Leonardo Flores, MSW, Associate, is steeped in program evaluation, measurement development, and mixed methods – all with a culturally and linguistically responsive lens. He combines his technical expertise with strong facilitation skills to advance community-driven research and evaluation practices that inform sustainable solutions for challenges facing communities, particularly in the areas of early childhood, mental health, and substance use. Third world feminist theory and critical theory guide Leonardo’s work to challenge institutions of oppression and domination. He is also steeped in the use of data analysis tools such as R and R-Studio, Tableau, STATA, and Nvivo to support research and evaluation studies and transformation of data into useful findings and actionable insights.
Leonardo’s accomplishments include the completion of a community assessment that helped a community to secure a grant to develop a recreation center; a study that evaluated the cultural applicability of a measure of post-traumatic stress disorder among immigrant and refugee youth; design of training material to improve program staff’s knowledge about evaluation; and support for evaluating a statewide initiative to build and bridge power in communities across Colorado. He produced a formative and outcomes evaluation report for the Sewall Child Development, Inc., and a paper for the University of Denver about the mental health challenges facing LGBTQ+ youth in rural areas and opportunities for responding to their needs.
Leonardo is currently pursuing a Doctoral degree in Statistics and Research Methods with a focus on mixed methods and program evaluation. He also holds a Master’s in Social Work with a concentration on community planning, organizing, and administration. He has presented at several conferences including the 2022 annual conference of the American Evaluation Association where he discussed situating evaluation in the nonprofit industrial complex as a tool for social change.