About the Evaluator
Independent evaluation consultant specializing in geoscience education, STEM workforce development, and broadening participation. PhD in Geoscience Education and 25 years of K12 STEM teaching experience. I bring understanding of both research design and practitioner needs to evaluation work.
I conduct mixed-methods program evaluations, needs assessments, and broader impacts assessments for government and philanthropic projects (N=10-2,500). My evaluation work includes undergraduate research experiences, internship programs, professional development initiatives, and K12 curriculum interventions.
As an NSF Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow (2018-2019), I managed program evaluation and reporting for multiple NSF Geoscience Directorate education grants. Named an AAAS Fellow in 2022 for leadership in geoscience education, I currently evaluate programs nationwide through OrbWeaver Consulting, focusing on equity, place-based learning, and community science outcomes.
Evaluation Background
I specialize in...
- Qualitative methods
- Quantitative methods
- Mixed methods
- Culturally responsive evaluation
- Developmental evaluation
- Participatory evaluation approaches
- Theory-driven evaluation
- Utilization-focused evaluation
I have worked with projects in the areas of:
- NSF projects other than ATE (e.g., IUSE, S-STEM, AISL, HSI, ADVANCE)
- Projects at two-year colleges
- STEM education projects supported by funder other than NSF
Training and Certifications
- Graduate coursework in evaluation
- Professional development workshops, webinars, or online courses on evaluation
Outside of Work, I enjoy...
…hiking in Colorado’s mountains, exploring geology in the field, and connecting with geoscience educators at conferences. I also enjoy mentoring early-career evaluators and researchers.
A Successful Evaluation...
…creates space for authentic dialogue between evaluators, program leaders, and participants. It balances rigor with relevance, accountability with learning, and produces insights that programs can actually use to improve.
My Working Style...
…is collaborative, responsive, and focused on building trust. I listen carefully to understand program goals before designing evaluation plans, communicate regularly throughout the process, and deliver findings in formats tailored to different audiences.
EvaluATE is supported by the National Science Foundation under grant number 2332143. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed on this site are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.