LEADERSHIP COMMITTEE

Monica L. Coleman
Leadership Committee Member

Monica L. Coleman is a Program Officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Monica is a community-powered researcher and evaluator who leverages her expertise in counselor education, journalism, community organizing, and public policy advocacy to instigate and engage in grantmaking that bridges the gap between communities, scholars, and policymakers. Her research and evaluation work centers the leadership, voice, and power of those most impacted by structural oppression in efforts to foster a more just society.

Jana Fredricks
Chair of the Leadership Committee

Jana Fredricks is a program evaluator and nonprofit management consultant based in her home town of New Orleans. She works with nonprofit organizations in the education and cultural sectors to build systems, define goals, craft strategy, and measure progress. She has supported environmental education organizations, higher education, museums, theatres, and advocacy groups across the US, with a special focus in New Orleans, Pittsburgh, and New York City. She holds a BFA in Theatre from New York University, a Masters in Innovation and Organization in Culture and the Arts from Universitá di Bologna, and a Masters in Arts Management from Carnegie Mellon University.

In addition to her role on the GC Eval Leadership Committee, Jana stewards a community garden in the 7th Ward, sits on the Organizing Committee of the Greater New Orleans Growers Alliance, and produces small-scale theatre experiences for new works.

Andrew Holbein
Treasurer

Andrew loves being a part of GCEval because he is passionate about the mission of expanding the use of evaluation throughout the region.

Andrew has worked for a range of nonprofits and government organizations. He is the Director of Administration and Data for VIA LINK, a social service agency that will serve more than 150,000 Louisiana residents this year. He was the Executive Director of New Orleans Community Outreach, the Manager of Strategic Initiatives at Graham Windham, and a Project Manager for the City of New Orleans' Office of Recovery Management after Hurricane Katrina.

Andrew lives in New Orleans with his wife and daughter and is a professional pianist.

Michelle Lawrence Bidwell
Secretary

Michelle is an Evaluation and Development professional in the Greater New Orleans Area. She is a New Orleans native and proud alumna of Xavier University at New Orleans. She holds a Masters of Public Health from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center and is currently a doctoral student in their Community Health Sciences program. Her personal mission is to dismantle systemic disparities, uplift communities, and lay a foundation for a culture of equity through education, data, development, and collaboration.

She has almost a decade of experience in research, evaluation, and grants, working on projects in the fields of breast and cervical cancer, pharmacology, nutrition, high-risk youth, law enforcement, veteran reintegration, education, and recidivism among the previously incarcerated. Michelle is currently the Director of Impact and Evaluation at Bastion Community of Resilience, the nation's first intentional community for veterans and families, where she leads the organization's grant and evaluation systems and has worked to secure millions of dollars in funding. In 2021, she will be transitioning into a new leadership role at a national development firm.

In addition to these roles, Michelle is on the leadership committee of GCEval and the founder of Granted Advisors, a consulting firm focused on helping new non-profit organizations reach their grant funding and program evaluation goals. Michelle resides in an historic African American neighborhood in NOLA with her husband and two rambunctious toddlers.

Shannon Sharp
Leadership Committee Member

Shannon is an Evaluation Associate at the University of Mississippi's Center for Research Evaluation (CERE). Though born and raised in Baltimore, MD, Shannon has been a southerner since leaving for college. She completed her Bachelor's in Psychology and Ph.D. in School Psychology, both at the University of Tennessee. After two post-docs in Durham, NC, she served as a PK-12 School Psychologist for 8 years in Walton County School District in GA.
Since moving to Oxford, MS in 2015, she served as the Associate Director of the UM's Psychological Assessment Clinic before switching careers and delving into evaluation at CERE. Now, over six years later, she applies her understanding of education, and especially higher education currently, to various projects with funders such as NIH, NSF and private foundations.

Erica C. Spears, PhD, MA
Leadership Committee Member

Erica is the Director of Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) for Louisiana Public Health Institute. In her role, she leads LPHI’s MEL Team in delivering culturally responsive and racially equitable evaluations. Additionally, she directs the organization’s strategic planning and impact measurement efforts.
As a native New Orleanian, Erica relishes opportunities to use her professional skills to improve health outcomes in the place she has always considered home. For more than 15 years she has been a public health leader and health equity champion whose professional experiences include program, evaluation and research experiences in the non-profit, governmental and academic sectors.
Erica earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Health Education and a certificate in advanced research methods from Texas A&M. She completed postdoctoral training at the Center for Health Ecology and Equity Research at Auburn University. Erica also has a Master’s in Speech Communication from the University of Houston and Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communication from Louisiana State University.

Albion Sumrell
Leadership Committee Member

Albion Sumrell is an Educational Consultant, supporting educational institutions and nonprofits with
program development and evaluation. He has worked with schools, colleges, and non-profits as an
administrator, teacher, counselor, and advisor. Through these professional experiences, he has gained a
more comprehensive understanding of the needs and challenges of the PK-16+ educational pipeline,
especially as it relates to college and career preparation.

Albion received his B.A. in Psychology and French Studies from Emory University and his M.Ed. in School
Counseling from Teachers College, Columbia University. He recently graduated with his Ph.D. in
Educational Administration from the University of New Orleans. He is dedicated to researching and
developing effective practices for guiding youth and adults towards lucrative college and career
opportunities.