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 evaluation advisory committee for VOICES for Health Kids, a joint initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the American Heart Association.

In the past, he served on the US Comptroller General’s Advisory Council on Government Auditing Standards, the American Evaluation Association’s board of directors, and the editorial advisory board of New Directions for Evaluation. He coedited two volumes of New Directions for Evaluation: Promoting the Use of Government Evaluations in Policymaking (2006) and Responding to Sponsors and Stakeholders in Complex Evaluation Environments (2002).

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 from the University of Kansas and is a recipient of the Council of State Governments’ Henry Toll Fellowship.

Lauren came to OPE after a career in healthcare and hospitality management. She worked on the report Child Welfare System, which confirmed her passion for public service. Lauren is particularly interested in research design and the intersection of qualitative and quantitative data. She is pursuing a master of public administration from Boise State University.

Experience: Lauren has a background in hospitality and revenue management and healthcare management.

Education: Lauren has a BS in political science from Boise State University, School of Public Service.

Professional Affiliations: She is a member of the National Legislative Program Evaluation Society.

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 for 15 years. 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, and child welfare.

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.

Susie comes to OPE from the field of health economics. Though a committed number-cruncher, she knows that numbers very rarely tell the whole story and that qualitative data is essential for providing context to quantitative data. She enjoys collecting qualitative data through interviews and focus groups and meeting interesting people in the process.

Experience: Susie has worked on economic evaluations of programs to prevent childhood obesity, concussion, and falls, enhance preventive health care service in rural areas, and promote walking and bicycling in the state of Idaho.

Education: Susie has an MHS from Boise State University, an MBA from University of Oregon, and a BS in general science from University of Oregon.

Professional Affiliations: She is a member of the American Evaluation Association, the National Conference of State Legislatures, and the Society for Benefit-Cost Analysis.

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 baby, Augie. 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 has been a team member on two reports, The State’s Use of Legal Services and Design of the Idaho Behavioral Health Plan. He led State Jurisdiction in Indian Country and is currently team lead on a report about residential care and a team member on a report about pardons and parole.

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

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.

Experience: Casey is providing support for the evaluations of the Southwest Idaho Treatment Center and Legislative Mandates on Local Governments.

Education: Casey has a BS in Political Science from Boise State University. He is in the Master of Public Administration program at Boise State University and on track to graduate in May 2019.

Bryon loves finding meaning and answers buried deep in data and information that others might otherwise overlook. As his mother can attest, a lifelong of asking why has fueled an inquisitive mind that proves useful in research and evaluation.

He was raised in Kent, Washington, but has lived in Idaho for most of his adult life.

Experience: Bryon joined OPE in 2010 and has worked on projects in policy areas such as senior citizen services, Medicaid claims processing, postsecondary education, state employee compensation and benefits, water quality, public health, and public education funding. He serves as the technology and social media resource for the office.

Education: Bryon has a master of public administration and is pursuing a PhD in public policy and administration from Boise State University. He has received graduate certificates in community and regional planning and geographic information analysis. He has an undergraduate degree in political science.

Professional Affiliations: He is a member of the American Evaluation Association, the American Society for Public Administration, and the Oregon Program Evaluators Network.

He has presented research at the National Legislative Program Evaluation Society’s Professional Development Conference and at the Pacific Northwest Intergovernmental Audit Forum.