Elevating
Voices,
Taking
Action!
Translating Research
to Purposeful Action
Research Speaks provides evaluation and research consulting services that center the voices and insights of those most impacted in all its strategies. We partner with coalitions, think tanks, and funders that want to improve the experiences and wellbeing of girls and women across communities and in justice and health systems.
About Vanessa Patino Lydia, PhD
Vanessa Patino Lydia, PhD is the founder of Research Speaks, LLC. She has spent her career translating research grounded in the experiences of girls and women to inform strategic planning, policy-making, and continuous program refinement.
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Dr. Patino Lydia has over 20 years of conducting applied research. She has managed two national, seven statewide and four community-based initiatives from conceptualization to dissemination. She is skilled in mixed methods participatory research design, logic modeling, survey development, focus group and interview protocol guides, qualitative analyses, intersectional analyses, community needs assessments and program evaluation.
She holds a doctorate in Criminal Justice from Nova Southeastern University and a master's degree in Public Administration from Florida State University.
For almost 10 years, she served as Vice President of Research and Planning at the Delores Barr Weaver Policy Center. She is most proud of the trauma informed tools developed in collaboration with girls that continue to be used today.
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After 20 years of working in nonprofit organizations, she brings a deep understanding of the challenges and the opportunities to measure success and impact of social justice movements. Dr. Patino Lydia is a strategist that can help build theoretical foundations so that the impact of models can be evaluated and more girls and women can benefit from community investment.
Research and Evaluation Services
Think Partner
Helping you assess, understand and use your data for greater impact
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Identify data and/or feedback needed to inform strategic direction
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Analyze data based on research questions
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Connect with relevant research literature
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Translate research for dissemination
Research Design
& Data Collection
Helping you include the voices and insights of the individuals most impacted
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Surveys
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Focus group protocols
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Interview protocols
Evaluation
Helping you measure the impact of your efforts on what matters most
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Evaluation readiness
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Process evaluation
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Program evaluation
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Impact evaluation
Published Research Studies
Make Girls a Priority in Florida (2021)
Highlights where investments are needed to address critical indicators of wellbeing and improve outcomes for girls in Florida. It builds on the Status of Girls research series (2017-2021) which examined indicators of wellbeing and experiences of girls in homes, schools and community. Youth survey data was disaggregated by gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, and geography where available.
The Gendered Context of System Experience and its Impact on Girls in the Juvenile Justice System (2020)
Using grounded theory, my dissertation research elevates the experiences of 32 participants, girls ages 13-18 who were incarcerated in commitment programs in Florida. Girls report feeling judged of their identity, of their behavior and called for a different process where they expected to have a voice in court and be able to share their story or explain the “why,” The findings challenge systems (education, child welfare, juvenile justice system) to examine their policies and practices to assess whether they are really doing what they were intended to do. The girls expected system decision makers (child welfare investigators, police, probation officers, public defenders) to show up for them, communicate better, get to know them, investigate their claims further and not judge them.
Strategic Training and Technical Assistance: A Framework for Reforming the Juvenile Justice System's Treatment of Girls and Young Women (2013)
Published in the Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law and Policy, this article presents a gender-responsive framework for reforming the juvenile justice system's treatment of girls and young women. It aims to mobilize communities to engage with girls impacted by the justice system, the data, identify resources and gaps, and raise awareness among key stakeholders as the first steps in strategic decisions. It is based on the lessons learned providing TTA in various communities wanting to improve service delivery.
Voices From the Field: Findings From the NGI Listening Sessions (2012)
At the national level, I led the listening session research for the National Girls Institute funded by OJJDP which included analyses of 64 listening sessions conducted across the country with 313 girls, 43 families, and over 250 juvenile justice stakeholders. This research informed a national web-based resource and training/technical assistance to meet needs of agencies working with girls.
A Rallying Cry for Change: Charting a New Direction in the State of Florida’s Response to Girls in the Juvenile Justice System (2006)
I led a two-year initiative that entailed using a structured risk and needs assessment interview with 319 girls incarcerated in 13 lock-up programs throughout Florida. Focus groups were conducted with staff to better understand the gaps in services and barriers to implementation. The report, A Rallying Cry for Change, culminated in the launch of the Florida Justice for Girls reform movement and the Justice for Girls: Florida Blueprint for Action (2008) that call for policy, practice and programming reforms for the state.