2026-2027 LEADERSHIP COMMITTEE
Elizabeth Sweeney
Chair
Dr. Sweeney is an Evaluation Associate at the Center for Research Evaluation in Oxford, Mississippi. She has been a member of GCEval since 2023 and part of the Leadership Committee since 2024. Prior to evaluation, her professional experiences include academic publishing, K-12 and higher education, and community engagement focused on health, education, and workforce development. She has a PhD in Education from the University of Mississippi and a BA in Religious Studies from Millsaps College. She is so grateful for and inspired by the community she has found through GCEval and looks forward to continuing to support the network as 2026-2027 leadership committee chair.
Jessica Abram
Vice Chair/Treasurer
Jessica Abram, MPA is the founder and principal consultant of Bloom Education Consulting, a firm dedicated to strengthening educational systems through data-driven strategies. With a background as a middle school English teacher, Jessica witnessed firsthand the challenges of implementing new strategies without knowing whether previous efforts had made a lasting impact. This experience sparked her passion for helping organizations measure outcomes, make informed decisions, and create lasting improvements in education. Her expertise spans K-12 education, early childhood development, college and career access, and workforce development, with a focus on ensuring that systems are designed to work for underserved communities, including low-income families, students of color, and rural communities. Before founding Bloom Education, Jessica worked as a research consultant for institutions such as the World Bank, Higher Ed Insight, and the Regulatory Studies Center at The George Washington University. In these roles, she led strategic planning efforts and research initiatives for education clients, including K-12 schools, universities, and nonprofit organizations. She also served as Director of School Operations at KIPP Massachusetts, managing a $6.8M budget and leading human capital and operations systems to improve school procedures and policies. Jessica holds a Master of Public Administration from The George Washington University and is passionate about using data and evidence to drive systemic change and educational equity.
Danica Brown
Secretary
Dr. Danica Brown is the Founder and Principal of DL Research Solutions LLC, a research, evaluation, and strategic learning consulting firm that partners with nonprofits, foundations, educational institutions, and public agencies to use evidence to strengthen programs, inform decision-making, and advance systems change.
With expertise in mixed-methods research, program evaluation, and strategic learning, Dr. Brown specializes in early childhood and K-12 education systems, educator workforce development, mathematics education, youth development, and community-centered initiatives. Her work helps organizations build learning systems that support continuous improvement, demonstrate impact, and create lasting change. Throughout her career, Dr. Brown has led evaluations, community-engaged research, and strategic learning initiatives that help organizations design initiatives, navigate complex challenges, and strengthen systems that improve outcomes for children, families, and communities. Her evidence-based insights have informed the work of organizations such as Tulane University’s Taylor Center for Social Innovation and Design Thinking, the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children, and the Maryland Department of Service and Civic Innovation.
As a researcher, evaluator, and educator, Dr. Brown is passionate about helping organizations ask meaningful questions, generate actionable evidence, and translate findings into strategies that strengthen programs and advance equity towards lasting community impact.
Albion Sumrell
Past Chair
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.
Shannon Sharp
State-by-State Liaison
Shannon is a Senior 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, almost a decade later she applies her understanding of education, and especially higher education currently, to various projects with funders such as NIH, NSF and private foundations.
Santee Ezell
Leadership Committee Member
Santee is a program evaluation practitioner with expertise in public health, philanthropy, and higher education. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Human Development and Family Science at Mississippi State University, where her research explores family engagement and educational mobility. Her work supports higher education institutions and nonprofit organizations through program reviews, program evaluation, curriculum design, strategic planning, capacity building, and stakeholder engagement. She has experience evaluating grant-funded initiatives, developing evaluation frameworks, and translating data into actionable insights that strengthen programs and inform decision-making. Santee is passionate about advancing equitable, community-centered evaluation practices that foster learning, accountability, and sustainable impact.
Callie Dean
Leadership Committee Member
Callie Dean serves as the director of applied research at the Institute for Nonprofit Administration and Research (INAR) at LSU Shreveport. She has more than 15 years of experience in designing, leading, and evaluating educational programming, with expertise in community arts, STEM education, and positive youth development. Her current portfolio includes community-engaged projects in public health, public safety, education, and community well-being. Callie loves to incorporate creative, equitable approaches to data communication and visualization that make the research process more engaging and accessible for everyone. She also plays the violin and is the author of two forthcoming children’s books.
Melissa Schigoda
Leadership Committee Member
Dr. Melissa Schigoda, serves as Director of Impact Evaluation for YouthForce NOLA.She has over 20 years of experience in local government, higher education, and nonprofits, specializing in performance management, analytics, and evaluation.
Prior to her current role, Dr. Schigoda founded and led her own public impact consulting firm. Before that, she served as a Director at the Center for Government Excellence at Johns Hopkins University. She led the organization's efforts on the Bloomberg Philanthropies’ City Data Alliance, an initiative to help mayors and their senior teams from cities across the Americas to develop data strategies, accelerate their data practice, and deliver exceptional results for residents.
Dr. Schigoda also served as the Director of the Office of Performance and Accountability in the City of New Orleans, where she led performance management, analytics, and other data-driven projects to drive evidence-based decision-making across City departments. Dr. Schigoda holds a Bachelors in Political Science and a Ph.D. in International Development from Tulane University, where she is an adjunct faculty member in the Masters in Public Administration program.