Career Path of an Impact and Evaluation Consultant as an Independent Consultant

I've had a rather winding career path with many different experiences that have led me to where I am now. In college, I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do, but I was always very interested in numbers and sports.

During summers, I worked as an office administrator for my dad, who was a doctor. I handled typical office tasks, and with my computer skills, I also supported other secretaries with database management and processing insurance claims. During the academic year, I worked in the sports information office at Wellesley College, tracking statistics for various events and teams.

I also wrote for our college newspaper as a sports beat writer. In addition to these roles, I was a varsity field hockey player for all four years of college. I believe this experience significantly helped me develop time management and teamwork skills.

I majored in math with a minor in economics, which made me consider a career in finance. My final college internship was at an investment bank in Cleveland, where I assisted with database management and research. They offered me a full-time position after graduation, but I wanted to move and accepted a different offer in New York City.

I then worked at an economic consulting firm called Nera Economic Consulting for three years, serving as a researcher and analyst. Two of those years were in New York. I later moved to Los Angeles after meeting someone and relocating across the country.

My employer allowed me to work remotely for a year, during which I developed my technical skills, becoming proficient in Excel. I learned to apply statistical and economic models to estimate damages for class-action litigations, which was the firm's focus. I also learned programming and coding, processing both quantitative and qualitative data.

This experience led me to realize my interest in statistics and its real-world applications, which offered more practical uses than my math degree alone. Consequently, I spent four years at UCLA pursuing my master's and PhD in Statistics.

While at UCLA, I worked as a teaching assistant and teaching fellow, instructing undergraduate statistics courses and a graduate-level course on teaching statistics. I also worked as a graduate student researcher on educational research in statistics, helping develop curriculum to make the subject more accessible. Additionally, I mentored high school and undergraduate students in statistics and computer science summer programs.

I received a fellowship for my dissertation research, which was highly theoretical, focusing on non-parametric and computational statistics. Around this time, I began volunteering at Minds Matter. This volunteer work, combined with my educational and teaching roles in Los Angeles, solidified my interest in education. I became passionate about closing opportunity and access gaps for students who may not have had the same advantages I benefited from growing up.

After completing my doctorate, I joined a market research firm for five years, focusing on applied research and statistical applications. Although this role wasn't directly related to education, I worked as a senior consultant and engagement manager in advanced analytics at a firm called Hypothesis. We conducted data analysis and modeling for clients like Disney, Starbucks, Mattel, and Netflix.

Through this work, I gained valuable experience leading teams of analysts and researchers, conducting complex consumer insights research, and collaborating across departments to build analytical capacity and support.

More recently, I was presented with an opportunity to apply my skills in the education sector at a nonprofit called The Broad Center in Los Angeles. I served as the senior director of data research and evaluation for almost five years. Our organization ran two leadership development programs for educators focused on advancing equity for students in public schools: one for superintendents and another for mid-career professionals transitioning into education administration.

My team supported research, data analysis, information systems, knowledge sharing, and learning management systems. We primarily focused on evaluation to measure the impact of these programs on K-12 education across the United States. I led program and impact evaluation, along with other strategic initiatives.

The Broad Center relocated to the East Coast in 2020. After assisting with that transition, I took time off during my second pregnancy. I began taking on small consulting projects through friendships, which unexpectedly led me to my current role as a full-time independent consultant.

I now focus on impact and evaluation within the nonprofit sector for mission-driven organizations. I work with various nonprofits and foundations in Los Angeles and nationwide, helping them define, achieve, and measure their desired impact for their communities. I often undertake projects independently but also collaborate with former colleagues from The Broad Center. Many of us have become consultants, and one colleague has her own firm, Foggy PS and Consulting, where I serve as Chief Impact Officer.

My colleagues and I also launched the Social Studies Accelerator initiative through the nonprofit Education Leaders of Color. Our goal is to connect creators of culturally sustaining social studies content, which better represents the country's diversity, with schools and districts seeking such resources. We aim to bring high-quality social studies into classrooms, and I also serve as the Chief Impact Officer for this initiative. It's been a long and winding path, but that's how I've arrived at my current position.