Melissa Chapman Haynes, Past President (2018 President), @melly1905

Melissa is Director of Evaluation at Professional Data Analysts (PDA), an evaluation firm in Minneapolis dedicated to helping health initiatives succeed with sound, effective data-centric solutions. PDA is a carbon neutral company that has been serving clients since 1984. Melissa designs, implements, and leads multiple evaluation projects at PDA. She also oversees staff evaluators and manages the broader direction of the evaluation division. In addition, Melissa serves as an adjunct faculty in Evaluation Studies at the University of Minnesota. Melissa graduated with a doctorate in psychological and quantitative foundations with an emphasis in evaluation from The University of Iowa. Prior positions includes managing director of the Minnesota Evaluation Studies Institute at the University of Minnesota and Associate Director of the Center for Evaluation and Assessment at The University of Iowa.

Maira Rosas-Lee, President-Elect

Maira is an evaluator at the Minnesota Department of Education on the Data Analytics, and Youth Development and Health Promotion teams. She provides the 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant program with research, data analysis, and evaluation to meet the federal requirements of the U.S. Department of Education. As a former researcher in public health, she aims to bridge education and health data to address academic success and health equity in Minnesota using community-based and participatory methodologies. Maira has been on the MNEA board since 2016. She holds a Master’s in organizational leadership, policy, and development (evaluation studies) with a minor in public health, and dual bachelor degrees in Chicano studies and Spanish Studies with a concentration in Public Health from the University of Minnesota.

Veronica Deenanath, Treasurer

Veronica Deenanath is an Evaluation Specialist at the Minnesota Office of Higher Education on the Get Ready/Gear Up team, a federally funded education disparity program. She works to design evaluations, collect data, and provide data analysis to meet the needs of key stakeholders and the federal grant requirements. Veronica’s work focuses on the intersection of education, families, and communities. She graduated with a doctorate in Family Social Science with an evaluation emphasis from the University of Minnesota.   

Kate Diamond, Secretary

Kate Diamond is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development department at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. Before moving back to Minnesota to start her doctoral studies, Kate was a manager and internal evaluator at Laspau, a nonprofit organization in Boston focused on international higher education. Kate has a B.A. in sociology and international relations from Tufts University and an Ed.M. in international education policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. In her free time, Kate enjoys cooking, seeing live music, and exploring the Twin Cities with her husband Jeff and daughter Mia.

Razeena Shrestha, Membership Chair

Razeena Shrestha has held program and research roles in several nonprofits in the United States and in her home country of Nepal.  Throughout her career, she has been dedicated to issues to social justice, human rights, and gender equity. At Rainbow Research, she led and worked with nonprofit and state organizations in designing and implementing applied research, utilization focused evaluation studies and capacity building programs. As the program evaluation adviser at the Center for Victims of Torture, Razeena was responsible for coordinating and implementing research and M&E initiatives related to the effectiveness of CVT international programs for survivors of torture in Ethiopia, Jordan, Kenya, and Uganda.  She is currently working as study coordinator for the UMN School of Public Health's research efforts. Razeena earned her Master’s in Public Policy, with concentrations in nonprofit leadership and management and program evaluation, from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota. She received her bachelor’s degree from Hamilton College, where she studied sociology and mathematics. 

Claire Dunlap, Program Co-Chair

Claire Dunlap is Director of Organizational Effectiveness at Youthprise, an intermediary in Minneapolis dedicated to reducing racial disparities with and for Minnesota youth by mobilizing and investing resources, advancing knowledge, and advocating for change. Claire leads and implements strategies to advance overall effectiveness at Youthprise including: setting the evaluation agenda, reporting Youthprise’s impact externally, and improving internal organizational functioning by advancing solutions around structure, power, and culture. Claire graduated with a master’s degree in organizational development and program evaluation from the University of Minnesota. Previously, Claire served as Community Partnerships Coordinator at Saint Paul Public Schools, Department of Family Engagement and Community Partnerships working to build the District’s partnership framework.In her spare time, Claire also teaches therapeutic yoga and is passionate about the mind-body connection. 

Erica Orton, Program Co-Chair

Erica Orton is the Evaluation and Learning Manager at the Bush Foundation in St. Paul.  Erica's role at the Bush Foundation is to develop and execute organization-wide evaluation strategies and learning plans across all program areas.  Erica joins the Bush Foundation from the Minnesota Historical Society where she was the Evaluation Associate, specializing in public program & K-12 program evaluation and data utilization strategies.  Erica also has a background in education, working as a second grade teacher near Washington DC. She graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2001 with a degree in Music & Art.

Sarah Lindeman, Communications Chair

Sarah Lindeman is the Community Impact Manager at Neighborhood House, where she is the agency's internal evaluator.  In this role, Sarah develops and implements the agency's evaluation capacity building strategies, designs program evaluations, oversees programs' data collection processes and the participant database, as well as reports Neighborhood House's impact.  Previously, Sarah was an Evaluation Consultant, and worked as the Campaign Coordinator at Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity. Before consulting, she was the Associate Program Director at the Juran Center for Leadership in Quality at the Carlson School of Management.  Sarah has a Master’s in Public Affairs from the University of Minnesota.  She has a bachelor’s degree in Peace and Justice Studies and East Asian Studies from the University of St. Thomas. In her spare time, Sarah enjoys gardening and spending time with her husband Andy and their two boys.

Lixin Zhang, Student Representative

Lixin is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Evaluation Studies in the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development at the University of Minnesota. Throughout her professional career, Lixin has spent over 10 years working in different industries including health care, universities, and government. Lixin’s work focuses on learning and development, and capacity building, and she believes in the philosophy of “teaching one to fish is better than giving him a fish”. Lixin earned her master’s degree in Human Resource Development with a minor in program evaluation from the University of Minnesota, and she received her bachelor of science in nursing from China. In her free time, Lixin enjoys yoga, reading, and indoor climbing. 

James Clinton, Student Representative

James Clinton is a Master of Public Policy Student at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, concentrating in Non-Profit Management and Leadership. Prior to starting graduate school, he worked for several years at various small non-profits in Red Wing, including a health equity advocacy organization and a county historical society. Through that experience, James saw firsthand the positive impact small, locally focused organizations can have; however, he learned about the real capacity limitations these organizations face and how those challenges perpetuate flawed programming and limit impact. James is committed to learning more about program evaluation and development, in order to help mission-based organizations achieve maximum impact across the state. James graduated with a history degree from Winona State University in 2014, and spent a year teaching English in northern Spain prior to moving to Saint Paul. In his free time, he decompresses by playing drums in a folk-rock band based out of southeastern Minnesota.