2023-24 Staff Highlights

Lori Wingate

Executive Director

"I'm proud of....insert quote."

Awards

• 2024 John A. Seeley Friend of Evaluation Award, Michigan Association for Evaluation
• 2024 Excellence in Discovery Award, Western Michigan University

Service

• Expert Panelist, RAND's evaluation of Army Community Service family programs
• Member, Empowering Futures Gift Steering Committee (2023-present)
• Member, Ad Hoc committee on University Centers and Institutes (2024)
• Lead, Empowering Futures Gift Evaluation Workgroup (2022-present)
• Member, Gardner Institute Equity in Retention Academy Work Group (2023)
• Participant, Point of Distinction Workshops (2023)
• Member, Evaluation Working Group, Empowering Futures Gift (2023)

Brad Watts

Assistant Director

"Two accomplishments I’m especially proud of this year are successfully launching the new NIH-ComPASS project and completing the much-anticipated 'RFP Checklist'—which has now been submitted for review!"

Award

• 2023-24 Research Excellence Award, Western Michigan University, Office of Research and Innovation

Service

• Chair, Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation (term ended 12/31/2023)
• Executive Committee Treasurer, Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation 
• Site Visit Panelist, National Science Foundation AGEP UC HIRE Alliance, July 2023
• Secretary and board member, Meadows Homeowners Association

Brandon Youker

Evaluation Lab Director

"I’m most proud of the incredible learning happening within the lab and the amazing progress our team of student evaluators is making!"

Award

• Student Supervisor of the Year Award, Career and Student Employment Services, Western Michigan University

Service

• Pro-bono evaluation consulting with Van Buren Intermediate School District

   

Lyssa Wilson Becho

Principal Research Associate

"This year, I’m particularly grateful for the reception of my article on the garden of evaluation approaches, developed with my colleagues Bianca Montrosse-Moorhead and Daniela Schröter. The article was published in the American Journal of Evaluation online first and received over 3,000 downloads in the first month! "

Awards

• 2024 Excellence in Discovery Award, Western Michigan University
• 2024 American Evaluation Association Marcia Guttentag Promising New Evaluator Award

Service

• Webmaster, STEM TIG, American Evaluation Association
• Panel Reviewer, National Science Foundation

Megan Lopez

Senior Research Associate

"I’m especially proud of the ongoing work Lyssa Wilson Becho and I are doing as guest editors for an upcoming New Directions for Evaluation issue on evaluating evaluation capacity building. In 2023-2024, we led a call for authors, bringing together contributors from diverse backgrounds, settings, and disciplines. "

Service

• Judge, American Evaluation Association Student Evaluation Case Competition

• Invited Panel Speaker, "Careers in Evaluation," hosted by the Greater Boston Evaluation Network and Northeastern University Public Evaluation Lab

   

Stephen Magura

Researcher Emeritus

"This year, I completed a major national research project, Advancing Oral Fluid."

Award

• 2024 Excellence in Research Award, Western Michigan University

Service

• Chief editor, Substance Use and Misuse
• Consulting editor, Health and Social Work
• Elected member, College on Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD)
• Elected member, Research Society on Alcoholism (RSA)

Mary Ramlow

Administrative Assistant II

"I retired on January 5, 2024 with 51 years of service to Western Michigan University. I'm proud of the time I invested."

Service

• Co-Building Coordinator, Ellsworth Hall, WMU
• Co-Chair, Ellsworth Hall Emergency Team, WMU
• Member, Professional Support Staff Organization, WMU
• Member, Administrative Professional Association, WMU
• Member, American Evaluation Association (AEA)
• Member, American Society of Public Administration (ASPA)
• Member, Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM)

Valerie Marshall

Senior Research Associate

"An accomplishment that I'm proud of for the fiscal year 2023-2024 is playing a major role in the successful acquisition of two grants that began in September 2023. The ComPASS and MPCA grants."

Service

• Junior Editor, New Directions for Evaluation
• Research Article Section Editor, Journal of MultiDisciplinary Evaluation
• Proposal Reviewer, American Evaluation Association
• Activities Coordinator, American Evaluation Association RoE TIG

Erika Sturgis

Project Manager

"An accomplishment I am proud of from 23-24 is focusing the year on professional development growth within The EC and my career. Both trainings that I participated in allowed me to be a better colleague, leader, and evaluator. I am so thankful for the opportunity to attend both utilizing PD funds. Things learned from each event have already started to impact the work I do daily."

Maureen Green

Project Assistant Senior

"This year I've been learning about accessibility and data visualization, and I have been enjoying exploring those aspects of my work.

Arlen Gullickson

Emeritus Researcher

"My proudest accomplishment this year is my publication, which highlights the importance of formative assessment in ATE evaluations—a topic often overlooked in favor of summative approaches. The paper synthesizes the historical and practical connection between formative and summative efforts more clearly than previous work, emphasizing the need for balanced evaluation strategies."

Lee McClure

Project Manager

"As a new team member, I’m proud of the progress I've made learning the ins and outs of EvaluATE's ATE Survey. Completing the Research Universities Alliance Evaluation was another highlight this year—a rewarding experience that has deepened my skills and knowledge."

Samantha Hooker

Marketing Specialist Senior

"I'm proud to have played a role in organizing The Evaluation Center's 50th anniversary celebrations, which included a reception, video, blog series, and social media campaign. Additionally, redesigning the center's website and working to amplify awareness of the EC's great work was rewarding."

Miranda Jade Lee-Easton

Research Associate

"I'm proud of publishing my book with Michael Maranda, and contributing two book chapters to Perspectives on Evidence-Based Policy in Human Services."

Rebecca Ruiz

Administrative Assistant II

"An accomplishment I'm proud of from the 23-24 fiscal year is joining the EC team! I have enjoyed assisting staff and our other community partners. I have been updating our procedures and expanding our Office Procedures Handbook to reflect current methods of operation."

Tina Smith-Balanda

Budget Analyst

"I'm proud of assisting other units on campus with calculating salary recovery from grant funding."

Cecilia Chapleau

Research Assistant

"I received the Presidential Scholar Award for Political Science. I have also enjoyed volunteering at the SPCA because I can hang out with kittens and cats! Lastly, I am proud of my Lee Honors College Thesis, in which I analyzed the impact of food stamps on food insecurity in Michigan and Indiana. I learned the statistical software R to complete my analysis."

Kelly Robertson

Principal Research Associate

Melissa Dancy

Principal Research Associate

Ruqayyah Abu-Obaid

Research Associate

Ernest Au

Senior Data Analyst