Collective Insights Northwest

I grew up in New York and as a child, I loved to sew and cook with my grandma and go to Syracuse games with my grandpa. I was a Spanish major in college and wanted to be an interpreter for the U.N. but switched to Sociology when I couldn’t roll my Rs and began flunking classes. I am an ‘accidental grad student’–When I couldn’t pay back my student loans, my advisors helped me apply to grad school so my loans would be in deferment. I carried student loans for over 25 years. I have a longstanding commitment to racial and social justice work and value intersectional approaches. I have worked in a variety of sectors (non-profit, foundations, government, higher education) in a range of places (Northeast, MidWest, South and Pacific Northwest). I now live in the Pacific NW with my daughter and two dogs. When I am not working, I am probably volunteering in my community (Community Cycle Center & Ethos are two of my favorite local organizations), listening to music and wishing I could dance, looking at maps and daydreaming about traveling (I’ve been to every state except Hawaii), or baking something with my daughter. I am also working toward my encore career as a comedy writer and waiting for Trevor Noah to discover me…

I have been conducting research and program evaluation for nearly a decade in a variety of contexts including a USAID project in Vietnam, nonprofit organizations in Portland, and most recently as an internal evaluator for Multnomah County. I earned my B.A. from Willamette University and M.P.P. from Portland State University where I developed a passion for inquiry and honed an interdisciplinary approach to solving problems. I have extensive experience with mixed methods design and developing tailored data collection instruments including interviews, focus groups, and surveys. I also have a breadth of experience analyzing and reporting large qualitative and quantitative datasets for diverse audiences. I am passionate about collaborating with partners to determine the best evidence-based and context-specific approaches that meet their needs. This ensures the process is as respectful and meaningful as the resulting insights. I feel my impact is greatest when helping organizations build long-term performance management practices. This work is grounded in theory of change/action, performance measures, ongoing feedback and data processes, continuous quality improvement, and strategic planning.

I believe that when used appropriately, research and evaluation are tools for promoting social justice and redressing power imbalances. I am particularly driven by opportunities to amplify the voices, experiences, and representation of marginalized communities, especially those impacted by systemic racism and oppression. I am the child of immigrants and the first person in my family to go to college. I identify as white and bicultural/bilingual French/American.

I was born and raised in Hawai’i and identify as Kānaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) and Filipino. When I moved to Oregon to earn my degree in Ethnic Studies from the University of Oregon, in data sets I was relegated to an asterisk or a footnote; an outlier because I was not statistically significant. I didn’t understand what this meant at the time. After garnering more than ten years of experience wrangling, analyzing, and drawing insights from data the implications became clear that Data Analytics is both head work and heart work (what we do with the work, how you present it, and who you center). Often when we talk about data, we do it in a way in which we exclude people when we should be making it available for everyone to understand.

With this in mind, I leverage my passion for data to empower organizations through the use of visualizations and analytics. I have participated in a number of initiatives and projects, most recently as an internal senior data analyst for Multnomah County, centering and promoting racial equity. My expertise in using data visualization and analytic tools, such as Tableau and PowerBI, allows for a clear illustration of data and the points being made with it. My commitment to analytical excellence extends beyond numbers; it is rooted in the belief that data can be wielded to make a positive impact, especially if used to address the needs identified by those the data is about.