WORK & CASE STUDIES
Research in practice.
A selection of projects illustrating how I approach complex well-being questions — from design through findings.
Workforce Retention & Burnout
Retaining a Strong Workforce: Understanding Employee Burnout, Well-Being & Turnover
The issue
Organizations facing high turnover, burnout, and/or wondering about employee well-being often skip the most important step — actually asking employees what would help them. This project brings together original research, applied frameworks, and practical guidance to help organizations understand and address the root causes of workforce instability.
The framework (learn more here)
At the center of this work is a three-level framework for analyzing retention and turnover — distinguishing between structural factors (policies, compensation, workload), relational factors (management practices, team dynamics, psychological safety), and personal factors (individual skills, coping, sense of fit). The framework resists the common organizational trap of jumping to surface-level interventions before addressing systemic issues, and gives leaders a more honest diagnostic lens for understanding why people leave — and what would actually make them stay.
Impact
When applied, this framework supports organizations in reducing voluntary turnover and its associated costs, decreasing burnout and empathy fatigue among frontline staff, building stronger cultures of psychological safety and candor, and making more equitable decisions around compensation, advancement, and belonging. In social services contexts, these outcomes extend beyond the workforce — staff who aren't burned out serve clients more effectively.
Workforce Well-Being · Burnout & Turnover
Workforce Research · Nonprofit
Understanding Why Frontline Workers Leave: A Workforce Retention Study
The situation
A regional social services entity was experiencing high turnover among frontline staff across 24 organizations — but didn't know whether the drivers were compensation, culture, workload, supervision, or something else entirely.
The approach
I designed a mixed-methods study combining a custom workforce survey with targeted focus groups. Survey analysis identified key predictors of turnover intent; focus groups surfaced the context, nuance, and specific experiences that explained the patterns.
What it produced
A findings report identifying primary turnover intention risk factors, segmented by role type, with concrete recommendations prioritized by estimated impact and feasibility. Findings informed immediate and long-term action steps that local agencies and the social service system could take to support a strong workforce.
Workforce Well-Being · Survey Design · Qualitative Interviews · Mixed Methods · Burnout & Turnover
Care Coordination · Healthcare
From Data to Dashboard: Research Communication
The situation
A care coordination organization that partners with organizations serving high-need clients had strong data — but no infrastructure for making it accessible to program staff, leadership, and funders. They needed support analyzing, reporting on, and understanding their data.
The approach
I partnered with program leadership to understand what decisions needed to be made, what data were most relevant to each audience, and what barriers existed to use of the data once it was analyzed. I then designed reporting infrastructure and developed a dashboard that matched the needs of the organization and its partners.
What it produced
A streamlined reporting system that reduced time-to-insight for program staff, a dashboard adopted by leadership for monthly review, and a data literacy workshop delivered to program staff.
Research Communication · Dashboard Design · Training · Stakeholder & Leadership Facilitation & Collaboration
Needs Assessment · Public Sector · Statewide
Statewide Needs Assessment & Strategic Plan: Mapping Gaps Across a Diverse Population
The situation
A state agency needed to understand needs and service gaps across a geographically and demographically diverse population — with findings that would inform strategic planning, funding decisions, and program planning across multiple service areas.
The approach
I led the design and execution of a statewide mixed-methods needs assessment: combining social service data from across the state with a large-scale population survey stratified by region and demographic subgroup, supplemented by focus groups with underrepresented communities and key informant interviews with service providers. Analysis integrated quantitative data with qualitative themes to surface both what the numbers showed and what they missed. I also supported the statewide strategic planning efforts that utilized the needs assessment data, facilitating stakeholder meetings and supporting data literacy and data-based action planning.
What it produced
A comprehensive needs assessment and strategic plan, presenting findings by region, population subgroup, and service domain — with an executive summary designed for non-research policymakers and a full technical appendix for program staff. Findings were used to inform the agency's funding priorities and a legislative briefing on service gaps.
Population Data · Survey Design · Key Informant Interviews · Mixed Methods · Stakeholder Facilitation