President & Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Dowling has conducted evaluation research studies over the past 35 years for State and Federal agencies including the Bureau of Indian Affairs and U.S. Department of Interior, U. S. Department of Homeland Security, and U.S. Department of Education; the State Departments of Education for Arizona, New Mexico, and Kansas; the Governor’s Office on Drug Policy and Youth & Children in Arizona; and the Arizona Department of Health Services. At the local level, Dr. Dowling has worked with urban and rural school districts, conducting evaluation studies for the Chicago Public Schools and numerous school districts throughout Arizona. Dr. Dowling has also conducted process and outcomes evaluation studies for a number of nonprofit organizations and agencies. Dr. Dowling has published numerous technical reports for Federal and State-funded programs on various evaluation topics including: conducting impact evaluations, developing project management plans using program evaluation and review technique; and enhancing program evaluability through feasibility analysis. She brings experience and expertise in planning and organizing evaluation projects, planning, implementing and assessing effective communication with key project staff, client and stakeholders, and project grantees; conducting needs assessments; designing and conducting focus groups, personal interviews, phone surveys, written surveys to assess needs; collecting, analyzing and interpreting both primary and secondary data, synthesizing quantitative and qualitative data, and developing project reports that are accurate, comprehensive, and understandable to key stakeholders. In addition, she is proficient at developing research plans, and developing surveys, interview/focus group protocols, and other instruments required for the plans. Prior to founding Wellington Consulting Group in 1996, Dr. Dowling was Evaluation Director for the Center for Research in Urban Education, University of Illinois – Chicago. She held the position of Director of the Evaluation Technical Assistance Program, Transition Institute, University of Illinois-Champaign, and was the Executive Director of Education and Counseling for University of Phoenix. She is a member of the American Evaluation Association and holds a Ph.D. from Arizona State University in Educational Administration.