Meet Our Team

In 2005, Melissa joined Karen Blase and Dean Fixsen at the National Implementation Research Network (NIRN) and provided implementation science expertise while leading and coordinating community, state, and federal initiatives to support effective practices in mental health, child welfare, education, criminal justice, and early childhood.

In 2015, Melissa was recruited to serve as the International Expert Advisor on Implementation at the Centre of Excellence for Children’s Care and Protection (CELCIS) at the University of Strathclyde in Scotland. In this role, Melissa was tasked with building capacity within CELCIS and Scotland’s children’s services and health sectors to adopt an implementation-informed approach to improvement.

Melissa continues to provide leadership on grants and contracts to build capacity in governmental and NGO organizations, communities, and systems, within the United States and internationally, to support effective implementation of evidence-based and evidence-informed programs and policies.

Her previous work in applied research, knowledge mobilization, and evaluation support to organizations culminated in an interest and desire to support more effective and sustainable implementation of evidence informed interventions.

In 2018 – 2019, Fiona was co-chair of the program planning committee for the 2019 Global Implementation Conference, hosted in Glasgow, Scotland.

With a rights-based underpinning and a primary focus on improving outcomes for vulnerable children and families, Mihaela’s experience spans research, policy, and program development across a range of national and international contexts. Her work includes supporting organizations to strengthen readiness and capacity for change, build data systems and learning capacity, operationalize effective practices and develop fidelity assessments.

During this process, Dayna supported field supervisors to incorporate coaching into their role which allowed for officers to be supported in their use of these techniques.  Dayna was able to assess fidelity on a unit, region, and statewide level, allowing for administration to make data-informed decisions.  Prior to beginning her work with AIRN, Dayna worked as an Assistant Regional Chief in Community Corrections which allowed her the opportunity to have a leadership role of supporting agents and supervisors in the field, as well as continuing to support the implementation of supervision practices.

Mandy began her career working at Hamilton County Juvenile Court, where she facilitated multiple groups, served as a probation officer, and led a treatment team. From there, she worked for several years in the neuro-oncology department at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, supporting children and their families throughout their treatment journeys, and served as a therapist at Beech Acres Parenting Center. Her passion is finding ways to provide meaningful support to people, whether through micro or macro practices.

In addition, Kimberly was certified by NC State University in Business Coaching, further strengthening her skills and ability to provide coaching for competence.

Dani specializes in the evaluation of implementation science-based programming across a variety of fields. Her work has included supporting 32 counties in North Carolina with the implementation of a behavioral health coaching program, supporting non-profit agencies across the state with implementation of parenting programs, and working with hospital systems across the US to build capacity to implement evidenced-based practices.

Liz previously led regional strategy for International Justice Mission’s Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC) programs in six Latin American countries, supporting integrated systems for measurement, learning, and adaptive decision-making. Previously, she held executive roles in a national program for immigrant children funded by the Office of Refugee Resettlement, working on quality improvements, compliance, and systems transformation. She has supported trauma and grief intervention implementation for youth in Puerto Rico with the Boys and Girls Club alongside the Texas-based Trauma and Grief Center, and led community coalition building against sexual violence in La Paz, Bolivia. Her work involves developing data-driven frameworks to strengthen accountability, inform strategy, and improve outcomes across complex service systems.

Cara’s previous work for the Corrections Institute also included assisting agencies in the implementation of risk assessments, case planning, cognitive-behavioral curricula, core correctional practices, and program evaluation.

In 2015, Cara joined the Department of Community Justice (DCJ) in Multnomah County, Oregon to act as an Evidence-Based Practices Analyst, responsible for implementing and overseeing evidence-based initiatives for adult and juvenile probation and parole. Cara’s previous work also includes working with the Probation and Pretrial Services Office during the training and coaching of the Criminogenic Need and Violence Curriculum (CNVC).  She worked to train initial users, coaches, and trainers during the CNVC process.