Donna Owens

Donna C. Owens (she/her/hers) completed her dissertation research on multicultural counseling competency in the creative arts therapies. Her current research interests include multicultural competency training in the helping professions, use of poetic transcription in evaluation reports, and the role of spirituality in healing.

As an educator, Donna is committed to collaborative, inquiry-based methods, encouraging students to examine deeply the systemic, sociopolitical, and historical issues which are fundamental to understanding the communities in which they work. Donna has been an educator and trainer for many years–training children and youth in participatory action research, conducting train-the-trainer workshops with young adult leaders, and leading a multitude of trainings and workshops for nonprofit staff and managers.

Donna is an evaluation research consultant, specializing in process and outcomes evaluation, performance management, and organizational development. Her evaluation background includes youth development, gender-specific and arts-integrated prevention programming, community-based participatory action research, and mixed-methods evaluation.

Donna maintains membership in the American Evaluation Association (AEA) and the Greater Boston Evaluation Network (GBEN), and participates in the International Society for Evaluation Education (ISEE). Donna currently serves on the board of The Theater Offensive (TTO) and on the editorial board of the Journal of Poetry Therapy (JPT).