Latinx Responsive Evaluation Discourse

I’m Dr. Emely Medina-Rodriguez, former chair of the Latinx Responsive Evaluation Discourse AEA TIG (LaRED TIG). Through my work with Latinx/e communities and my involvement in LaRED, I’ve focused on creating spaces where Latinx/e evaluators can connect, learn from one another, and bring their lived experiences into the evaluation field. I’m excited to continue supporting LaRED’s vision of greater representation, collaboration, and leadership among Latinx/e evaluators.

Hello, I’m Blanca Flor Guillen-Woods, Managing Partner at Strategic Learning Partners for Innovation (SLP4i), a social innovation and evaluation firm led by evaluators of color. I have conducted a variety of mixed-methods evaluations related to education, youth services, civic engagement, health, and intervention programs for over 25 years. Through a collaborative approach, my work at SLP4i supports programs and funders in clarifying contexts, desired outcomes, and impacts, identifying levers of change, and implementing strategic plans driven by community voice.

I’m Dr. Emely Medina-Rodriguez, an evaluator and researcher who is passionate about making evaluation more meaningful, inclusive, and useful. Throughout my career, I’ve been especially interested in creating spaces where people, particularly young people and communities whose voices are often overlooked, can share their experiences in ways that feel authentic to them. I enjoy finding creative ways to make research more engaging and accessible by listening, building trust, sharing power, and creating opportunities for people to shape the questions and conversations that matter to them.

¡Hola hola! I’m Eva Maria Chavez (She/Ella), and my consulting practice is Convivio Learning Solutions. I love partnering with value-driven nonprofit organizations, philanthropic partners, and coalitions to make their thinking visible and turn data, stories, and reflection into practical decisions. Convivio in Spanish means a “get-together,” where everyone is welcomed to share stories, break bread, and be curious with one another. That spirit shapes how I build trust and facilitate honest learning.

I am Art Hernández, professor in the Dreeben School of Education at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas. My work sits at the intersection of culturally responsive and equitable evaluation (CREE), community power, and the philosophical foundations of evaluation practice.

I’m Noemi Avalos, Senior Evaluation Officer at Sierra Health Foundation (a private health conversion foundation) and The Center (a nonprofit organization). I am a proud immigrant from Mexico and daughter of hardworking parents who worked in various agricultural fields and showed me the value of la familia (family). In this role, I lead monitoring, technical assistance, learning, and evaluation efforts in partnership with program teams, funders, and external consultants; these efforts aim to generate useful information that supports decision-making for our staff, funders, and the organizations we invest in or funded partners (grantees).

We are Dr. Marcia Taborga of Seedling Consulting Group, Allison Shurilla of AS Community Consulting, and Robin Horner of Radiance. We’re longtime members of LaRED and owners of small evaluation firms. The current sociopolitical climate has reduced available work for small evaluation businesses and negatively impacted BIPOC communities.  LaRED evaluators are committed to supporting our

Hello my name is Mónica Yañez and I am a Research Associate at HACER, a nonprofit focused on Latino community-based research and evaluation in Minnesota. I am a full-time evaluator and single mother to a one-year-old daughter. Evaluation is not always a spreadsheet and survey design. Sometimes, it is rocking a baby with one arm

My name is Julia Garcia and I am an emerging evaluator with a background in providing and connecting diverse populations to resources. I am particularly interested in evaluations within underserved communities to improve resource utilization. I’m certain many of us know or have heard the term “imposter syndrome.” As a first-generation Latina college student, this

I am Latina, Mexican, brown, and one of the “first of many” in my family. I come from a community rich in culture but historically under-resourced. Witnessing what’s happening in Latino communities today has sharpened how I approach my work in evaluation and facilitation. My name is Eva Maria Chavez (she/ella), and I founded my