Kien S. Lee, Ph.D., Vice President of Consulting, has expertise in promoting equity, inclusion, and cultural competency for health, food security, civic engagement, and leadership development.

 

She brings experience as a capacity builder, evaluator, and researcher working with federal and local government agencies, foundations, and nonprofit organizations that are striving to effect community and systems change. Kien is seen as a thought leader in work that occurs at the nexus of evaluation and racial equity and presents and writes extensively about how evaluation can be scientifically rigorous and supportive of racial equity at the same time.

 

At Community Science, Kien provides strategic and technical direction for the evaluation of health and racial equity projects. She leads the practice area in inclusiveness and equity, health equity, and effective organizations. Her subject matter expertise includes immigrant and refugee integration, community building, leadership development, health equity, intergroup relations, evaluation capacity building, and organizational cultural competency. Notable clients include the Bush Foundation, the Racial Equity Anchor Collaborative, Institute for Nonprofit Practice.

 

In her spare time, she enjoys drawing and painting, cooking, and traveling to historical places around the world.

 

Education

  • Ph.D., Community Research and Practice, The Union Institute & University
  • M.S., Health and Fitness Management, The American University
  • B.A., Society and Health/Psychology, Hampshire College

Expertise

  • Civic Engagement
  • Cultural Competency for health
  • Equity and Inclusion
  • Food Security
  • Leadership Development

Notable Publications and Presentations

  • K. Kellogg Foundation. (2021). Practice Guides on Doing Evaluation in Service of Racial Equity. [Lead Author]
  • Considerations for Integrating Birth, Health, and Racial Equity into IM CoIIN Evaluation Efforts: Conversations with National Experts. Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration, September 9, 2020. (Webinar presenter)
  • Changing Ourselves and Our Evaluation Practice in Service of Racial Equity. Webinar for the Colorado Equitable Evaluation Collaboratory, October 1, 2020. (Webinar presenter)
  • Bush Foundation. (2019). Key Considerations for Design and Evaluation of Leadership Programs with a Racial Equity and Social Justice Lens. [lead author]
  • Wolff, T., Minkler, M., Wolfe, S., Berkowitz, B., Bowen, L., Butterfoss, F., Christens, B., Francisco, V., Himmelman, A., & Lee, K. (2017, January 9). Collaborating for equity and justice: Moving beyond collective impact. Nonprofit Quarterly. https://nonprofitquarterly.org/collaborating-equity-justice-moving-beyond-collective-impact/
  • Evaluation of The Connecticut Health Foundation’s Health Equity Goal. (2016). Written for the Connecticut Health Foundation. [Lead Author]
  • Lee, K. (2014). Effecting Social Change in Diverse Contexts: The Role of Cross-Cultural Competency. In V. C. Scott & S. M. Wolfe (Eds.), Community Psychology: Foundations for Practice (pp. 113-131). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
  • Lee, K. & Gilbert, B. (2014). Embedding the Graduate Education Diversity Program within a larger system. New Directions in Evaluation, No. 143. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
  • Evaluation of the National Partnership for Action to End Health Disparities. (2013 & 2014). Written for the US Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health. [Contributing Author and Technical Reviewer]. 

Past Exemplary Projects

  • Evaluation Director, Equity Fund & Partnerships Fund, 2021-2026. Direct the developmental evaluation of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation’s Equity Fund and Partnerships Fund and lead all interface with the foundation’s leadership and staff.
  • Evaluation Director, Community Partnerships for Health Equity (CPHE) Initiative (2018-2023). Direct the evaluation of initiative designed to build power in frontier, rural, and urban communities and communities of color across the state.
  • Lead Author, Guides on Designing and Conducting Evaluations in Service of Racial Equity (2020-present). Oversee the development and writing of a series of guides, funded by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, to operationalize evaluations designed and implemented to be in service of racial equity.
  • Evaluation Director, Racial Equity Anchor Collaborative (2020-2021). Advised, then directed the evaluation. Supported the project coordinator, evaluation committee, and stewards from nine anchor organizations (Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum, Demos, Faith in Action, NAACP, National Congress of American Indians, National Urban League, Race Forward, The Advancement Project, UnidosUS) to inform their collective action to promote civic engagement and cross-racial collaboration.
  • Evaluation Advisor, Development of Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning System with Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity Lens (2020-present). In collaboration with Sankofa Consulting, provide strategic advice and support to the Conrad W. Hilton Foundation’s Strategy, Learning, and Evaluation Department.
  • Project Director, Institute for Nonprofit Practice (2020-present). Direct the design of the Organizational Learning Agenda, development of a blueprint for implementation, and training of staff on monitoring, evaluation, and learning practices.
  • Evaluation Director, Bush Foundation’s Change Network Program (2017-present). Oversee the developmental evaluation of the foundation’s pilot leadership program in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Also co-authored a paper about developing and supporting leadership with a racial equity and social justice orientation.