Hi! I’m Dara.
For over 10 years, I’ve supported mission-driven organizations to examine findings and incorporate insights as part of iterative program planning. Building from my experience as a national trainer, I’ve helped 200+ teams promote a unified culture of reflection, learning, and data-informed decision-making.
In addition to supervising the program evaluation process, I’m adept at synthesizing results and presenting them in an accessible way, working with internal and external partners to package technical findings for consumption by a broader audience. An expert in afterschool and summer education programs with a career spanning back to my first job as a Girl Scout Camp Aide at 13, I draw on a variety of experiences working with youth-serving programs in my approach.
By the end of our time together, you and your team will feel more empowered in the evaluation process and approach the work as evaluative thinkers, strategically using data to inform programmatic improvements, secure funding, and grow.
-
Evaluations should be useful to the people that matter the most: the direct service staff and the people and communities they serve. My goal is to give you and your team the tools you need to become strategic thinkers who can use data to improve programs, get funding, and grow. I offer a variety of program evaluation services for organizations with a mission, as well as training using the "I do, We do, You do" model to help bring out the little evaluator in everyone. Explore my evaluation services.
-
More than just training, I work with you and your team to develop workshops to build skills and capacity in a way that’s active and engaging. Learn more about workshop topics and services.
-
My retreats for those who are craving connection with other like-minded womxn and non-binary, transgender, and/or any member of the LQBTQIA+ community comfortable in female-centered spaces. Retreat to a private location that is warm, rejuvenating, and fun. As a detail-oriented data analyst and daughter of two professional event planners, I’ve taken care of everything so you don’t have to. Your private room is nestled in a secluded oasis designed for comfort, bathed in nature, and most importantly - always fully catered. Invest in yourself by taking time for your inward growth surrounded by a supportive group of likeminded people walking a similar path and fully unleash the potential already inside you. Examine what is holding you back from booking the trip of your dreams? Trust me, you’ll never regret investing in an experience, especially one as thoughtfully curated as my two retreat offerings. This is no ordinary group trip; it’s those travel photos you bookmark on instagram, but without the fuss or stress, just calm, clear, blissful relaxation. Learn more here (and save the date for May 2022).
-
As a small business owner and data analyst, I love to write about a variety of topics in a way that is engaging, relatable, and easily understood by audiences. I have written dozens of articles and blogs as well as social media copy, content calendars, and website copy. I also have a lot of experience building fair hiring processes that bring in good candidates who are a good fit for open positions. Using these two skills together, I make powerful and fair systems for evaluating and coaching employees' work performance. I’ve helped 200+ teams do this work professionally. I currently offer these services through Fiverr.
As a lifelong Girl Scout whose path was paved by the opportunities low- and no-cost afterschool and summer programs provided me, I am particularly invested in working with youth-serving programs that take an asset-based and equity-focused approach to their work in historically and systemically marginalized and underserved communities. Learn more about my approach.
My colleagues describe me as a convener, motivating, coaching, facilitating, and engaging expertise across divisions and throughout ranks. Read more testimonials here.