Kasi Allen hired as Director of Learning and Knowledge Management

Roseburg, Oregon: The Ford Family Foundation announced today that it has hired Kasi C. Allen, a professor, researcher, and evaluator, to be the Director of Learning and Knowledge Management, a new position at the Foundation.

Kasi C. Allen

Allen comes to the Foundation from Lewis & Clark College, Portland, where she taught for 10 years. She was a tenured professor and the program director for the Master in Arts Teaching program. 

Her extensive background includes working as a senior researcher at Inverness Research, Portland. At Inverness, she led evaluation and research efforts for a range of equity-focused educational improvement initiatives, many based in rural communities. 

"Kasi has strong methodological and analytical skills that will allow us to evaluate our work and focus on program improvements.  She also brings leadership and collaborative abilities that will foster a culture of organizational learning and guide our Foundation-wide strategy," said Anne Kubisch, president of The Ford Family Foundation. "She will assist us with setting a research agenda that will contribute to the field of rural development." 

The Director of Learning and Knowledge Management is a newly created role. It reflects the Foundation’s commitment to learning from its work to help meet its mission to strengthen rural communities throughout Oregon and Siskiyou County, California. Allen will be responsible for developing an organization-wide approach to learning that assesses program and community-building work, improves practice, supports innovation, and advances strategy. She will begin work at the Foundation in December.

Allen earned a Ph.D. in Education from Stanford University in the Administration & Policy Analysis Program, with a specialty in K-12 Mathematics. She has a bachelor's degree in Mathematics and Its History from Stanford University.

She was on the search committees for the presidents of Lewis & Clark College and Stanford University; served on the board of trustees for Whole Child Montessori Center, Oregon; and was a member of the Oregon Department of Education "Every Student Succeeds Act" Workgroup. She has been a volunteer for Cycle Oregon and Pregnant and Parenting Minors Program, Calif.