Stacey M. Kesten, Ph.D. (she/her)
Co-Founder & Principal Consultant
Dr. Stacey Kesten is an equity-oriented researcher, evaluation practitioner, mentor, and advocate focused on the intersections of community wellbeing, strategic learning, and social change. She received her Ph.D. in Teaching & Learning from the University of Miami in 2016. Prior to her Ph.D. she earned a Master's of Science in Education with a specialization in Community and Social Change from the University of Miami and a Master’s of Education in Educational Psychology from the University of Regina, Canada. Over the past 15 years, Stacey has led or played a supportive role on more than 50 research and evaluation projects across Canada and the United States. She has extensive experience with a wide range of methodological tools and approaches for understanding complex social and organizational phenomena and applying evaluative thinking and practices to investigating and assessing process, outcomes, and impact. She thrives when given a challenge and is a true eval nerd, taking great pleasure in solving complex evaluation-related problems through conceptualizing innovative design solutions and taking the time to learn from and reflect on evaluative practice. In addition to consulting, Stacey has taught several university courses and regularly guest lectures on collaborative approaches to evaluation.
Susie Paterson, Ph.D.
Co-Founder
Dr. Susie Paterson is an applied researcher committed to using her knowledge and skills to help strengthen community initiatives and organizational practices. She received her Ph.D. in Community Well-Being from the University of Miami. Susie has been involved in community-based research and evaluation projects with various non-profits and social change organizations throughout Massachusetts and Miami-Dade County. Her methodological toolbox includes both quantitative and qualitative methodologies, and she uses a social network perspective in her work with community organizations and coalitions. When Susie is not working she likes to spend time enjoying the outdoors with her terrier-mix Animal.
Scot Evans, Ph.D. (he/his)
Senior Advisor & Critical Friend
Dr. Scot Evans is an Associate Professor in the Department of Educational and Psychological Studies in the School of Education and Human Development at the University of Miami. He is a community-engaged researcher working to understand and support the role of community-based organizations, networks, and coalitions in building capacity and collective power to promote community wellbeing, social change, and social justice. Dr. Evans has over 20 years of experience utilizing collaborative, participatory, developmental, and action-oriented approaches to evaluation and research in partnership with community-based organizations and coalitions. Dr. Evans received his Ph.D. in Community Research and Action at Peabody College of Vanderbilt University and hold a master’s degree in Human Development Counseling also from Vanderbilt. He joined the UM faculty in 2008. Scot is the editor of the open-access journal “Collaborations: A Journal of Community-Based Research and Practice” and co-author of the 3rd edition of the textbook “Community Psychology: In Pursuit of Liberation and Well-Being.” Dr. Evans designed and currently teaches a graduate-level course on “Organizational Learning” and has facilitated learning communities for university faculty, human service practitioners, and community activists. Scot has led numerous evaluation and action research projects on a variety of issues such as youth homelessness, community health/health equity, school reform, poverty reduction, human services collaboration/systems of care, climate justice, and inequity in the foster care system. He has many years of experience with theory-driven evaluation and action research in diverse community settings. Scot is a bass player and harmony vocalist and spent his 20’s touring in a rock band and running an independent record company.
Katie Beem, Ph.D.
Senior Associate
Dr. Katie Beem is a pragmatic, equity-focused problem solver with a passion for understanding complex social-ecological systems and developing robust frameworks and measures to foster organizational impact. Her experiences range from investigating environmental education programs to designing science curriculum to community-based research for food justice. She has a Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Policy from the University of Miami and expertise in mixed-method and integrative approaches to research, education, and evaluation. In addition to consulting with CCG, Dr. Beem is an Evaluation Associate at Colorado State University. She was previously a professor at Marquette University and Cornell University, where she taught science and research methods, and spent summers as an expedition leader in Peru for a non-profit. Her attention to detail and extensive background in quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches allows her to pull from a wide range of knowledge to fit the task at hand.She has specific experience collaboratively leading organizations and researchers through logic model and theory of change development in fields ranging from youth education to STEM research impacts. Dr. Beem also lends her quantitative data expertise to performing data audits for non profit organizations, informing larger data strategy development. She ultimately uses these experiences and skills to help organizations and programs develop measurement, evaluation and learning plans in diverse contexts, from short term impact projects to organization wide multi-year strategic plans.
Miryam Haarlammert, Ph.D.
