Cailin Wheeler

Cailin Wheeler

Co-Director - Child, Youth and Family

Cailin is a policy associate and is the co-director of our Child, Youth and Family team. Her work is rooted in data-driven and participatory research principles. Driven by a desire to create equitable and innovative systems, Cailin works closely with public agency administrators to examine the links between service provision and client and fiscal outcomes. Her collaborative research approach fosters the development of comprehensive and shared understandings of programmatic goals, along with realistic and actionable recommendations to improve service delivery systems.

With a deep knowledge of child welfare prevention and intervention efforts, Cailin leads large, multi-organizational research projects that contribute to state and national system reform efforts. She is experienced in developing mixed methods research designs and identifying opportunities for data quality and service delivery improvements. In addition, Cailin has extensive experience working with large, complex datasets and is particularly skilled at integrating disjointed data systems for analysis. Her background includes quantitative and qualitative research, and experience using SPSS, SQL Server Management Studio, NVIVO, and Dedoose.

Prior to joining HSRI in 2009, Cailin was a research assistant at the University of Oregon’s Brain Development Lab, where she studied neuroplasticity and child development. Using brain imaging (EEG and MRI), Cailin’s work focused on empirically testing programs that create connections between children and their parents to understand how successful interventions may be changing brains. More recently, she volunteered two years of her time as a board member and financial officer for the Oregon Program Evaluators Network, the largest state chapter of the American Evaluation Association.

Outside of work, Cailin enjoys expanding her knowledge of horticulture, metaphysics, and mindfulness, and enjoys spending time outdoors with her family.

Education

  • Executive master of public administration from Portland State University
  • Bachelor of arts in psychology from the University of Oregon

Recent Projects

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