8 Questions with Megan Brown
In “8 Questions With…,” we share a brief Q&A with a staff member. In this edition, we hear from Megan Brown, who joined Rosov Consulting as a Project Associate in 2021, bringing expertise in quantitative behavioral research.
1. What’s your area(s) of expertise and how has it been beneficial and led to success in your work?
My research background is in quantitative behavioral research, specifically cognitive psychology. Although the subject may be different from my work at Rosov Consulting, the core aspects of research integrity are universal. This experience has enabled me to nurture the skills to develop research instruments, collect data, and analyze data.
2. What experiences have led you into your current career path?
I have always enjoyed conducting research and solving problems, but the only career path that seemed available for research was academia. I discovered program evaluation as I was completing my MA in Psychology, which has allowed me to utilize and build on my data analysis skills along with learning entirely new skills.
3. What do you like learning about most through your work?
I enjoy learning about people’s lives and experiences through conducting interviews and focus groups. I have also enjoyed refining my statistical analysis skills along with developing new skills in qualitative analysis.
4. What do you like most about working at Rosov Consulting?
I enjoy that we have a part in making sure that organizations are equipped to utilize their resources in the most meaningful way possible. Our work shows organizations what they are doing well and how they could do even better. We also help organizations understand the needs of the populations they are serving and wish to serve.
5. What are some challenges of your work?
One challenge is making sure our clients and the people they serve to stay in the expert’s seat throughout the evaluation process. Although we are experts in evaluation and research, they know their organization, programs, and people better than anyone.
Another challenge is presenting data to our clients, who may or may not have a background in data analysis, in a way that allows them to accurately interpret it and be able to implement it.
6. What have been the biggest changes in the field and/or your work specifically since you started?
When I started at Rosov Consulting, I mostly worked on the quantitative aspects of projects, mainly focusing on the collection and analysis of survey data. However, one of my professional development goals was to develop my qualitative research skills. As a result, in addition to my earlier work, today I also conduct interviews and lead focus groups.
7. How do you think your job and/or the field might change in the next 10 years?
I hope that more and more people and organizations become research and data-literate because good research and data are publicly available.
8. What do you think is essential reading to excel in your field?
Materials on evaluation or data visualization—Twitter is a great place to learn about new methods people are using to present data in a digestible way. Some tags to follow: #dataviz or #eval
