Brandi Gilbert, PhD, Managing Director, brings expertise in research, evaluation, and strategic learning to initiatives that strengthen communities, expand opportunities for children and youth, and advance systems change. She leads Community Science’s Youth Engagement and Leadership Practice Area, partnering with foundations, nonprofits, public agencies, and cross-sector networks to generate actionable evidence, elevate the perspectives of young people and communities, and translate learning into stronger strategy and practice. Her work spans youth development and engagement, economic mobility, community change, and the broader systems and conditions that shape opportunity and well-being.
At Community Science, Brandi has led complex, multi-year research and evaluation efforts for national and regional foundations and initiatives, including the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Dalio Education Foundation, Atrius Health Equity Foundation, and StriveTogether. Her work has included evaluating a multi-year portfolio focused on opportunity youth in New Orleans; leading research that elevated the perspectives of young people experiencing disconnection from school, work, and other supports in Connecticut; examining how youth leadership and engagement can contribute to health equity and community change; and supporting cradle-to-career networks in using evidence and learning to strengthen strategies for children and youth. Her portfolio also includes work on economic mobility and early wealth-building, intergenerational leadership, community resilience, and place-based and cross-sector approaches to change.
Brandi previously directed the American Evaluation Association’s Graduate Education Diversity Internship Program for six years. A graduate of the program herself, she helped build a pipeline of more than 60 emerging evaluators and strengthen their preparation in culturally responsive and equity-centered evaluation approaches.
Before joining Community Science, Brandi worked at the Urban Institute’s Metropolitan Housing and Communities Policy Center, where her research included federal post-disaster housing recovery, disaster preparedness among community-based organizations, national place-based initiatives such as Promise Neighborhoods and 100 Resilient Cities, and research focused on the well-being of children and families, including food insecurity and access to social supports.
Brandi holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in sociology from the University of Colorado Boulder. She lives in Maryland and, in her free time, enjoys staying active by running half marathons, cooking comfort meals with healthy ingredients, spending time with family, traveling, and reading.
Examples of Publications
Gilbert, B., Haynes, D., Gilmore, D., & Cowans, D. (forthcoming 2026). “Elevating Youth Voices: Understanding Disconnection and Pathways to Reconnection.” In Reengagement, Volume II. Bloomsbury.
Youth as Health Care Change Agents Evaluation Report. (2026). Written for Atrius Health Equity Foundation.
Year 1 impact reporting: Youth as Health Care Change Agents – Atrius Health Equity Foundation.
Gilbert, B., & Anguiano, C. J. (2026). “Looking Beyond the Behavior: Lessons from a Youth-Informed Evaluation.” AEA365, American Evaluation Association.
Looking Beyond the Behavior: Lessons from a Youth-Informed Evaluation – AEA365.
Gilbert, B., et al. (2024). Connecticut’s Unspoken Crisis: Elevating the Voices of Young People. Dalio Education.
Connecticut’s Unspoken Crisis: Elevating the Voices of Young People – Final Report PDF. There is also an ERIC record for the report.
Understanding Post-Disaster Social Services for Children and Families. (2021). Written for the National Academies of Sciences and Administration for Children and Families.
Understanding Post-Disaster Social Services for Children and Families – National Academies PDF.
CDBG-DR Housing Recovery: Challenges, Best Practices, Lessons Learned, and Recommendations. (2019). Written for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Gilbert, B. (2019). “Teens in a Toxic Environment: Lessons from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.” Natural Hazards Center Research Counts.
Teens in a Toxic Environment – Natural Hazards Center.
Lee, K., & Gilbert, B. (2014). “Embedding the Graduate Education Diversity Internship Program within a Larger System.” New Directions for Evaluation, No. 143.
Embedding the Graduate Education Diversity Internship Program within a Larger System – Wiley.
Examples of Projects
Evaluation Director, Youth as Health Care Change Agents, Atrius Health Equity Foundation. Lead the evaluation and learning strategy for a multi-community initiative positioning young people as leaders in advancing health equity across Eastern Massachusetts. (Atrius Health Equity Foundation)
Deputy Evaluation Director, Difference Made Evaluation, StriveTogether. Lead the evaluation of StriveTogether’s national cradle-to-career network, examining how its supports and investments contribute to community-level systems and population change.
Evaluation Director, Brilliant Futures, Greater Washington Community Foundation. Lead the evaluation of a place-based children’s savings initiative designed to strengthen educational and economic opportunity for children and families. (Greater Washington Community Foundation)
Evaluation Director, New Orleans Opportunity Youth Strategy, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. Led a five-year evaluation examining efforts to strengthen education and career pathways for young people in New Orleans experiencing disconnection from school and work. (Hilton Foundation)
Evaluation Director, Connecticut Opportunity Youth Study. Led youth-centered qualitative research to understand the experiences of more than 70 young people disconnected from school, work, and other systems of support. (Dalio Education)
Deputy Evaluation Director, Community Partnerships for Health Equity, The Colorado Trust. Led the evaluation of a statewide, place-based initiative supporting residents and communities to build power and address the conditions shaping health equity. (coloradotrust.org)