Brandi Gilbert, Ph.D.
Associate
SUMMARY OF EXPERIENCE
Dr. Gilbert has used program evaluation and research as tools to inform practice and
policy in both the national and international context. Her work has included research
and evaluation on disaster preparedness among community-based organizations,
volunteerism in higher education, housing recovery efforts following the Haiti
earthquake, and women’s involvement in technology-focused fields. Throughout her
work, she has engaged with various entities such as schools, churches, community
colleges and universities, government agencies, and community-based organizations.
Her evaluation interests include youth development/education, issues of social
inequality, community and systems change, and disaster preparedness and recovery.
Dr. Gilbert is experienced with various aspects of acquiring and conducting evaluation
and research projects, including proposal writing, budget preparation and management,
instrument development, procedures associated with the protection of human subjects,
qualitative data collection and analysis, report preparation, and presentations to local
and national level audiences. She received her bachelor’s degree in Elementary
Education from the University of Delaware and her doctorate at the University of
Colorado; additionally her training includes participation in the American Evaluation
Association Graduate Education Diversity Internship program and the American
Sociological Association Minority Fellowship program.
ACADEMIC BACKGROUND
2013
Ph.D. in Sociology
2007
Bachelor of Arts in
Elementary Education
University of Colorado Boulder
University of Delaware
WORK HISTORY
April- 2013 Present
Community Science
Gaithersburg, MD
Supports community-based evaluation projects in multiple capacities, including
evaluation planning, data collection, and data analysis. Other responsibilities include
contributing to reports and presentations for practitioners, scientist, and the general
public and assisting with proposal development.
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2007 – 2013
Graduate Research
Assistant
2013USGS Tsunami
2013
Natural Hazards Center, University of
Colorado-Boulder
Boulder, CO
USGS Tsunami Scenario Project Evaluation
Assisted with evaluation planning to asses the U.S. Geological Surveys’ emergency
planning scenario, including development of logic models, data collection strategies,
and interview protocols. Documented observations of tsunami scenario planning
meetings through field notes.
2012-2013
Netherlands-U.S. Water Crisis Research Network
Collaborated with U.S. and international Dutch partners to share existing research and
evaluation findings on issues of public preparedness and emergency management.
2009-2012
Warnings Decisions and Extreme Weather Events
Assisted in development of interview protocol. Collected, coded, and analyzed data
from qualitative organizational interviews with local forecasters, public officials, and
other broadcast media representatives. Participated in mental modeling research crosstraining with National Center for Atmospheric Research.
2010-2011
Temporary Housing Planning in the Haiti Earthquake
Participated in project fieldwork in Port-au-Prince and Jacmel, Haiti conducting
interviews with government officials and key personnel in agencies providing temporary
housing. Analyzed organizational correspondence among shelter cluster participants.
2007-2009
Bay Area Preparedness Initiative: Disaster Preparedness
among Community-Based Organizations
Collected, coded, and analyzed data from qualitative interviews with leaders of 90
community-based organizations. Assisted with technical report and published findings in
book chapter and at national conferences.
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2008 – 2009
Intern
American Evaluation Association’s
Graduate Education Diversity
Internship Program
Boulder, CO
Conducted an assessment of the University of Colorado Women’s Resource Center
(WRC) Student Volunteer Program, which involved independently developing the study
design and interview protocols and conducting 20 face-to-face interviews with WRC
staff and volunteers. Analyzed data and developed an evaluation finding report, which
the WRC staff used to adapt the program in the following academic year.
2007
Research Assistant
Disaster Research Center, University of
Delaware
Newark, DE
Used qualitative software for analyzing interviews concerning the waterborne
evacuation of Lower Manhattan following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
PUBLICATIONS
Lee, Kien and Brandi Gilbert. (Forthcoming). “Embedding the Graduate Education
Diversity Internship Within a Larger System.” New Directions for Evaluation.
Ritchie, Liesel, Kathleen Tierney, and Brandi Gilbert. 2010. “Disaster Preparedness
among Community-Based Organizations in the City and County of San
Francisco: Serving the Most Vulnerable.” Pp 3-39 in Community Disaster
Recovery and Resiliency: Exploring Global Opportunities and Challenges, Edited
by D. S. Miller and J.D Rivera.
Engel, Karen, Alexandra Jordan, Brandi Gilbert, and Liesel Ritchie. 2010. “Putting
Disaster and Emergency Management Evaluation in the Dutch Context: Learning
from International Experience.”(In Dutch). Magazine of Crisis Management and
National Security, September 2010 Issue.
SELECTED TECHNICAL REPORTS
Theory and Practice of Community Reconciliation: A Literature Review. (2013). Written
for Andrus Family Fund. [Contributing Author]
Warning Decisions in Extreme Weather Events: Exploring Inter-Organizational Warning
Processes for Flash Floods in Boulder, Colorado and Hurricanes in Miami,
Florida. (2011). Written for the National Science Foundation. [Co-Author]
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Women’s Resource Center Student Volunteer Program. (2009). Written for University of
Colorado Boulder Women’s Resource Center. [Principal Author]
Disaster Preparedness Among Community-Based Organizations in the City and County
of San Francisco. (2008). Written for the Fritz Institute. [Contributing Author]
RECENT PRESENTATIONS, SYMPOSIA, AND WORKSHOPS
Gilbert, Brandi. It Took a Part of Your Life Out: Lifestyle Changes Following the BP Oil
Spill. Presented at the American Sociological Association Conference, New York,
NY, August 2013.
