Program Evaluation Team
As Social Work evaluators, our professional Social Work ethics are at the core of our work. We ground our work in the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics and the American Evaluation Association's Guiding Principles. As researchers, practitioners, and evaluators, we bring a multi-faceted set of skills and experiences to the evaluation process. Project teams are committed to collaborating with our partners in the pursuit of continuous improvement in customer-centered services.
Shawna J. Lee
Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Professor of Social Work, School of Social Work
Dr. Shawna J. Lee is Professor at the University of Michigan School of Social Work. She is Director of the Program Evaluation Group (PEG) and Director of the Parenting in Context Research Lab at the UM-SSW. Dr. Lee has published extensively on child maltreatment, fathers' parenting, father-child relationships, parenting stress and family functioning, and parental discipline. Dr. Lee completed the Joint PhD Program in Social Work and Psychology at the University of Michigan. She was a postdoctoral research scholar at the Columbia University. She teaches courses in research methods, program evaluation, social policy, and on specialized topics such as intervention to reduce use of corporal punishment.
Contact Information
- Email: [email protected]
Sue Ann Savas
Program Evaluation Group Associate Director
Sue Ann Savas, MSW, is a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Michigan School of Social Work. She received her MSW and BA in economics from the University of Michigan. Sue Ann is also an experienced community based practitioner in program evaluation. She specializes in the areas of program design, logic modeling, evaluation planning, implementation evaluations, outcome measurement, and reporting for continuous quality improvement. She uses an interdisciplinary approach, collaborating with providers from the fields of social work, public health, environmental health, and education. She has published numerous articles and book chapters on techniques for building evaluation capacity within organizations and coalitions.
Contact Information
- Email: [email protected]
Leigh Rauk
Assistant Research Scientist
Dr. Leigh Rauk is an equity-driven researcher and evaluator with an extensive background in community-based research and evaluation. Her work has spanned a variety of social change topic areas including school safety, educational equity, firearm injury prevention, youth development, community development, and equity in the arts. She received her Ph.D. in Community Well-Being from the University of Miami in 2021. Dr. Rauk has strong experience building partnerships with community organizations and their stakeholders; designing and leading mixed-methods research and evaluation studies; facilitating organizational learning and capacity building; and utilizing collaborative, participatory, action-oriented approaches to evaluation and research partnerships. Dr. Rauk's work is rooted in collaboration, developing authentic and long-standing partnerships, and engaging in critical reflexive practice.
Contact Information
- Email: [email protected]
Lisa M. Greco
Program Evaluation Group Program Manager
Lisa Greco, LMSW, is an experienced human services administrator with extensive background in programs serving justice-involved youth. Working in public and nonprofit organizational leadership roles, Greco brings competencies in the areas of program development, staff training, labor relations, budget management, grant writing, strategic planning and multi-sector coalition building. Greco's professional body of work is rooted in operationalizing social justice values, and in optimizing individual and systemic capacity for effective delivery of human services.
Contact Information
- Email: [email protected]
Kathryn Colasanti
Program Evaluation Group Evaluation Associate
Kathryn Colasanti, MS, is an Evaluation Associate with the Program Evaluation Group. She has more than a decade of evaluation, research, and project management experience and brings a passion for advancing equity and building organizational capacity in evaluation. Kathryn has strong experience in community development, cross-sector collaboration, and network management. She holds a master's degree in community sustainability and a graduate certificate in program evaluation, both from Michigan State University.
Contact Information
- Email: [email protected]
Flavio Di Stefano
Program Evaluation Group Evaluation Associate
Flavio Di Stefano, MSW, is an Evaluation Associate with the Program Evaluation Group. He earned his Bachelor's Degree in International Relations from Oakland University and his MSW from the University of Michigan. Flavio first began working in the evaluation field at direct service organizations supporting the immigrant and domestic violence survivor communities. He has since continued to support data-driven cultures and organizations to evaluate processes, outcomes, and impact, and make data-informed decisions. Flavio is versed in facilitation, program design, implementation, analysis, and visualization. He is particularly interested in harnessing the power of new technology to continue to elevate equitable and accessible evaluation practices.
Contact Information
- Email: [email protected]
Shalonda Williams
Program Evaluation Group Evaluation Associate
Shalonda Williams, MSW, is an Evaluation Associate with the Program Evaluation Group. She earned her BSW from Eastern Michigan University and her MSW from Washington University-St Louis with a concentration in Violence and Injury Prevention. Shalonda approaches her work from a place of person-centered engagement, blending academic training in interdisciplinary analysis of social systems with hands-on experience in youth development, project management, and program evaluation to support organizations in making sustainable and equitable impact. Some of her interests include topics related to Health Equity & Education, K-12 Education Curriculum & Instructional Reform, Violence & Injury Prevention, and Sexual Health/Reproductive Justice.
Contact Information
- Email: [email protected]
Julio Canino
Evaluation Assistant Intern
Julio is an MSW student in the Program Evaluation & Applied Research pathway at the University of Michigan School of Social Work. He has experience with qualitative and quantitative research. His passion for research stems from a social justice framework. He believes research is a way to expose systemic and social oppressions because common objectives must be identified to develop new strategies to advance human rights and achieve social justice. After obtaining his MSW, Julio plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Social Work to contribute to immigration reform to help achieve an equitable and diverse society.
Laura Clinton
Management and Evaluation Assistant Intern
Laura is a MSW student in the Management and Leadership pathway with a secondary concentration in Program Evaluation and Applied Research, with an extensive background in military administration and operations. Her areas of interest include LGBTQ+ advocacy and influencing organizational and/or policy change. Upon graduation she hopes to pursue a career that will allow her to focus on her interests while promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Amelia Popowics
Evaluation Assistant Intern
Amelia is a MSW student within the Program Evaluation and Applied Research pathway at the University of Michigan School of Social Work. She has experience performing program evaluation research for non-profits as well as institutions of higher education. Her areas of interest include education, LGBTQ+ issues, and organizational change. After graduation, she hopes to pursue a career in applied research that will help promote diversity, equity, and inclusion within organizations and the communities they serve.