Afi Wiggins, PhD

Afi is a 20+ year veteran in research and evaluation and an effective executive leader. In her position as managing director at the Charles A. Dana Center, she leads the development and implementation of comprehensive, coherent, and evidence-based strategies for equity-minded systemic and structural reform that positively impact students in K12, postsecondary education, and the high school-to-college transition spaces. Afi establishes and operationalizes long-term strategic goals and priorities in programmatic, partnership, and philanthropic development. She is a transformative leader, strategic thought partner, and consummate educator. Afi effectively enculturates organizations to ground decisions and actions in appropriate, meaningful, and impactful evidence.

Asma Ali, PhD

Dr. Asma Ali is an evaluation leader and educator with more than two decades of experience designing and leading evaluations that strengthen equity, learning, and impact. As Founder and Principal Consultant of A.A. & Associates, LLC, she partners with organizations across sectors to advance evidence-based decision-making through culturally responsive and participatory approaches. She also teaches graduate-level courses in evaluation and policy analysis at Loyola University Chicago. Dr. Ali’s work spans federal, state, and community contexts, including roles at Deloitte Consulting, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and the American Society for Clinical Pathology.

Chandria D. Jones, PhD, MPH

Chandria is a Principal Research Scientist in Public Health at NORC at the University of Chicago. Specializing in behavioral health, health equity, and health communications, she spearheads culturally responsive and equitable evaluation and research, integrating community engagement and participatory methods. Dr. Jones’ work has a strong racial equity and systems change focus, emphasizing the need to understand the complex social, cultural, and historical factors necessary to transform policies and practices. She is an editor of the book, Culturally Responsive and Equitable Evaluation: Visions and Voices of Emerging Scholars, which celebrates emerging scholars from historically marginalized backgrounds who are enriching the landscape of culturally responsive and equitable evaluation. She is an alumnus of the Leaders in Equitable Evaluation and Diversity (LEEAD) scholars program, a member of the Advancing Culturally responsive and Equitable (ACE) Evaluation Network, and an Advisory Team Member for Expanding the Bench. Dr. Jones earned her Ph.D. in Behavioral and Community Health from the University of Maryland, College Park, and M.P.H. from Florida International University.

David E. Garcia, EdD, MPH

With almost 30 years in public health management, health equity research, and evaluation science, Dr. Garcia offers a distinctive blend of bi-cultural Chicanx perspectives cultivated across the Midwest, Seattle, New York, and Texas. His extensive background includes disease prevention, treatment, testing, and healthcare access for diverse populations. As a former LEEAD Scholar in Cohort 2, Dr. Garcia passionately champions culturally responsive evaluation methods and Lean Six Sigma-rooted quality improvement initiatives. He holds a Doctorate in Health Education and Behavior from Columbia University and a Master of Public Health from the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. Currently Director of Quality Improvement at the Texas Center for Infectious Disease, Dr. Garcia remains committed to improving health outcomes. Beyond his professional role, he takes pleasure in watching reality TV, mirror-side dance routines, and cultivating an extensive knowledge of Beyoncé.

Dawn X. Henderson, PhD

Dr. Dawn Henderson is a community psychologist and founder of WeClaim Research, LLC, where she partners with organizations and communities to design healing-centered and transformative research agendas. With over 15 years of experience across higher education, philanthropy, and community-based organizations, her work integrates culturally responsive and equitable evaluation to advance racial equity and collective power.

Previously, Dr. Henderson served as Director of Research, Power Building at Village of Wisdom and held research leadership roles at Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her work continues to bridge community knowledge and institutional learning to build capacity for sustainable, justice-centered change.

Felecia Bennett-Clark, M.A

Felecia is a passionate evaluator with over 20 years of experience. Since 2018, she has served as Senior Project Manager at JFM Consulting Group, leading influential evaluation projects across health equity, public policy, philanthropy, and community. She brings a unique blend of qualitative and quantitative expertise, skillfully employing mixed methods to generate meaningful insights. Before joining JFM, Felecia was the Director of Evaluation and Research at a community mental health agency, where her extensive work in both academic and community settings laid the foundation for her current work. Her contributions to the field were recognized with the Michigan Association for Evaluation (MAE) Service Award in 2023. Her scholarly work has appeared in respected journals including the National Council of Behavioral Health and the Journal of Dual Diagnosis. Felecia holds an M.A. in Political Science from Wayne State University and has achieved ABD status, completing her doctoral coursework and qualifying exams before pausing to focus on family. In addition to her consulting work, she teaches Political Science, Leadership Development, and Community Organizing, and serves on the board of the Community Learning Partnership.

