Meet the VentureWell staff—a team of experts, leaders, and high-performing individuals committed to expanding the impact of innovation and entrepreneurship.
Department
Meet the VentureWell staff—a team of experts, leaders, and high-performing individuals committed to expanding the impact of innovation and entrepreneurship.
Department
Chithra Adams
Associate Vice President, Data Intelligence
Chithra Adams brings to her role 15 years of experience in program evaluation, including successfully leading an evaluation team for the last nine years. She has worked across multiple disciplines evaluating programs of varying scale in: special education, employment, mental health and substance use, community integration, health and wellness, translation science, and assistive technology. Chithra has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration and a Doctoral Degree in Educational Sciences from the University of Kentucky.
Adam Blandford
Evaluation Analyst
Adam analyzes the impacts of VentureWell’s programs and assesses their outcomes using a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods. His prior experience includes applied economics research on behalf of public, private, and not-for-profit organizations, with specific emphasis on the energy industry and economic impact analyses. Adam holds an M.A. in International Commerce with a concentration in Development Economics from the Patterson School at the University of Kentucky.
Jodie Boisvert
Senior Evaluation Analyst
Jodie conducts program evaluations for the Wisconsin Type 1 Engine and the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). Over the last decade, Jodie has conducted evaluations on programs such as youth development, poverty reduction, volunteer engagement, hunger relief, and refugee service delivery. Her focuses include connecting ecosystem leaders to resources, finding solutions to her community’s most pressing problems, and always working with diversity, equity, and inclusion and racial equity in mind. Jodie holds a B.A. in Applied Anthropology and a Master’s of Public Administration and is currently pursuing her doctorate in Anthropology and Sociology.
Vicky Harris
Vice President, Enterprise and Shared Services
Vicky Harris is responsible for leading VentureWell’s team of senior experts to provide internal solutions, infrastructure, and program support. She brings over 15 years of experience in aligning business strategy objectives with established project management methodologies, organizational change management, and the development of process optimization paradigm. She holds a Doctorate in Business Administration, a Master’s Degree in Business Administration, and an undergrad degree in Computer Science.
Samantha Langan
Senior Evaluation Analyst
Sam provides evaluation support for VentureWell’s Higher Ed Catalyst Team. She has worked both internally and independently as an evaluator, collaborating closely with stakeholders to design and conduct formative and developmental evaluations, facilitating logic modeling with staff working within complex systems, and helping lead strategic development and planning work. She holds a Ph.D. and a Master’s in Applied Psychology from Claremont Graduate University, and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
Stefanie Leite
Senior Evaluation Analyst
Stefanie provides support for learning and evaluation within VentureWell’s early-stage entrepreneurship programs. Stefanie has served as an evaluation analyst for 13 years in nonprofit, higher education, and philanthropic organizations for programs in social services, workforce development, education, and public health. She holds a B.S. in psychology from Worcester State University and an M.A. in psychology with a co-concentration in organizational behavior and program evaluation from Claremont Graduate University.
Emily Markese
Evaluation Analyst
Emily lends her evaluation expertise to the biomedical engineering programs portfolio, including the Innovation Funnel projects. Emily previously worked at a nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives and mental health of foster children and others in the community, and was recognized for her work collecting and analyzing data that helped further the organization’s goals of safety, well-being, and permanency. Emily holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, with a minor in Biology.
Olivia Noel
Evaluation Analyst
Olivia supports VentureWell’s evaluation work across programs, including leading the Evaluation Team’s questionnaire development and methodology efforts. She brings a keen organizational eye from her previous positions with local and international nonprofits, which she uses to ensure consistency and efficiency in program evaluation at VentureWell. Olivia holds a B.A. in Anthropology from Hampshire College, where her research focused on globalization and traditional foodways.
Jacki Purtell
Senior Evaluation Analyst
Jacki supports the evaluation of the type I Princeton and University of Georgia’s regional innovation engine. For nearly 10 years, Jacki was the program evaluator and strategic plan coordinator for the DukeEngage program at Duke University, where she developed evaluations for all stakeholders. Throughout her career, Jacki has focused on creating inclusive evaluations. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in History and Latin American Studies from Plattsburgh State University, and a Master of Public Policy from Duke University.
Pa Thao
Senior Evaluation Analyst
Pa provides learning and evaluation support for VentureWell’s federal innovation team. Pa has a decade of experience in higher education, supporting student success and institutional decision-making by designing, conducting, and reporting on key research topics. She completed both her undergraduate and graduate degrees at the University of Minnesota: a Master of Public Policy with a concentration in Higher Education Policy; and a Bachelor of Individualized Studies with focus areas in Asian American Studies, Communication Studies, and Family Social Science.
Ashleigh Williams
Evaluation Analyst
Ashleigh supports program evaluation work for the Ventures and Health Commercialization programs. She joined VentureWell after three years working with the Public Policy Research Institute at Texas A&M University, where she conducted evaluations for various government entities. She was a Graduate Education Diversity Internship (GEDI) Scholar with the American Evaluation Association, where she worked with the National Science Foundation. Ashleigh holds a B.S. in Experimental Psychology and an M.S. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology.
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