About the Evaluator
Dr. Jacqueline Peña is the Founder and CEO of Empowerment Through Education (ETE), an evaluation, research, and consulting firm that partners with educational institutions to improve student success and organizational effectiveness. She has served as an external evaluator for federally funded initiatives supported by agencies including the U.S. Department of Education, National Science Foundation (NSF), USDA, and Aspen. Her evaluation work spans STEM education, undergraduate research, workforce development, faculty development, student virtual exchanges, and initiatives to increase students’ course pass rates and persistence. Dr. Peña specializes in designing mixed-methods evaluations, developing logic models and performance measures, facilitating continuous improvement processes, and translating data into actionable insights. She brings over 25 years of experience in education and has led evaluations for K-12, community college, university, and nonprofit programs nationwide.
Evaluation Background
I specialize in...
- Qualitative methods
- Quantitative methods
- Mixed methods
- Culturally responsive evaluation
- Developmental evaluation
- Empowerment evaluation
- Participatory evaluation approaches
I have worked with projects in the areas of:
- ATE projects
- NSF projects other than ATE (e.g., IUSE, S-STEM, AISL, HSI, ADVANCE)
- STEM education projects supported by funder other than NSF
Training and Certifications
- Professional development workshops
- Webinars
- Online courses on evaluation
Outside of Work, I enjoy...
…reading books, long-distance walking with a good audiobook, music, dancing, and creative writing.
A Successful Evaluation...
…measures more than just program outcomes. The evaluation provides feedback and actionable insights to improve programs or projects. The evaluation also tells a transparent, data-backed story about the project and the students served by that project.
My Working Style...
…is practical and collaborative. I see myself as a partner in the project, working together ideally from the grant writing process or from the moment the project begins. Clients can expect clear communication, responsiveness, and professionalism.
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.