Jordan Sanders (’20) has been hired as a Research and Evaluation Associate for Mirror Group, LLC, a consulting firm based in Washington, D.C.
Mirror Group, which offers services in research, facilitation, evaluation, and strategic management, among others, is a Black-owned firm that is staffed entirely by Black women.
“I was interested in the opportunity to get back into the evaluation field while working with community-based organizations and philanthropies,” said Sanders, whose efforts with Mirror Group will focus on qualitative analysis and EMEAL (Equitable, Measurement, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning) tools. “I love creating EMEAL tools because it allows me to collaborate with organizations and capture their long-term vision.”
Sanders was introduced to Mirror Group while completing her Capstone project with the American Evaluation Association during the 2019-20 academic year. Sanders had the chance to see Mirror Group’s founder, Dr. Mindelyn Anderson, facilitate a convening she attended.
“I remember admiring her facilitation style and how she was able to command the room with such grace,” Sanders said. “She’s also a woman of color and an entrepreneur who possesses so many of the qualities that I hope to embody.”
Sanders’s work with AEA – which allowed her to work with the Michigan Health Endowment Fund, a philanthropic foundation that works to improve the health and wellness of Michigan residents while reducing healthcare costs – influenced the type of organization she was looking for in her career.
“My Capstone focused on Culturally Responsive Evaluation and how we can center community histories and voices within the evaluation process,” Sanders said. “My Capstone really challenged my creativity and forced me to grow. Working for an organization whose values centered on that was very important to me.”
The position allows Sanders to put lessons learned from her Clinton School projects and classes into practice.
“The two courses I will utilize the most are Program Planning and Program Evaluation,” Sanders said. “When working with clients, I will have to constantly ask myself questions like, ‘How can this evaluation empower this community?’ and ‘How effective is this plan?’ and ‘Whose voice needs to be amplified?’”
In addition to her Master of Public Service, Sanders earned her undergraduate degree in communication from the University of Central Arkansas.
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