Institute for Veterans and Military Families

National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation
My team assisted the Museum and the Griffin Institute develop 9 theories of change across their various centers and programs. Once finalized, we used these theories of change to ground the development of a comprehensive evaluation plan for both organizations that fit within the larger strategy and mission of the Foundation. Our next step is a multi-phase implementation of the evaluation plan.
Role: Project Lead

George W. Bush Institute’s Veteran Leadership Program
Each year the George W. Bush Presidential Center, selects accomplished leaders with a strong desire to impact veteran issues from across the country and brings them together through the five-month intensive Veteran Leadership Program. The IVMF has served as external evaluators for this program since 2018 through both surveys and in-person observations of program activities, and I have led these efforts since 2023.
Role: Project Lead

United Through Reading
Building off of the findings from my master’s thesis, we have developed measures to assess program outcomes related to child literacy, child well-being, family well-being, family connection, and service member/caregiver morale and are currently implementing them in a longitudinal survey of program participants.
Role: Project Lead

Tennessee Board of Regents
In collaboration with the Research Team, we evaluated strategies presented by the Veterans Education Task Force in 2014 to identify whether state policy actions had addressed barriers to student veteran access and completion at TBR community colleges and colleges of applied technology. These efforts include an inventory filled out by representatives of each TBR institution and surveys of staff/faculty and students. Through this work, we produced both full-length and summary reports.
Role: Project Support

Elks National Veterans Service Coalition
We evaluated the three programs comprising their “Welcome Home Initiative”, all of which assist veterans who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. We conducted interviews with Elks members and community partners, a survey of Elks members, and a thorough review of existing data surrounding the programs. Deliverables included both an evidence base for the initiative, a full report, and 10-page visual report detailing findings and recommendations for the initiative.
Role: Project Lead

The Mission Continues
We reviewed several surveys used by The Mission Continues to collect data throughout the year and provided recommendations on how to improve data collection and analysis. Additionally, we wrote a job description for a new evaluation position, including where this new position could sit within the existing organizational chart and tips for the hiring process.
Role: Project Support

Operation Gratitude
In collaboration with the Research Team, we conducted an assessment of volunteer activities through Operation Gratitude, as well as the reception of their care packages with beneficiaries. The project resulted in both a full-length report and five summary reports to communicate findings to different stakeholders (volunteers, funders, the board, staff, and a general summary).
Role: Project Support