Rakesh has been the director of OPE since 2002. He is committed to promoting confidence and accountability in state government through evaluation. Under his direction, the office has received many awards, including the American Evaluation Association’s 2016 Outstanding Evaluation Award and 2011 Alva and Gunnar Myrdal Government Evaluation Award. He is also the recipient of 2016 Donald and Alice Stone Outstanding Practitioner Award from the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA).

Rakesh contributes to the field of evaluation through service on (1) the editorial advisory board of the American Journal of Evaluation, (2) the board of the ASPA Center for Accountability and Performance, and (3) the advisory board of the Rucks Group, a research and evaluation firm based in Dayton, Ohio.

Recently he wrote a chapter for the book Evaluation Failures, published by Sage (2019). His chapter was titled, “I Didn’t Know I Would Be a Tightrope Walker Someday: Balancing Evaluator Responsiveness and Independence.” In the past, he served on the American Evaluation Association’s board of directors, the editorial advisory board of New Directions for Evaluation, and the US Comptroller General’s Advisory Council on Government Auditing Standards.

Locally he serves on the board of directors of Jannus, an Idaho nonprofit providing health and human services. He has a master of public administration degree from the University of Kansas and is a recipient of the Council of State Governments’ Henry Toll Fellowship.

Amanda answers questions. Through her tenacious inquisitiveness, Amanda found her professional calling in the field of evaluation which seeks to provide accurate, reliable, and useful information to decision makers. Amanda is passionate about strengthening her community by supporting more effective government programs and policies.

Experience: Amanda has worked as a researcher and program evaluator since 2002. She started with Ada County where she conducted evaluations for departments including Solid Waste Management, Juvenile Court Services, and Misdemeanor Probation. Since coming to OPE, Amanda has worked in multiple policy areas including contract management, employee compensation, due process hearing procedures, child welfare, and local government.

Experience in a variety of state and local agencies has strengthened Amanda’s ability to extract useful data by using a variety of methods, successfully planning and executing projects, and facilitating productive communication among stakeholders.

Education: Amanda has an undergraduate degree in clinical psychology from Liberty University and a master’s degree in public administration from Boise State University.

Professional Affiliations: She is a member of the American Evaluation Association and the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Margaret enjoys the challenge of putting together documents that are easily read and understood by the public. She has written invitational blogs about the importance of clear writing, effective formats, and data visualization and has presented this information to local and national audiences.

Experience: Margaret has been with the office since its inception in 1994. She is responsible for budget and human resources functions and is the office’s copyeditor, desktop publisher, and web developer.

Education: Margaret has a specialized certificate in copyediting from the University of California, San Diego Extension. She attended the Legislative Staff Management Institute at California State University in Sacramento, and she has a certificate of excellence as a Microsoft Certified Professional.

Professional Affiliations: She is a member of the American Copy Editors Society, the National Association of Government Communicators, and the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Ryan came to the office from academia and has enjoyed learning about the diversity of Idaho and the many functions of state government. He is grateful that he gets to meet many of the diverse people from across Idaho as part of his job.

He is a Boise native and lives on the bench with his wife, Anna, and two children. He was a long-suffering Cubs fan, whose suffering ended on November 2, 2016. Anyone who spends enough time with him will hear too much about Adam Smith’s The Theory of Moral Sentiments and about anything written by Jane Jacobs.

Experience: Ryan’s recent projects include the Southwest Idaho Treatment Center and Residential Care

Before coming to the office, Ryan taught economics and political science for a year at Emory University, where he was able to inflict both The Theory of Moral Sentiments and the work of Jane Jacobs on undergraduates.

Education: Ryan has a PhD in economics from George Mason University, 2013; an MA in economics from George Mason University, 2011; and a BA in history and economics from Gonzaga University.

Professional Affiliations: He is a member of the American Evaluation Association and the National Legislative Program Evaluation Society.

Lance grew up in the Treasure Valley and lives in Boise with his wife and daughter. He joined OPE in 2010 to pursue his interest in evaluation design and methodology.

Experience: Lance has worked on projects covering a variety of policy areas including K-12 education, higher education funding, environment, health and welfare, liquor distribution, transportation, and tax policy.

Education: Lance has an undergraduate degree in political science with an emphasis in public policy and a master of public administration.

Professional Affiliations: He is a member of the American Evaluation Association, the National Legislative Program Evaluation Society, and the Oregon Program Evaluators Network

Mackenzie was born and raised in Boise and loves it. She is happy to be surrounded by close family and friends. She has been searching for a professional environment in which to use and develop her passions for social systems and community, and skills in public speaking and policy analysis. She has found the perfect place at the Office of Performance Evaluations.

Experience: Mackenzie has worked as a graduate research assistant at the Idaho Policy Institute since August 2019, spending time on various research projects including work projects for Boise State’s School of Public Service and the City of Boise. Since beginning at OPE, she has focused primarily on the state response project to Alzheimer’s and related dementias.

Education:Mackenzie has an undergraduate degree in social work from Boise State University with a Spanish minor and is currently pursuing a Master of Public Administration.

Professional Affiliations: She is a member of the American Evaluation Association and the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Sasha is passionate about data and knows the essential role government accountability plays in our democracy. She is dedicated to improving the lives of those in her community by providing policymakers with information to support effective public services. Sasha has expertise in tax policy, K–12 education, labor economics, and long-term family financial security. She spent part of her career in Illinois before moving back home to Idaho with her husband.

Experience: Sasha developed a strong quantitative background in the private sector before deciding to use her skill set to support policymakers and nonprofit service providers. She served as an economic research assistant at DePaul University, focusing primarily on labor market policy. She has diverse experience including work on education funding, access to domestic violence services, health care, and retirement savings.

Education:Sasha is pursuing a PhD in public policy and administration at Boise State University. She holds an MS in economics and policy analysis from DePaul University (2017), a BA in economics and a BA in sociology from the University of Washington (2011).

Professional Affiliations: She is a member of the American Evaluation Association, the National Conference of State Legislatures, and the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management.

Casey grew up in Pocatello and has spent most of his life split between Idaho and California. He is an avid fan of basketball and history and likes to spend his free time listening to podcasts. Casey enjoys the policy process and policy decision making and is grateful to work in an office that provides information and assistance to Idaho’s policymakers.

Experience: Casey is working on an evaluation of the operational efficiency of Idaho’s prison system. He previously provided support for the evaluations of the Southwest Idaho Treatment Center, Court-Ordered Fines and Fees, and Legislative Mandates on Local Governments.

Education: Casey has a BS in Political Science and is receiving an MPA from Boise State University in December 2019.