Jean A. King, PhD
MESI Director
Jean A. King is Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development at the University of Minnesota. She received her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from Cornell University and taught middle school English in upstate New York before moving to New Orleans, LA to become a professor at Tulane University. In 1989 she moved upriver to the University of Minnesota as the founding director of the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI) in the College of Education and Human Development, a position she held for four years before working collaboratively to revitalize program evaluation instruction in the College. King founded the Minnesota Evaluation Studies Institute (MESI) in1996 and currently serves as its director. With over thirty years of experience conducting evaluations, she has taught evaluation courses and mentored graduate students for 15 years. A sought-after presenter and long-time writer on evaluation, she is the author of numerous articles, chapters, and reviews and retains an abiding interest in participatory evaluation and evaluation capacity building. Her latest book, Interactive Evaluation Practice: Mastering the Interpersonal Dynamics of Program Evaluation, co-authored with Laurie Stevahn, is in press.
Laura Pejsa, PhD
MESI Associate Director
Laura J. Pejsa is the Associate Director of the Minnesota Evaluation Studies Institute. In this role, she is responsible for coordinating community and University evaluation consultations and contracts, planning and delivering evaluation training and conferences, and advising and supervising evaluation studies students in practical evaluation internships and field experiences. Laura received her doctoral degree in Evaluation Studies from the University of Minnesota. Her dissertation research, entitled “Improving Evaluation in the Nonprofit Sector: The Promise of Evaluation Capacity Building for Nonprofit Social Service Organizations in an Age of Accountability,” focused on team-based evaluation capacity building processes in small nonprofit organizations. Prior to entering the evaluation field, Laura received her bachelor’s in English from Augsburg College and a master’s in Education from the University of St. Thomas. She taught middle school English in the Minneapolis Public Schools for several years, followed by work in development/fundraising and grant writing. Laura has eight years of evaluation experience as student, teacher, and an independent evaluation consultant. Past local clients include the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (University of Minnesota), Fairview Health Services, MACC Alliance of Connected Communities, Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MNCASA), Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MNSCU). Phyllis Wheatley Community Center, The Link, and WomenVenture.
Nora Murphy, MA
MESI Coordinator
Nora Murphy is a doctoral student in the Evaluation Studies Program within the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy and Development and at the University of Minnesota. She received her MA in Research Methodology from the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Psychology in Education and her BA in Education and biology from Earlham College. After college Nora taught high school math and science at the diverse and creative Parkmont School in Washington DC. Following teaching, Nora was the Regional Program Manager for the Student Conservation Association’s (SCA) Three Rivers Regional Office in Pittsburgh. Nora took a break from work to earn her MA and then joined the staff of Perspectives Charter Schools in Chicago, IL as the Director of Assessment and Evaluation. Nora has seven years of evaluation experience with clients including the New Teacher Center, Chicago Public Schools, Pittsburgh Public Schools, The Ball Foundation, The Student Conservation Association, Boundless Readers and Pearson Education. Honors and awards include the ‘Network Award for Excellence’ from Perspectives Charter Schools, the ‘Excellence Award for Innovation’ from the Student Conservation Association and membership in the Phi Beta Kappa, Academic Honors Society.