Dr. Gina Vanegas – Nonprofit Resource Network

Health & Inclusivity LLC

Inclusive Program Evaluator & Speaker

Cultural Compentency, Executive Coaching, Evaluation, Organizational Assessment, Program Evaluation, Staff Development

OVERVIEW

Dr. Vanegas is a skilled consultant and engaging speaker who is committed to supporting organizations in their quest to create healthy and inclusive environments by sharing her expertise in the areas of assessment & evaluation, social justice, and psychology. She is passionate about amplifying the voices of individuals not typically heard through the use of inclusive data gathering methods.

She holds a Ph.D., in Counseling Psychology from University of California, Santa Barbara. As a scholar, she has co-authored several publications and presented her research on access & utilization patterns of social service programs among underserved communities at various professional conferences at the national and international level.

Dr. Vanegas facilitates professional development opportunities in the areas of program evaluation, DEI, and mental health. In the public sector, she helps organizations engage underserved communities, attract funding, and utilize their resources efficiently through her unique approach to program development. In the corporate arena, Dr. Vanegas utilizes her research expertise to help organizations improve their workplace culture.

In her off time, you can find her hiking or dancing as she believes in the power of finding joy in and outside of work.

TESTIMONIALS

Dr. Ricardo Araiza

Conejo Valley Unified School District

Dr. Vanegas worked with our school district, specifically our High School Newcomer Program, to do a thorough and much needed program evaluation. We wanted to get an overview of how our program is doing through the diffrent stakeholder perspectives and experiences. Gina did an outstanding job in including all stakeholders through this process. The fact that Gina is bilingual added an additional layer of accessibility for our stakeholders whose primary language was not English. Her work ethic and professionalism are second to none! The written report she provided at the end encapsualted all of the areas where the program is being successful as well as the areas needing attention. I really liked how she included specific details and examples of what she observed. Gina's final report included both qualitative and quantitative data that we will be utilizing to work on our next steps. I absolutely recommend Dr. Vanegas, without any reservations, to any organization that is in need of this type of work. I do look forward working with Gina in the near future as we are ready to pull up our sleeves and start working in making our academy a better place for our students. Thanks Dr. Vanegas for sharing your expertise and knowledge with our school district.

Jareli Jimenez

Foodbank of Santa Barbara County

Dr. Gina Vanegas worked with our organization to create an inclusive and effective program evaluation framework that could provide more clarity about the impact of our work and help us make data-informed decisions in our programming. Throughout our time working together, Dr. Vanegas was accommodating to our needs by making herself readily available when needed. She also made the effort to clearly communicate and guide us through the entire process of creating a program evaluation framework. Through her guidance, I was also able to grow professionally and the skills I learned during our time working together will definitely be present during other aspects of my work with the community. More importantly, Dr. Vanegas helped us create evaluation measures that will help us capture valuable insights that go beyond our attendance numbers. This will help us make data-informed decisions regarding programming and to better communicate the impact of our 8 week program with our donors, volunteers, and staff members. With her help, we were also able to recenter our values and regain an understanding of why we are doing the work that we do, not only for the leaders of our organization but throughout all levels of our organization - from the volunteers to the nutrition educators. The combination of her identity as a Latina and with her background and experience in evaluation, she was able to provide us with a culturally relevant program evaluation framework that really addressed the needs of our community. I would personally recommend Dr. Vanegas to any organization looking to learn more about the needs of their community and how they can gain valuable insights. As someone who was still learning about the process of program evaluation and what it consists of, I especially recommend Dr. Vanegas because she was extremely helpful in walking us through and explaining clearly each step of the process.

Lena Morán-Acereto

Bridging Voices LLC

I have had the pleasure of working with Dr. Gina Vanegas in a few capacities, and in each occasion I found myself impressed and eager to collaborate with her. Dr. Vanegas and I have collaborated as thought partners, developing proposals and projects together, and I have also had the pleasure of interpreting for her in bilingual settings. Dr. Vanegas is a leader who helps others around her grow. I have been lucky enough to witness her lead workshops and presentations, and she is incredible at engaging her participants and facilitating conversation and difficult conversations. Her professional and friendly demeanor immediately puts people at ease and allows the participants in her spaces to feel heard, valued and understood. I highly recommend Dr. Vanegas to organizations who are seeking to support their organization culture through a lens wellness, of inclusion and empowerment.