Nikole Lobb Dougherty is the Director of Learning and Evaluation at the James S. McDonnell Foundation (JSMF), where she leads efforts to understand and communicate the impact of the Foundation’s investments. With over two decades of professional experience, Nikole specializes in program- and systems-level evaluations, capacity building for individuals and organizations, and using data to drive informed decision-making and compelling storytelling. At JSMF, Nikole designs and implements learning and evaluation strategies to track regional progress, foster ongoing learning internally and among partners, and highlight evidence-based insights and lived experiences. Passionate about equitable and participatory approaches to evaluation, she is committed to promoting emergent learning through evaluation, research, collaborative conversations, and convenings that help partners and investees effectively understand, document, and share their impact.

Before joining JSMF, Nikole served as Director of the Evaluation Center at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, where she led numerous partnerships with faculty, nonprofits, foundations, and community organizations. Her work spanned diverse projects, including an evaluation of Medicaid expansion’s impact on health equity in Missouri and the creation of the Healthy Schools Toolkit, designed to support school leaders in enhancing community well-being. In her leadership role, Nikole guided mixed-method evaluations, facilitated strategic planning, provided operational oversight, and developed valuable partnerships and training programs, including the Advanced Learning Certificate programs in Program Evaluation and Visualizing and Communicating Data.

Previously, Nikole served as Associate Director of the Center for Public Health Systems Science (CPHSS), overseeing national and regional evaluation initiatives and capacity-building programs. Earlier in her career, she was the Program Director of Evaluation Services at a New York City-based nonprofit, where she managed evaluations for approximately 100 youth development and after-school programs. She also brings experience as an independent research and evaluation consultant, conducting qualitative and ethnographic research.

Nikole holds a Master of Arts in Applied Anthropology and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Anthropology. She currently serves as President of the Evaluation Association of St. Louis, a local affiliate of the American Evaluation Association.

Contact Nikole: dougherty@jsmf.org