Gaffaney Research & Evaluation
I'm Jaclyn (Jackie) Gaffaney, PhD, an evaluator and researcher bridging academic and applied work in wellbeing science, positive organizational psychology, and systems change.
I partner with organizations, educational institutions, nonprofits, and public sector clients to improve programs, build and validate measurement tools, and evaluate impact.
I am the Founder and Principal Consultant of Gaffaney Research & Evaluation. Alongside my consulting practice, I hold academic appointments as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and a Research & Evaluation Fellow with the Claremont Evaluation Center at Claremont Graduate University.
Current Affiliations
Founder and Principal Consultant of Gaffaney Research & Evaluation
Postdoctoral Researcher at Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
Research & Evaluation Fellow at Claremont Graduate University
Services Offered
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Evaluation Services
Want to know if you're having impact? Want to know how to improve your work?
I help clients measure effectiveness (outcome evaluation), assess quality (process evaluation), and clarify goals (theories of change, logic models). I design new tools, add scientific rigor to existing ones, build evaluation capacity, and turn data into action—so clients can better understand their work and amplify impact. -
Academic & Applied Research
Want the credibility of academic-level research and publishing? Want help validating a scale?
I conduct research for both applied and academic purposes. I publish academic journal articles and share insights at conferences to contribute to the fields of psychology and evaluation. I am an expert at scale development and validation. I collaborate with other researchers as well as non-academic practitioners that may be interested in co-publishing or co-presenting.
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Program Design & Trainings
Want help designing or improving your program? Want help with a training or workshop?
I design, implement, and manage programs, initiatives, and interventions. I also conduct workshops and trainings. I have evaluated or developed leadership trainings, interventions, employee wellbeing initiatives, adolescent development programs, and social programs, amongst others, across educational institutions, organizations, nonprofits, and communities.
Research and Evaluation Skills
I offer an array of research and evaluation skills across both quantitative and qualitative methods. I tailor all of my work to the project's needs and context. I believe that the chosen methods should be the ones that most appropriately answers the research or evaluation questions. Therefore, I upskill and/or collaborate with others if a project calls for it. I tend to favor a mixed methods approach to triangulate across methods and/or build from one method to the next. My skills and specialties include:
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Mixed methods (quantitative and qualitative), longitudinal, experimental, quasi-experimental, survey & scale development, needs assessment, social network analysis, appreciative inquiry, systematic review, checklist, behaviorally anchored rating scale, focus groups, interviews, observations, document review, archival data, etc.
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Regression, ANOVA, factor analysis, growth curve modeling, multilevel modeling, structural equation modeling, path analysis, thematic analysis, etc.
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Report creation, hosting data shares or data walks across stakeholders, using design thinking to brainstorm how to translate findings into actionable next steps.
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Put simply, research is designed to answer generalizable questions that contribute to science. Evaluation is designed to answer specific questions that inform decisions about a particular program or initiative.
Core Principles
I approach my work with the following principles and values in mind:
Bridging the Research-Practice Gap: As someone at the intersection of academia and real-world application, I strive to bridge the research-practice gap, bringing learnings from research to practice and insights from practice to research.
Systems-Informed and Sustainable: I approach my work by being mindful of the complex social systems and systemic factors that can be impacted by, and can inform the work I'm doing. I strive to make systemic changes to optimize relevance and sustainability. I look for the leverage points that can make the most impact (leverage points are the places within a complex system where a small shift in one thing can produce big changes in everything).
Contextually and Culturally Responsive: I account for and tailor my work to the context, culture, and individuals. I strive to understand and respect cultural differences and to consider and respond appropriately to these differences.
Access and Inclusion: I strive to give equitable access along the continuum of human ability and experience wherever appropriate. I strive for inclusion in decision-making and participation.
Wellbeing and Strengths-Based: I actively search for opportunities and am prevention-oriented. I leverage the strengths of people and places. I use my expertise in wellbeing science and positive psychology throughout my work. I call upon my own VIA and Gallup strengths (including creativity, critical thinking, perspective, curiosity, love of learning, leadership, individualization, input, and achiever).
Evidence-Informed and Experimental: As a social scientist, I approach all endeavors with curiosity and an experimental lens. I use my expertise in research and evaluation to find existing evidence and to conduct new studies to contribute evidence.
Introducing the Wellbeing Initiative Design & Evaluation Checklist
I have created a practical, evidence-informed Checklist to help provide structure and guide people through the complex process of designing, implementing, and evaluating, systems-informed wellbeing initiatives.
Education
PhD in positive organizational psychology with a co-concentration in research methods & evaluation from Claremont Graduate University.
Master's in applied positive psychology (MAPP) from the University of Pennsylvania.
Bachelor’s in communication with a minor in communication design from the University of Southern California.
Publications & Previous Work
Google Scholar for a list of publications.
LinkedIn to see examples of previous work across applied and academic spaces.
Let’s Connect
Interested in working together for an evaluation, research, or other practitioner services?