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Research & Data
Mixed-methods research, survey design, instrument validation, statistical analysis, program evaluation, and data translation.
Python · SPSS · Tableau · ExcelPolicy researcher · Data strategist · Program developer
Evidence for systems that work better for people.
I’m Monica D. Mesa-Alvarez, PhD. I connect rigorous research, practical strategy, and human-rights principles to help organizations move from good intentions to measurable change.
Research + ActionPhD, Urban Affairs & Public Policy
Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.
Marie Curie
Disability PolicyOrganizational AlignmentProgram EvaluationSystems Change
About01
I turn complexity into direction.
View my résuméMy work lives at the intersection of research, disability policy, organizational performance, and program strategy.
Trained first as a chemist in Havana and later as a public policy researcher, I bring analytical discipline to deeply human questions: How do policies become everyday practice? Whose knowledge shapes organizational decisions? And what evidence helps leaders build more equitable systems?
At the National Leadership Consortium on Developmental Disabilities, I coordinate technical support and organizational evaluation, develop and translate research, support multi-state programs, and help transform ideas into fundable, measurable initiatives. My consulting work with Open Road Inclusive Community Consulting extends that practice through research translation, evaluation, policy analysis, and stakeholder engagement.
What I Bring02
One practice, three lenses.
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Policy & Systems Change
Disability policy, human-rights frameworks, organizational alignment, policy implementation, and cross-sector strategy.
Policy Analysis · HCBS · IDD Systems03
Programs & Growth
Grant strategy, proposal development, implementation planning, evaluation frameworks, budgets, and funder communications.
Program Evaluation · GrantmanshipServices03
Ways to work together
From a complex question to a useful next step.
I partner with disability organizations, advocacy groups, funders, researchers, and public agencies on focused projects and longer-term collaborations.
Discuss a project01
Research & Evaluation
Build the evidence you need to understand what is working, what is not, and what to do next.
- Survey & instrument design
- Mixed-methods analysis
- Evaluation plans & reports
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Disability Policy & Systems Strategy
Turn complex policy questions into practical options grounded in rights, lived experience, and implementation realities.
- Policy analysis & roadmaps
- HCBS & IDD systems research
- Advocacy tools & briefings
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Program & Grant Development
Shape strong ideas into fundable, measurable initiatives with a clear path from proposal to implementation.
- Program models & work plans
- Grant proposals & budgets
- Outcomes & evaluation frameworks
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Facilitation & Research Translation
Make evidence accessible and actionable for leaders, teams, advocates, and community partners.
- Workshops & presentations
- Stakeholder engagement
- Briefs & accessible resources
Not sure which service fits? Start with the challenge you are facing. We can define the right scope together.
Selected work04
Research with a route to action.
Selected initiatives across organizational research, policy advocacy, leadership development, and grant-funded systems change.
Co-created with DJ Savarese · Capitol Hill
Re-Envisioning Dis/Abled Futures
Co-developed with self-advocate DJ Savarese for Capitol Hill meetings with U.S. Senate staff, this policy brief makes the case for disability-led self-direction, home-based supports, and shared power in long-term services and supports policy.
View the policy briefOrganizational Priorities & Practices Inventory
Helping disability-sector organizations see where stated values and everyday practice align, and where the data point to opportunities for meaningful change.
1,171professionals represented in the 2024 to 2025 dataset
UnlockGA
Coordinating a statewide, advocate-centered coalition focused on home- and community-based services, community living, policy education, and durable advocacy infrastructure.
2 yearsof advocate-centered statewide coalition work
Leadership, alignment & human rights
Examining how leadership priorities shape the implementation of human-rights-based practices in organizations supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
40states represented across 230 organizations
From opportunity to implementation
Translating funder priorities into credible programs, work plans, outcomes, evaluation approaches, and budgets for multi-state leadership and systems-change initiatives.
Multi-stateprogram strategy from proposal through evaluation
Data are most useful when they illuminate experience, redistribute attention, and make the next decision more responsible.
Writing & speaking05
Ideas made useful.
Research, briefs, and presentations that connect evidence with the decisions leaders face.
01
White paper
02A Policy Roadmap for Advancing Disability Rights in Georgia
National Leadership Consortium on Developmental Disabilities · 2026
Research report
03Giving Voices to LGBTQ+ People with IDD in Ohio
Co-author · National Leadership Consortium on Developmental Disabilities
Research brief
04Staff Participation, Value, Impact, and Support
Author · Organizational Priorities and Practices Inventory
Featured presentation
The Role of Leadership in Advancing Human Rights Practices
International Leadership Association · 2025
A multidisciplinary foundation
Science taught me how to test. Policy taught me what to question.
PhDUrban Affairs & Public Policy
University of Delaware
University of Delaware
MPAPublic Administration
University of Delaware
University of Delaware
BSChemistry
University of Havana
University of Havana
Let’s connect
Building something that needs evidence, clarity, and heart?
I’m interested in ambitious research, policy, evaluation, data, and program strategy work, especially when the goal is stronger organizations and more equitable systems.