Anyikwa currently serves on the Council on Social Work Education’s Women’s Council, and as such, participated in the first White House Briefing on Social Work Education held by CSWE and the White House Office of Public Engagement in September 2013. She currently teaches social work research methods, evidence based practice, and macro practice focusing on organizational change.
Dr. Anyikwa is a proud Caribbean-American, and a wife and mother of four children. Born in Jamaica, West Indies, her family immigrated to Brooklyn, New York when she was young. While currently residing in South Florida, she claims New York where she spent most of her life, as home.
Interested in joining this network of esteemed, driven LEEADers?
LEEAD Scholars are selected to participate in the LEEAD Program through a competitive process. As part of their involvement in the LEEAD Program, Scholars gain and enhance their knowledge and practice of CREE with support from Mentors, coursework on CREE, and an applied Practicum experience.