Associate
Dr. Miryam Haarlammert has been involved in various research projects focusing on community well-being, parent-led initiatives, and migrant (refugee and immigrant) youth educational pathways. Miryam received her doctoral degree from the Community Well-Being program at the University of Miami in 2019. As a researcher, she emphasizes building relationships within research teams, and with project stakeholders and community members, striving for fair, honest, and effective partnerships. Her methodological practices utilize various approaches, with a concentration on qualitative research tools. When she’s not collaborating on projects, Miryam spends time with family, mostly playing with her energetic and curious toddler or relaxing with her cat, Comet.
Eliana Tirado, M.S.
Associate
Eliana Tirado lives at the intersection of program evaluation and data visualization. She received her Master's degree in Microfinance and Financial Inclusion from the Autonomous University of Madrid. Eliana is passionate about socially-driven organizations, applying storytelling elements to graphs, and cultivating a sense of community wherever she goes. Her years of experience in customer relations allow her to lead with empathy and focus on her current projects. Her favorite book is The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, and her favorite quote is, "When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."
Caitlin Weiger, Ph.D. Candidate
Associate
Caitlin Weiger is a Ph.D. Candidate at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in the Department of Health, Behavior & Society, where she also received her MHS in 2017. She has received training in advanced quantitative methods and statistical analysis, including longitudinal data analysis, multilevel modeling, spatial analysis, and latent class analysis. She also has considerable experience assessing the psychometric qualities of published measures to select valid and reliable scales and has completed coursework in this area. Her dissertation focuses on assessing and correcting mental models of risk using nationally representative data sets, qualitative interviews, and neuroimaging.
Andrea Botero, M.S.Ed (she/her/ella)
Project Coordinator
Andrea Botero is a doctoral candidate in Community Well-Being at the University of Miami. She completed her Master’s degree in Community and Social Change at the University of Miami, and has 10+ years of experience in the nonprofit field, managing projects, and evaluating social programs. Her methodological toolbox includes both quantitative and qualitative methodologies, and she uses data visualization to engage diverse audiences through innovative storytelling. She has served as project coordinator and data manager for a number of large-scale, long-term evaluation partnerships both with CCG and EPSA at the University of Miami. Andrea is a highly proficient problem solver, Excel ninja, and Tableau master. Andrea is a proud Colombian and enjoys travelling with her husband.
Harper Atlas
Visual Designer
Harper Atlas is a UX Designer and Illustrator with tenacious curiosity and a lifelong drive to understand the how and why of things. She is forever striving to further understand her fellow humans and their behavior. Whether she’s trying to empathize with how someone navigates a website, app, or physical product, or why they would choose to eat Triscuits over Wheat Thins, she approaches each situation with the same level of open-mindedness and curiosity. After more than a decade working in the arts, Harper decided to take her love of psychology and design to the next level. In May of 2020, she completed the User Experience Design certificate program at Lambda School. She now devotes her energy toward turning bedraggled human experiences into something truly sublime. When she’s not collaborating on design projects, Harper spends her time enjoying the company of her spouse, 2 cats, and 27 houseplants.
Raquel Farrell-Kirk, MS, ARTC
Associate
In her two decades as an art therapist, Raquel’s work has spanned from hospitals and treatment centers, to school systems and community programs. After working alongside Dr. Kesten on The Power of Art, an art therapy and public art program following the tragic school shooting in Parkland, Florida, Raquel realized that the skills that made her an effective art therapist could help her become an effective learning and evaluation specialist. Forming intentional relationships with people and organizations in order to help them uncover, understand, share and honor their stories is after all as central to the work of an evaluator as it is to the work of a therapist. In her work with CCG, Raquel specializes in process facilitation, interviewing, moderating focus group discussions, conducting qualitative analysis, and supporting collective sensemaking efforts. She is also able to bring an understanding of the creative process to the evaluation of arts-based programs and initiatives. As an immigrant who grew up in the Caribbean and later lived and worked in Miami, and as a professional who serves on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee of the American Art Therapy Association, Raquel has both formal training and lived experiences that inform her cultural competencies.
