Tenah is an evaluator and researcher who is committed to partnering with others to disrupt and dismantle systems of oppression toward more just and liberated futures for all. Tenah does this by unlearning aspects of white supremacy and capitalist culture in her evaluation and research practice, and instead centers collectivism, cultural knowledge, healing and love. As a Senior Research Associate at RISE with more than 15 years of research experience, Tenah prioritizes critical, strengths-based, and culturally-responsive and equitable evaluation approaches. Drawing on her multi-disciplinary training, Tenah's projects are often at the intersection of wellness, community-based social services, and education. Tenah earned her Ph.D. in Social Welfare from the University of Wisconsin-

Madison and holds a Master's in Public Health with an emphasis on Health

Behavior and Health Education from the University of Michigan. She

received additional focused training in culturally responsive program evaluation through her participation in the American Evaluation Association’s Graduate Education Diversity Internship Program.

Shayla James balances her time as an arts administrator, researcher, and teaching artist in the art sand culture sector. Her work is rooted in community and collaboration with others across disciplines. Ms. James is a founding member of the RISE team and serves as a Research Associate where she provides support in evaluation design, data analysis and communication. Her research focuses on arts assessment and evaluation, racial and cultural equity in the arts, cultural policy, and social emotional learning. She is also currently serving as the San Diego Creative Youth Development Network Director, overseeing network operations, programming and strategic planning. She is a multi-instrumentalist with over 15 years of experience in the performing arts as a performer and educator. She is the owner of Sempre Music Studio, a creativity focused studio that offers a flexible, responsive and trauma-informed music curriculum

Mariah Jameson is a community activist, scholar, and mother of two. She has attributed her love for all things social justice to her work in the community and advocating for foster youth. In 2018, Mariah was awarded The Blue Heart Foundations Guardian Scholar Award, which is given to a former foster youth students who are advocates and role models to their community. Although 13 years of her childhood were spent in the foster care system, Mariah has never allowed her past to dictate her future. She was born and raised in Southeast San Diego and graduated from Lincoln High School. Mariah Jameson is a first-generation college graduate and has earned an M.S. in Social Work with a concentration in mental health. After being accepted into an Advanced Standing Master’s degree program, Mariah began to explore different elements of social work, including research. She is on staff at RISE Research and Evaluation, where she affirms social justice through evaluation and research ,while focusing on the intersection of culture and wellness. Mariah has worked vigorously to implement Mental Health Peer Support services in college settings. She is currently working to obtain her clinical license in social work and has a future goal to support other clinicians who are serving the community of Southeast San Diego.