KRISTA COLLINS

Director of Research and Evaluation, David P. Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality

Biography

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Dr. Krista Collins is the Director of Evaluation & Insights for Boys & Girls Clubs of America where she is responsible for developing and managing internal evaluation projects and advising strategic initiatives to optimize BGCA’s youth development portfolio. She advises the development and implementation of BGCA’s measurement strategy and supports the delivery of BGCA training programs designed to increase data literacy, data-driven decision making and program quality staff practices among all levels of Youth Development practitioners.  Previously, she worked as an external evaluator, partnering with school districts and non-profit organizations to secure and evaluate federally funded programs (e.g. Race to the Top, Investing in Innovation) that promote outcomes for underserved youth and their communities.  She currently serves on the California Afterschool Network Continuous Quality Improvement Workgroup and Youth Development Directors of Research and Evaluation Collaborative to drive partnership and alignment across the field of youth development to understand best practices that drive positive outcomes.  She holds a doctorate from Claremont Graduate University in Applied Developmental Psychology and has been an active contributing member of American Evaluation Association, including leadership roles within the PreK-12 Educational Evaluation TIG and the Atlanta-area Evaluation Association, since 2007.