Gilbert, Brandi. Vulnerability and Resilience as Process: A Multi-Disciplinary
Perspective to Inclusive Disaster Planning and Policy. Presented at Advancing
and Redefining Communities for Emergency Management Conference,
Washington, DC, March 2013.
Ritchie, Liesel and Brandi Gilbert. Resilience from the Bottom Up: Assessing Disaster
Preparedness in Community-Based Organizations. Presented at the Annual
Meetings of the Society for Applied Anthropology. Denver, CO, March 2013.
Ritchie, Liesel and Brandi Gilbert The Role of Stakeholder Feedback in Disaster
Preparedness Evaluation: A Collaborative Project with the US Geological Survey.
Presented at American Evaluation Association Conference, Minneapolis, MN,
October 2012
Gilbert, Brandi The Activism that Never Happened: A Case Study of Youth Volunteerism
Following the BP Spill. Society for the Study of Social Problems, Denver, CO,
August 2012.
Gilbert, Brandi and Nnenia Campbell. “You’re Not From Around Here, Are You?” SelfPresentation in the Field. Presented at Annual Conference of Black Sociologists,
Denver, CO, August 2012.
Gilbert, Brandi. Understanding Children’s Disaster Recovery within a Social Context.
Annual Hazards Research and Applications Workshop, Children and Disasters
Panel, Boulder, CO, July 2012.
Gilbert, Brandi. Addressing Values and Valuing through a Culturally Responsive
Evaluation Framework. Presented at American Evaluation Association
Conference, Anaheim, CA, November 2011.
Gilbert, Brandi and Liesel Ritchie. Assessing the Needs of Youth in the Aftermath of the
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Gulf Oil Spill. Presented at American Evaluation Association Conference,
Anaheim, CA, November 2011.
Gilbert, Brandi and Liesel Ritchie. Filling a Critical Gap: Recognizing the Role of NonGovernmental Organizations in U.S. Disaster Preparedness and Response.
Presented at Veterans Health Administration Comprehensive Emergency
Management Program Evaluation and Research Conference, Washington, DC,
May 2011.
Gilbert, Brandi, Alexandra Jordan and Liesel Ritchie Warning Decisions in Extreme
Weather Events. Poster presented at American Evaluation Association
Conference, San Antonio, TX, November 2010.
Ritchie, Liesel, Kathleen Tierney and Brandi Gilbert. Exploring the Role of CommunityBased Organizations in Helping Vulnerable Populations Prepare for and
Respond to Disasters. Presented at Netherlands US Water Crisis Research
Network Meeting, Newark, DE, December 15 2009.
Gilbert, Brandi. Examining Stakeholder Input: A Culturally Responsive Evaluation of the
Women's Resource Center Student Volunteer Program. Presented at American
Evaluation Association Conference, Orlando, FL, November 2009.
Gilbert, Brandi. Exploring Context in Evaluation: The Importance of Cultural and
Historical Context. Presented at American Evaluation Association Conference,
Orlando, FL, November 2009.
Ritchie, Liesel and Brandi Gilbert. Assessing Disaster Preparedness Among
Community-Based Organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area. Presented at
American Evaluation Association Conference, Orlando, FL, November 2009.
Tierney, Kathleen, Liesel Ritchie, Brandi Gilbert and Duke Austin. Assessing
Preparedness within the Critical Civic Infrastructure: Preliminary Findings.
Presented at the Fritz Institute Meeting, San Francisco, CA, April 2008.
Gilbert, Brandi. Surviving Katrina: An Investigation in the Writing & Literacy Practices of
Teachers & Students. Presented at American Educational Research Association,
Chicago, Illinois, April 2007.
Gilbert, Brandi. Literacy in a 12th Grade Language Arts Class Following Hurricane
Katrina. Presented at 8th Annual McNair and University Undergraduate Scholars
Research Symposium, Newark, DE, August 2007.
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OTHER RELATED ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND PROFESSIONAL SERVICE
Chair, American Evaluation Association Disaster and Emergency Management Topical
Interest Group, 2012-Present
Dissertation Fellowship Recipient, American Sociological Association Minority
Fellowship Program, 2012- 2013
Committee Member, American Evaluation Association Presidential Task Force, 2012
Ralph and Barbra Dakin Award for Outstanding Scholarship on Social Problems
Recipient, University of Colorado Boulder Sociology Department, 2012
Undergraduate Research Mentor, Miramontes Arts & Sciences Program, University of
Colorado Boulder, 2012
Gulf Coast Fund Research Grant Recipient, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisor, 2011
Program Chair, American Evaluation Association Disaster and Emergency Management
Topical Interest Group, 2010-2012
Graduate Education Diversity Internship (GEDI) Program Grant Recipient, American
Evaluation Association, 2009
Conference Co-Organizer, Annual Hazards Research and Applications Workshop,
2008-2012
Co-Chair, Annual Hazards and Disaster Student Paper Competition, Natural Hazards
Center, University of Colorado Boulder, 2008-2012
Committee Member, Chancellor’s Committee on Women’s Affairs, University of
Colorado Boulder, 2008
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
American Evaluation Association
American Sociological Association
Gender and Disaster Network
Society for the Study of Social Problems
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