Felisa Gonzales

Felisa comes to the Foundation with a rich past in evaluation. She spent the early years of her career researching disparities in health access and outcomes. As she spent more time in that space, she felt drawn to move toward philanthropy as a means to deploy new solutions to problems facing the most vulnerable communities in Colorado. Felisa sees evaluation as the best way she can use her methodological training in service to health equity in the state. 

Felisa seeks to bring evaluative thinking and strategy development to the teams she works with to help the Foundation critically examine its work and ensure it is aligned with its mission, which is centered on racial justice and health equity. She seeks to ensure that her work bolsters the Foundation’s goal of creating a Colorado where everyone has what they need to be healthy. Originally from Colorado’s San Luis Valley, Felisa has experienced the very real consequences caused by the inequitable distribution of resources. She knows these inequities shape our realities as Coloradans. While many turn their eye to how individuals can shift the circumstances of their access to health equity, she wants to look at how we can intervene and create change systemically. Felisa wants to use her opportunity at the Foundation to activate the philanthropic evaluation sector to interrogate what it means to be objective and ensure that the ways we collect data are just as equitable as the strategies we hold up to champion health equity. 

As a lifelong Coloradan, Felisa is pleased that she can apply her skills in a way that is meaningful to her community. Still, she knows that to do good work, a person needs good rest. When she feels like a wilted flower, all it takes is a little sunshine to help her feel completely recharged, so you can catch her finding every opportunity to enjoy fresh air and sunlight. And with an unmatched sweet tooth, she always savors a sugary refuel and a visit to some of her favorite spots in Colorado, like the Great Sand Dunes close to her hometown. 

Education

BA – Neuroscience, The Colorado College

PhD – Applied Social Psychology, The George Washington University

MPH – Epidemiology, University of California, Berkeley