August 3, 2017
The team at Via Evaluation has benefited from the insight, perspective, and experience of Ba Zan Lin for more than a year in his role as a Research Associate. Lin, a committed social justice advocate and organizer of the Burmese Water Festival in Buffalo, is also pursuing a Ph.D. in Educational Culture, Policy, and Society at the University at Buffalo. We wish him well as he diversifies his experience by working in the foundation world as Program Officer—Grantmaking at the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo. He will be managing a significant portion of the grantmaking activity that occurs at the Foundation.
As he concludes his time at Via Evaluation, Lin shared the following thoughts:
I have been fortunate to have worked with a team of very professional and committed evaluators and research associates at Via Evaluation. During my tenure at Via, I have learned that evaluation is not just an assessment of program, but an empowering process for everyone involved, including evaluation staff and clients.
Guided by integrity and professionalism, I have had a chance to assist with several quality evaluation projects, and to immerse in strong data culture nurtured by Team Via. The most rewarding experience I had was to engage with multiple stakeholders in the United Way of Buffalo and Erie County federal Full Service Community Schools Project, and navigate through complex evaluation design to provide quality technical support for our client organizations.
This experience further affirms my conviction that organizations can achieve meaningful outcomes if they are provided with right tools and techniques.