Kimberly N. Harris, PhD, MBA

Dr. Kimberly Harris (Kim) is the founder and principal of Educa Consulting, a full-service research and evaluation firm. With over a decade of experience in research and evaluation, Kim’s evaluative and research practices frequently employ a diverse set of methodological approaches including quasi-experimental design, survey instrumentation, and cognitive testing in collaboration with community. Her background as a social science researcher and evaluator, as well as her extensive experience managing research, evaluation, and consulting projects for clients in the public and private sector, has afforded her opportunities to work extensively with communities across the country. Dr. Harris received a PhD in Education Research and Policy Analysis, with a concentration in Industrial Psychology from North Carolina State University, a Master’s in Business Administration from Campbell University, and a dual Bachelors in Economics and African-American Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel-Hill. She completed her postdoctoral work at The University of California, Berkeley.

Kristen Burwell Naney, PhD, MPH

Dr. Donna Mertens, Professor Emeritus at Gallaudet University, specializes in research and evaluation methodologies designed to support social transformation. She has authored/co-authored many methodological books related to social, economic, and environmental justice and human rights, most recently Mixed Methods Research, Program Evaluation Theory and Practice (2nd ed.); Mixed Methods Design in Evaluation; and Research and Evaluation in Education and Psychology (5th ed.). She has consulted with many international agencies, such as the Centers for Disease Control, Johnson & Johnson Foundation, F3E, UN Women, Engineers without Borders Canada, and the WK Kellogg Foundation. Mertens served as the editor for the Journal of Mixed Methods Research from 2010-2014. She was President of the American Evaluation Association in 1998 and served on the Board from 1997-2002; she was a founding Board member of the International Organization for Cooperation in Evaluation and the Mixed Methods International Research Association.

Leah Christina Neubauer, EdD

Dr. Leah Christina Neubauer’s primary area of scholarship is curriculum development and training in the public health and health-related professions. She conducts collaborative global mixed-methods research focused on the development, implementation, evaluation and dissemination of health and education programs across the USA and in Kenya, Nigeria, Zambia and Mozambique. Her work employs multidisciplinary, theory-driven approaches to accreditation, teaching, training, and evaluation capacity-building within varied settings. She is an Associate Professor of Preventive Medicine in the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University where she teaches graduate-level courses in global health, public health and evaluation. She holds leadership roles in the evaluation and public health education professional communities serving as: past co-chair of the American Evaluation Association (AEA) Local Affiliate Collaborative (LAC), appointed leader on the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) Framing the Future 2030 Task Force, and an accreditation Site Visit Chair with the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH).

Margaret Hargreaves, MPP, PhD

Dr. Meg Hargreaves is a Senior Fellow in Health Care Evaluation, experienced in directing evaluations of racial equity, community capacity building, and other systemic change initiatives addressing a range of complex issues, including adverse childhood experiences, justice, social and economic determinants of health, health care disparities, democratic elections, and climate change. She has directed racial equity evaluation projects for a range of federal agencies and foundations, including the MacArthur Foundation, Marion Kauffman Foundation, Kresge Foundation, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Casey Family Programs, St. David’s Foundation, Democracy Fund, and the California Endowment. 

Michael Arnold, PhD

Michael Arnold is a Partner & Co-Executive Director at Informing Change. He designs evaluations and leads teams on projects focused on racial, gender, income, and health equity. Michael draws on his background in advanced statistical methods in the fields of epidemiology and social science, as well as mixed methods evaluation, to support clients and communities. His work emphasizes telling stories of impact and raising insights for strategic directions to advance racial and intersectional equity. He has worked extensively in the health and social services sectors (particularly in San Francisco and the Alameda Counties) to evaluate and research programs addressing structural determinants of health and health equity. Michael holds a PhD, Master of Social Welfare, and an MPH from the University of California, Berkeley, is a current member of the Advancing Culturally-Responsive and Equitable (ACE) Evaluation Network, and was a 2019 cohort member of the Racial Equity Action Institute of Northern California Grantmakers.

