I knew from a very young age that I was drawn to culturally responsive and equitable change work (although of course, I didn’t have the words for it back then!) It all began in elementary school, where I attended a school that was predominantly Black and Latino but most of the teachers were white. I met the school psychologist, a Black woman, when she was facilitating testing for students – like me – trying to enter the magnet program. 

I remember her warmth and care to this day. We later crossed paths when I was in middle school where she was also a psychologist and made it a point to check in on me. I was bussed over an hour away to a predominantly white school and was the only Latina in my grade. At that point, she planted a seed in the back of my mind about psychology, research, and using these modalities to support individuals like me, from communities of color.

Partially because of that seed, I ended up studying Psychology and Chicano Studies in college. One of my professors, Dr. Cheryl Grills, introduced me to a way of doing evaluation work that was community-focused. She used an equity lens, even before people used that term. It was my first introduction to see how you could blend evaluation and research while working with communities to improve the outcomes for and with that community. 

Upon graduation, I took time to figure out what kind of work I wanted to do: Do I want to provide therapy as a psychologist, or would I rather contribute through research? 

Combining my love for research and community impact

I ended up graduating in 3 years, so I decided to take a year off to explore research.  I worked at a firm that focused on evaluation for HIV programs to get a better sense of what conducting research was like, and also worked at a group home (a 50-bed locked facility with youth between the ages of 10 and 18) to get a sense of the therapeutic side of social sector work.

The experience was both incredible and heavy. I got to work with kids and support them, but I knew if I wanted my own family, I wouldn’t have the bandwidth or the emotional capacity to give everything I needed to my work and my home. These kids were dealing with so much harm and trauma in the group home. 

I realized I wanted to be in a position where I could help people before so much hurt was done to them. That’s when I started learning about how program evaluators could support systems change efforts by using qualitative and quantitative data to improve services and programs. 

Years later, I ended up doing evaluation work for an educational program at my old elementary school! The school received a grant that linked them to community providers and parents. This was an incredible opportunity because the program built on the strengths that already existed in the community to ensure they had more decision-making power. Instead of focusing on gaps or conducting research on the community, I was able to conduct research with the community I was from, as a partner. That’s the lens I always take with my research and evaluation work today. In fact, I worked with Katrina Bledsoe and Felicia Gonzales, to develop a tool for evaluators, community partners, and funders to reconsider how their evaluation work can be culturally responsive and equity-focused to support others in the field. 

This was the perfect spot for me: I was able to blend my love for research and working with people on systems change. 

More recently, Charmaine Mercer, Chief of Equity and Culture at William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, connected me to Dr. Keecha Harris when she heard she was looking for someone to help with data analysis for KHA’s various systems change projects. That’s what sparked my consulting journey with KHA. 

Embracing value alignment with Keecha Harris and Associates

Whenever KHA reaches out to me for research and evaluation consulting support, I’ve always said yes because every single person is fully committed to the work and puts their hearts into every project. The projects are also equity-focused with a lens on race, which aligns with my own values. 

Dr. Keecha Harris is such a strong relationship builder. She is able to forge connections with people at both the grasstops and the grassroots to influence change and advocate on behalf of marginalized communities and Black communities in particular, in a way that I haven’t seen at other firms. KHA sits at an interesting nexus point because they have the ear (and trust) of the funder as well as the “fundee” which allows them to push for change in a more effective way. 

I can see how KHA serves as a bridge between philanthropy and progress in reproductive justice, environmental justice, and other movements pushing for equity. 

I’m fortunate to have been a part of many KHA initiatives; some of my favorite projects include our work with Race, Healing, and Joy to center Black leadership in the Reproductive Justice ecosystem, Oceankind and Race to the Board to push for equity in the environmental ecosystem, and Tara Health Foundation on its spend down strategy on efforts at the intersection of race and gender. 

My hope for a more inclusive future 

Through our work at KHA and beyond, I envision a future where people can be accepted for who they are and have the resources and support to be who they want to be. For instance, not everyone wants to be a doctor, but if you do, you should have access to all the tools you need to get there. 

My dream is also for people and their families to have everything they need to be healthy, both physically and mentally. I want us to support each other and make sure we have access to critical services, whether it’s to help remove language, financial, educational, or medical barriers. 

We all have visible and invisible differences. So for the people who may be seen as “different” or have assumptions made about them, I hope for a future where they’re recognized and embraced for functioning differently in our world.”