Thought Partners for
Social Innovators

The ORS Impact team has earned a global reputation for leadership, insight and innovation. We work collaboratively with our clients, bringing our distinctive expertise in planning, measurement and evaluation to their most vexing challenges.

Sarah Stachowiak , MPA (she/her)

CEO


Sarah loves helping clients think about how data, measurement and evaluation can help them learn and strengthen their work. She takes on some of the most complex and complicated MLE and evaluation projects in the firm, with a strong emphasis on thinking about evaluation and learning within systems and at initiative- and strategy-levels. Sarah is a deep listener, clarifying what clients need and then creatively designing and presenting findings back to address those needs. She brings a mix of innovative thinking, deep experience from many fields, and a dose of pragmatism to everything she does.

Sarah joined ORS in 2003, after working at a research center under the College of Education at the University of Washington. While there, she helped evaluate and administer federal grants aimed at improving teaching and learning, changing teacher education programs, and creating stronger student outcomes. Sarah has a Masters in Public Administration from the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington, and a Bachelors in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Texas.

In her free time, Sarah is happiest out in nature, enjoying good food, travelling, and spending time with her family.

Sample Projects:

  • Evaluation Partner for the Fund for Shared Insight
  • Development of John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s Design/Build Approach
  • Evaluation of the David & Lucile Packard Foundation’s Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Approach
  • Evaluation Partner for the Public Square Team at the Democracy Fund 

Publications:

  • Guide to Measuring Advocacy and Policy Change
  • Pathways for Change
  • Beyond the Win
  • Policymaker Rating Brief