Stacy Rassel

Management Team – Consultant + Practice Management

+1-651-315-8923

Stacy Rassel is passionate about program evaluation and the role it plays in helping organizations improve programming, demonstrate outcomes, and communicate the value of their programs. Outside of work, Stacy is usually doing something active like hiking in a state park, kickboxing at the gym, growing vegetables in her garden, or playing softball.

Expertise

Evaluation

Stacy has her Doctor of Philosophy in evaluation and has worked in the field since 2007. She is adept at seeing the big picture of an evaluation while also paying great attention to detail in plotting out the path required to answer evaluation questions. In designing evaluations, Stacy enjoys the challenge of figuring out how to gather the right data. She sees the importance of this step and believes that, as Light, Singer, and Willett said, “You can’t fix by analysis what you bungled by design.”

Consulting

Stacy applies her strength in critical thinking when planning project management for complex projects. She is able to foresee potential challenges and strategies to address them before they can impact a project. She appreciates The Improve Group’s focus on building relationships with clients to help ensure they have confidence that our work will answer their questions.

Evaluation capacity building

As the leader of The Improve Group’s Training Team, Stacy applies her expertise in designing and delivering trainings that build the evaluation capacity of clients and stakeholders. She also oversees projects that include built-in client evaluation capacity building.

Practice areas

Evaluation Capacity Building and Empowerment Evaluation: Providing people and organizations the tools they need to make informed strategic decisions and deepen organizational impact.

Professional experience

The Improve Group | St. Paul, MN | Director of Consulting | 2013-present | Plan, direct, and provide coaching support on projects to make the most of information, navigate complexity, and ensure clients’ investments of time and money lead to meaningful, sustained impact. Current experience includes:

The Improve Group | St. Paul, MN | Research Analyst, Senior Research Analyst | 2010-13 | Plan, lead, and execute project activities to make the most of information, navigate complexity, and ensure clients’ investments of time and money lead to meaningful, sustained impact.

University of Minnesota Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development | Minneapolis, MN | Graduate Research Assistant | 2009-11 | Conducted evaluations and research for department projects.

University of Minnesota Center for Early Education and Development | Minneapolis, MN | Research Assistant, Minnesota Early Learning Foundation Evaluation| 2007-09 | Evaluated early childhood programs and projects to improve services with low-income and diverse populations.

Minnesota Literacy Council | St. Paul, MN | Program Coordinator | 2002-07 | Coordinated AmeriCorps programs serving low-income children throughout Minnesota in schools, libraries, and community organizations.

Bruce F. Vento Elementary School | St. Paul, MN | Teaching Assistant, After School Program | 2003-07 | Taught after-school enrichment courses to support students with their learning and development.

Education

University of Minnesota | Doctor of Philosophy in Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development; emphasis on Evaluation Studies

University of Minnesota | Master of Arts in Educational Policy and Administration; emphasis on Evaluation Studies

University of St. Thomas | Mini-MBA in Volunteer Management

Luther College | Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics and Management

Want to learn more about Stacy? Check out their full resume here!