Monique Liston, PhD, MPH

Dr. Monique Inez Liston is the Founder, Chief Strategist, and Joyful Militant at UBUNTU Research and Evaluation, a strategic learning organization based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She is a self-identified Afrofuturist who believes that Black people should imagine the future unencumbered by oppression and its intersection and that getting to that future requires Black people’s radical imagination and creative thought. She is a proud alum of Howard University. She remains #bisonproud even after obtaining a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Delaware and a PhD in Urban Education from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. Shepherd Express nominated her organization as Best Place to Work for Social Justice in 2021 and 2022. She was selected as a winner of the Milwaukee Business Journal’s Diversity in Business Awards in 2022. If the anti-Black, sexist, queerphobic capitalism didn’t ravage this world, she would be a chef and storyteller. If you read this bio, she hopes that you feel the desire to build better communities with those you love.

Nidal Karim, PhD

Dr. Nidal Karim (she/her) is a feminist researcher and embodiment practitioner who supports individuals and collectives to feel held, heard, and inspired. Her work centers and supports collaborations with communities at the margins, in their autonomous journeys toward equity and social change. Nidal has provided guidance to various institutions and groups as they evolve toward justice-centered and liberatory approaches and practices. Her experiences encompass leading multi-site gender justice programs; engaging in participatory and mixed-methods research, evaluation, and learning initiatives; as well as strategic support to nonprofit and philanthropic organizations. Nidal’s passions include immersing herself in nature, fostering growth through somatic and writing practices, promoting positive sexuality, and collectively envisioning and building futures focused on justice, joy, and healing.

Penelope Huang, PhD, MA

For nearly two decades now, Penelope (Penny) has been supporting nonprofit, philanthropic, and government organizations in their work to bolster thriving communities, families, and children. Penny seeks to elevate social justice and equity issues and identify root causes to right the wrongs in her world. She is experienced in program evaluation and research design, and in a variety of methodological approaches to data collection, analysis, and dissemination of findings. Penny provides thought partnership and all manner of supports from note-taking and meeting facilitation to strategic planning to her clients. Her pet content areas of expertise include early childhood education, school readiness, community development, child welfare, opportunity youth, mental health, and family demography. Penny holds an MA in Psychology from Brandeis University, a PhD in Sociology from the University of Washington, and completed postdoctoral work in Demography at the Population Studies Center at the University of Michigan. She strives to use her powers for fighting the good fight.

Rita S. Fierro, PhD

Dr. Rita Fierro is a coach, social justice consultant, community builder, and program evaluator who inspires and supports progressive, trailblazing leaders birthing a more humane world. Her firm, Fierro Consulting, LLC, has increased the effectiveness of organizations internationally that are committed to reducing racism and sexism by helping them realign their internal cultures with their values, measuring their results, and focusing on systems transformation. In her latest book, Digging Up the Seeds of White Supremacy, Dr. Rita explores how exploitation and oppression have branched into persistent structures that are resistant to change. The book also addresses the extensive trauma this creates and how we can transform the world through our personal and collective healing. Dr. Rita has studied systemic racism and its effects for more than 30 years. She has a PhD in African American Studies from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA, and a Master’s in Sociology from the University of Rome, Italy. Dr. Rita comes from a long line of traditional healers and is both a Reiki and Family Systems Constellation practitioner.

Tara Dixon, DSc, MPH

Dr. Tara Dixon is an experienced healthcare leader, evaluator, and researcher. Dr. Dixon founded the Research and Evaluation Group (EvalGroup) established in 2009 as a full-service research and evaluation firm specializing in providing professional services in the evolving fields of public health and healthcare. Under Dr. Dixon’s leadership, EvalGroup has served as the prime contractor for over 70 grants/contracts – recently 12 federally funded and seven contracted governmental agencies. Her firm works with federal agencies such as the Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), the National Institute of Health (NIH), and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHSA), assessing their programmatic efforts, developing research grants, scientific reports, and presentations. She is an expert in public, behavioral, and community health; research; and evaluation. She has evaluated multi-site chronic disease and substance abuse prevention projects domestically and internationally. Dr. Dixon earned her BS in Physical Science/Chemistry from Auburn University, and her Master of Public Health and Doctor of Science in Healthcare Leadership from the University of Alabama-Birmingham. As a military spouse, Dr. Dixon is an advocate for veterans, remote/flexible work for spouses, women in the workplace, and women back to work. She also enjoys traveling, running, and ice skating.