People

Denise is a political scientist, manager and research methodologist with over 30 years’ experience. Denise holds a Ph.D. in political science from Southern Illinois University – Carbondale and is a graduate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute of Management. She is a research and evaluation thought leader and convenor among colleagues with the American Political Science Association (APSA), American Evaluation Association (AEA) and developed the AEA sister relationship with the African Evaluation Association (AfrEA). Denise has developed tools for capacity building, partnership collaborations and organizational diagnostics and has led multiple evaluations of democracy, governance, advocacy and anti-corruption programs funded by international organizations, specializing in assessing program effectiveness, impact, and policy implications as well as working on public affairs programs and initiatives in the U.S. An expert on evaluation design, Denise is a vetted independent evaluation expert for the American Bar Association Rule of Law (ABA-ROLI) and for the United Nations UNDP Crisis Bureau Global Policy Network (GPN) ExpRes Rosters. Currently, she is a Scholar-Practitioner Fellow in the Graduate School of Political Management and has taught research methods and program evaluation at multiple universities. Denise is the author or co-author of three books and numerous scholarly articles and monographs on democracy promotion and institutional norms and reform, governance, policy analysis, the political process, social and political movements and political parties, public policy, and research methods (including experimental designs), and is completing work on a book:
Delivering Measurable Performance: Performance Evaluation Methods, Strategies and Tools for Policymaking and Public Management, under contract with SAGE Press. She resides in the Washington, D.C. area and enjoys gardening and outdoor time and travel with her German Shepherd dog and adult daughters. You may find her
resume here
and
more information about her scholarly activities here.

Chase is an evaluation expert with over 10 years’ experience serving as a methodologist, survey expert, consultant and board member for international non-profits, government agencies, and research firms. As a practitioner and academic, Dr. Bricker has worked on projects involving over 30 countries from analyzing and writing the reports to instructing enumerators on proper collection practices while in country. Dr. Bricker holds expertise in quantitative and mixed methods as well as the capacity building of civil society and good governance. With his doctorate in public administration his primary research interest has been understanding the individual, institutional, and environmental factors impacting a person’s decision to participate in the community decision making. He has especial expertise in Africa and has handled several relevant evaluations including the role of corrosive capital in a number of Balkan countries and capacity building of refugees in Turkey.

Meredith brings over 20 years of expertise as a Research, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) professional, delivering impactful solutions for organizations across the private sector, government, diplomatic missions, and NGOs. Based in Panama, her strategic location enhances her regional reach across Latin America and the Caribbean, fostering deep connections and insights. With a robust background in program management and capacity building, she has served as In-Country MEL Specialist Advisor for the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs’ Office of Western Hemisphere Programs (INL/WHP – CARSI), spearheading data-driven frameworks to support institutional strengthening in Central America. Renowned for her project management skills and her ability to craft visualization dashboards and streamline processes using tools like Power BI and Power Automate, Meredith excels at transforming complex data into actionable insights for stakeholders like USAID and UN agencies. A Juris Doctor and registered attorney in Panama, she leverages her legal expertise to develop compliance frameworks for NGOs and has conducted critical needs assessments, such as for unaccompanied children in the Darien Gap, ensuring regulatory adherence and strategic clarity. Her diverse experience spans thematic projects from maternal health in Latin America to justice reform, migration, and risk analysis, driving transparency and efficiency across every initiative she undertakes.