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
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 + actionMy 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.
Mixed-methods research, survey design, instrument validation, statistical analysis, program evaluation, and data translation.
Python · SPSS · Tableau · ExcelDisability policy, human-rights frameworks, organizational alignment, policy implementation, and cross-sector strategy.
Policy analysis · HCBS · IDD systemsGrant strategy, proposal development, implementation planning, evaluation frameworks, budgets, and funder communications.
Program design · Grants · EvaluationSelected initiatives across organizational research, policy advocacy, leadership development, and grant-funded systems change.
Helping disability-sector organizations see where stated values and everyday practice align—and where the data point to opportunities for meaningful change.
Coordinating a statewide, advocate-centered coalition focused on home- and community-based services, community living, policy education, and durable advocacy infrastructure.
Examining how leadership priorities shape the implementation of human-rights-based practices in organizations supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Translating funder priorities into credible programs, work plans, outcomes, evaluation approaches, and budgets for multi-state leadership and systems-change initiatives.
Data are most useful when they illuminate experience, redistribute attention, and make the next decision more responsible.
Research, briefs, and presentations that connect evidence with the decisions leaders face.
Co-author · National Leadership Consortium on Developmental Disabilities
Author · Organizational Priorities and Practices Inventory
International Leadership Association · 2025
Let’s connect
I’m interested in ambitious research, policy, evaluation, data, and program strategy work—especially when the goal is stronger organizations and more equitable systems.