Join program evaluator/author Chari Smith in a discussion with Portland Homeless Family Solutions' executive director Brandi Tuck and program director Fay Schuler about their journey of creating a meaningful and realistic program evaluation system.

Learn about their successes, challenges, and how they continue to use data today for ongoing program improvement as well as to demonstrate impact.

About the Presenters

Passionate about anti-oppression, systems change, and resilience, Brandi Tuck founded Portland Homeless Family Solutions in 2007 and has worked as the Executive Director ever since, increasing the organizational budget from $78,000 to over $3 million annually. She previously worked with Oregon Hunger Relief Task Force conducting in anti-hunger public policy and outreach for federal nutrition programs. Brandi has served on the boards of the Nonprofit Association Oregon (NAO), the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network (YNPN), and the Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble, and is a Fellow in the Oregon Chapter of the American Leadership Forum (ALF). She holds degrees in Political Science and Philosophy from the University of Florida and a certificate in Nonprofit Administration from Boston College. 

Fay Schuler has extensive experience operating emergency shelters, rapid re-housing programs, transitional housing, permanent supportive housing, and leading community-based services for survivors of domestic and sexual violence. She is an expert in staff supervision, advocating for program participants and staff alike, and helping create system change. Fay spent the last 14 years as an Executive Director at West Women’s and Children’s Shelter and Call to Safety. With experience working across adult, youth, and the domestic and sexual violence system of care, Fay is able to make connections across systems which elevate the voices of families experiencing homelessness and address the intersections at the root causes. She centers Trauma Informed Care, Equity, and Assertive Engagement in her practice. 

Chari Smith believes evaluation should be accessible, practical and usable. She founded Evaluation into Action to help nonprofit professionals create realistic and meaningful program evaluation processes. She has taught several workshops on topics such as building a culture of evaluation, creating measurable outcomes, and survey design. She was also the opening keynote speaker at the American Evaluation Association Conference 2020. Her book, Nonprofit Program Evaluation Made Simple: Get Your Data. Show Your Impact. Improve Your Programs., provides step by step instruction on how to do program evaluation. Learn more at www.evaluationintoaction.com/book.