Jessica has been doing research and evaluation work in education, social work, public health, and related fields for 15 years. In addition to planning and implementing strategic company initiatives, she oversees all projects and evaluation staff at Via Evaluation. This, along with ongoing professional development, gives her a broad perspective on evaluation methods, purposes, and related topics. She has completed a wide range of projects funded by federal and state governments, foundations, community-based organizations, school districts, and others in a variety of settings. Through this experience, she understands that while common evaluation methods can be applied across projects, each client and project has unique strengths, needs, and contexts that affect the evaluation process, from planning through reporting.

Ms. Weitzel is the Program Co-Chair of the American Evaluation Association (AEA) Data Visualization and Reporting group. She also is a member of the United Way ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) Research Advisory Committee, and serves in other volunteer roles to share evaluative perspectives. She regularly presents at national and local conferences about evaluation, grants, and data use. She is most satisfied, though, when she works with people in real-world settings, helping them understand and use data to provide high-quality services.