Experience
Heather has over 20 years combined experience in research, evaluation, and leadership development and has multiple peer-reviewed articles, book and book chapter contributions, white papers, conference presentations and facilitated workshops. Prior to joining the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL®), Heather was a researcher at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, applying her background in developmental psychology to research and evaluate interventions focused on adolescent risk behaviors. Since joining CCL in 2008, she has worked with clients from a broad range of sectors including government, finance, manufacturing, technology, pharmaceutical, nonprofits, and early leadership development, and has extensive experience in the healthcare sector including public health, healthcare systems, and healthcare foundations. Heather has provided evaluation, research, and discovery services globally, including in North America, Asia, Europe, South America, and Africa. Heather has led the implementation of systems to standardize and automate data collection and client feedback. She has provided evaluation capability development workshops for internal staff and external clients. She has extensive experience with grant-funded and third-party funded projects from foundations, federal agencies, and other organizations. Heather has expertise with a wide range of evaluation methodologies, both qualitative and quantitative, including leader analytics, measuring ROI, success case methodology, the evaluation of action learning and action development, executive coaching, and social network analysis.
Current Role
Heather is the Manager of Insight & Impact Services at the Center for Creative Leadership. In this capacity, she works with CCL staff, global clients, and external evaluators to design and conduct customized needs assessments (discovery) and evaluations for CCL programs, products, and services. This work includes identifying organizational and leadership needs, articulating program outcomes, selecting the most appropriate methods for evaluating initiatives for improvement and impact, reporting the findings to and partnership with key stakeholders to discern actionable insights. Heather also serves as a subject matter expert for CCL’s Leader Analytics services.
In addition to providing evaluation services, Heather has lead organizational efforts to implement standardized systems for evaluation and discovery services and data management across the organization to improve CCL’s understanding of the impact of our leadership solutions and to improve clients’ ability to make data-driven decisions.
Educational Background
Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from North Carolina State University
M.S. in Developmental Psychology from North Carolina State University
B.A. in Psychology from North Carolina State University
Post-doctoral fellowship in Adolescent Health at Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Professional Affiliations and Certifications
Heather is a member of the American Evaluation Association, Society for Industrial Organizational Psychologists, and International Leadership Association.
Curriculum Vitae
Honors, Awards, Grants
- Community Coalitions Leadership Program ($1,599,723), Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2012-2015.
- Youth Voices for Peace: Kenya ($119,818), United States Institutes of Peace, 2012-2014.
- Expanded YMCA Black & Hispanic Achiever’s Mentoring Program ($498,000), Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 2009-2013.
- Ladder to Leadership: Developing the Next Generation of Community Health Leaders ($ 4,000,000), Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2008-2012.
- Evaluation of Youth LINKS ($12,000), Global Nomads Group, 2012.
- Evaluation and Capacity Development of Leadership Development Programs ($75,000), National Health Service, South Central, UK, 2009-2010.
Contact Information
Areas of Expertise
Evaluation, Research, Leadership Development, Leader Analytics, Organizational Development, Culture Change, Action Learning