Monique Mahabir, M.S (she/her)
Associate
Monique is a Ph.D. student in the Community Well-Being program at the University of Miami and a member of the Engagement, Power, and Social Action (EPSA) research team. With a B.S. and M.S. in Psychology, she has gained experience working in quantitative, qualitative, and evaluation research. Monique’s research interests center around advocating for K-12 public school students. She aims to investigate and dismantle the structures preventing students from gaining resources, opportunities, and mental health support. Monique has made significant contributions to several evaluation partnerships and research projects both with CCG and EPSA at the University of Miami. As a proud Black Caribbean-American woman, Monique’s experience navigating in spaces both accepting and not accepting of her identity gives her a first-hand account of the implications of marginalization. Often being the “only Black person in the room” has allowed Monique to understand the viewpoints of differing cultural identities while advocating for her own. Despite her personal experiences, Monique knows the importance of accounting for intersectionality- understanding that her experiences can inform but not translate to the experiences of others.
Leigh Rauk, Ph.d. (she/her)
Associate
Dr. Leigh Rauk is an equity-driven researcher and evaluator who focuses on school safety and climate, youth development, violence prevention, community well-being, and social change. She received her Ph.D. in Community Well-Being from the University of Miami in 2021. Leigh has experience building partnerships with community organizations and their stakeholders to help shape their processes, build capacity, and facilitate community action. She has extensive skills and experience in leading and conducting mixed methods studies, analyzing and interpreting data, and translating learnings into action to advance organizational or social change. She values building authentic relationships, developing long standing partnerships, and engaging in critical reflective practice in every aspect of her work. When she’s not collaborating with community partners, Leigh is most likely in the kitchen testing out a new recipe or making delicious food for her family.
Elizabeth (Liz) McInerney, Ph.D. (she/her)
Consultant
Dr. Elizabeth (Liz) McInerney (she/her) is a counseling psychologist with an interest in action research. She is passionate about equity-driven research and evaluation centered around the access to health care and community well-being. Liz received her Ph.D. from the University of Miami in 2022 in Counseling Psychology and focused her research on the intersection of trauma and burnout among social activists with a healing justice practice. Her research strengths include qualitative methods and social network analysis. Liz has also trained extensively as a clinical therapist in a variety of community and academic settings with concentrations in mindfulness, somatics, and relationship therapy. In her spare time, Liz loves to go on long walks, dance tango, and read fiction.
Cyril Kesten, Ph.D. (He/him)
Consultant
Dr. Kesten is a Professor Emeritus of Business Education at the University of Regina. He has been a professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Regina since 1978. Dr. Kesten taught a wide variety of undergraduate and graduate courses. including courses focused on Research and Program Evaluation. Dr. Kesten consults widely in the areas of Program Development and Program Evaluation. He has consulted on the development and process of Program Evaluation projects as well as conducting program evaluations for a wide variety of government, non-profit and for-profit organizations, as well as school boards. Through his formal and informal education Dr. Kesten has acquired numerous skills related to various aspects of research and in particular Program Evaluation. These include research and evaluation design, interviewing, leading focus groups, quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis, etc. As the leader of the Business Teacher Education program at the University of Regina and an active executive member on a variety of Business Education professional organizations, Dr. Kesten’s focus has been on the issues surrounding Financial Literacy at the K-12 school level. Dr. Kesten has volunteered and worked with many non-profit, charitable and other types of organizations. He has been a member of the Saskatchewan Registered Nurse Association’s Discipline Committee, the CPA SK Practice Assessment Committee and currently sits on the CPABC Investigation Committee and the Law Society of British Columbia Tribunal Board as a Hearing Panel Pool Member.
Deborah perez, Ph.D. (she/her)
Research assistant
Dr. Deborah Perez is a Latina, Scholar-Activist born and raised in Miami, FL. She earned a doctoral degree from the University of Miami in Teaching and Learning with a focus in Special Education. Prior to her role as an educational researcher, she worked as a community practitioner and educator in the non-profit sector contributing to building organizational capacities, fund development, program evaluations and continuing education programs. Some recent projects Deborah has worked on include supporting the AIR Covid-19 and Equity in Education Research Practice Partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, exploring equity in STEM Education for youth with intersectional identities through the University of Miami's JANUS program, and providing research support for first-generation college students through Inspire U and First Star Academies to increase college access through mentorship for historically underserved students such as youth experiencing foster care, homelessness and students with disabilities. As a former foster care youth herself, Deborah is primarily dedicated to providing access and care to marginalized youth using an Emic perspective in pursuit of advancing educational research and improving transition outcomes for all youth. Deborah also has a background in music therapy supporting youth with Autism for improved cognitive and emotional functioning and uses Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation (RAS) to improve the quality of gait for elderly populations. Deborah uses a community-based participatory action research approach to further gain knowledge regarding systems change theory, interventions and policy advocacy to improve the health and quality of life for all communities.