WHO WE ARE

Below you will find the names and bios of our team
Dedicated to best-practice and culturally responsive evaluation, PROPONENTS forms unique, project-based Evaluation Teams that consistent of highly competent individuals with diverse backgrounds. Our consultants bring valuable technical expertise to each of our projects. Current and previous team members include:

Principal Consultant

Matteah Spencer Reppart, MDA

Matteah is the founder and visionary leader of Proponents, LLC. With diverse professional and life experiences that have significantly shaped her, Matteah maintains a commitment to fully and authentically showing up in her work and encourages her clients to do the same. Matteah has a passion for individual, organizational, and community growth and progress, and is truly a PROPONENT of every organization she has worked for. Committed to the field of evaluation, Matteah has worked internationally and locally, providing evaluation services for workforce development & employment programs, capacity building programs, community information projects, preschools, parenting programs, community based health care projects, training programs, health and sanitation projects, child survival projects, and more. She engages in ongoing professional development, including quantitative & qualitative research methods, culturally responsive evaluation, adult learning styles, facilitative leadership (and more), and is actively involved in the American Evaluation Association.

Associate Consultants

Aaron Kates, MSW
Mr. Kates has partnered with PROPONENTS as an associate consultant for an external Process
evaluation. He is a PhD student in the Interdisciplinary PhD in Evaluation (IDPE) program at Western
Michigan University and also holds a bachelor’s degree in geography and a master’s degree in social
work, both from Grand Valley State University. Mr. Kates has worked as a case manager and therapist
with refugee families and teens, giving him an understanding of and compassion for the struggles faced
every day by diverse and marginalized populations. He has also worked on evaluation projects for local
organizations and initiatives, such as the Believe 2 Become Initiative, LINC UP, Double Up Food Bucks,
and more. Mr. Kates’ doctoral education in the IDPE program have built upon these practical
experiences, adding to his expertise in evaluation theory and design, data analysis, data visualization,
and evaluation reporting.
Ann Marie Rivera
Ms. Rivera partnered with PROPONENTS for an evaluation capacity building project. As a dedicated Urban Community Leader and Advocate, Ms. Rivera provided her technical expertise in areas of community engagement and education around the local context. Trained and experienced as a neighborhood facilitator and peer educator, Ms. Rivera continues to be passionate about sharing her journey and experiences to inspire positive social changes.
Bree Bode, MPH
Ms. Bode has partnered with PROPONENTS as an associate consultant for an external Process
evaluation. She holds a Masters’ degree in Public Health from Grand Valley State University, is a
Certified Health Education Specialist, and is a PhD candidate at Wayne State University where she will
pursue an emphasis in Community Health. Most recently, Ms. Bode served as the Director of Programs
at Roosevelt Park Ministries, a trusted and diverse non-profit in Grand Rapids, MI. She is an active
member of GLC-SOPHE, currently serving as the CO-Vice President. In 2015, Ms. Bode’s chosen research
concentration, “The Influence of Food Marketing on Food Choice”, allowed for comprehensive input and
subsequent findings from consumers, vendors and community stakeholders in the Roosevelt Park
neighborhood. Her research was chosen for a SOPHE Ignite session presentation in 2016. Ms. Bode was
also a Health & Disability Fellow with NACCHO in 2015.
Brianna Johnson

Ms. Johnson has partnered with PROPONENTS as an Associate Consultant on an external Outcomes evaluation. Ms. Johnson brings her skills and experience in project management, social research, evaluation (including survey design, data visualization, spatial mapping, and reporting), and consulting in equity and inclusion. Her diverse career spans several industries, including HR, technology, design, and non-profit. She is passionate about inspiring positive change through leadership and often works as a consultant with non-profits, facilitating interactive workshops and trainings and serving as a panelists for various topics.

Chris Reinsma
Chris Reinsma has partnered with PROPONENTS as a co-evaluator for a capacity building and external evaluation project. Chris has had a distinguished career in the nonprofit sector working in various program, evaluation, training, and administration roles for over 20 years. Having held key positions in local, regional, and national nonprofit organizations, Chris draws on a vast array of practitioner experiences to inform his work as an external evaluator. With professional graduate training in counseling as well as research and assessment, Chris has a unique skill set which allows him to probe deeply for evaluative information. He believes that the discovery of transformative information requires a commitment to deeply listening to people, while at the same time seeking to understand the context and systems in which people live and work. Trained as a research generalist Chris is experienced with both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Chris also has his own consulting practice, Re-Think Evaluations. (http://re-thinkevaluations.com/)
Eleanor Moreno

Ms. Moreno has partnered with PROPONENTS as an Associate Consultant for external Outcomes evaluations and Process evaluations. Ms. Moreno is the co-founder of CO2 Storytelling and Moreno Consulting. As a storyteller, advocate, and organizer, Ms. Moreno brings her experiences as a social impact professional with demonstrated leadership in cross sector collaborations and initiatives. She is dedicated to the engagement and empowerment of all communities, particularly those underrepresented. Ms. Moreno seeks to create new spaces and platforms so that the rich knowledge, thoughts feelings, and lived experiences of real people can be heard.

Jill Petty, MA
Ms. Petty partnered with PROPONENTS for the duration of a 3 year external evaluation project. Ms. Petty provided technical expertise as a Communications and Media Expert and Social Justice Advocate. Dedicated to raising consciousness of vital social issues, especially related to power structures, race, and gender, Ms. Petty currently serves as the Supervising Editor of Trade Books at Northwestern University Press in Chicago. Ms. Petty is also an Independent Consultant for One Red Pencil where she shares her skills with various nonprofit organizations and organizations.
Jodi Peterson, Ph.D.

Dr. Peterson has partnered with PROPONENTS as an Advisory Consultant on project that sought to develop an evaluation strategy for a collective impact project. Dr. Peterson, leader of Petersen Research Consultants, LLC (Hyperlink: www.petersenresearchconsultants.com) holds a doctorate degree in Ecological-Community Psychology from Michigan State University and focuses on helping organizations define, gather, and use data to increase their impact. She is passionate about social justice and equity. She has expertise in systems change, facilitation, qualitative and quantitative data, and participatory research/evaluation methods.

Ken Miguel-Cipriano

Mr. Miguel-Cipriano has partnered with PROPONENTS as an Associate Consultant on an external Outcomes evaluation. Mr. Miguel-Cipriano is a community activist that is passionate about urban innovation and social impact. He brings his strengths in analysis, problem solving, listening, learning, and keen ability to uncover connections and associations. Committed to community engagement, Mr. Miguel-Cipriano is deeply invested in his neighborhood, located in southeast Grand Rapids, leading the development of a community-based area specific plan, corridor improvement plan and strategies for equitable economic development and mobility.

LaTarro Traylor, JD
Ms. Traylor partnered with PROPONENTS for a year-long external evaluation project. Ms. Traylor provided technical expertise as a Specialist in Community Engagement and Advocacy. A champion for resident empowerment and poverty alleviation, during her time with PROPONENTS, Ms. Traylor also served as the appointed Commissioner for the State of Michigan’s Community Action and Economic Opportunity Council as well as the Community Relations Coordinator for Downtown Grand Rapids Inc.
Renoulte Allen, Ed.D

Dr. Allen has partnered with PROPONENTS as co-investigator for an external Outcomes evaluation. Dr. Allen is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Designed Insight Consulting and Evaluation. Dr. Allen has a Doctorate of Educational Leadership from Michigan State University and has worked in post secondary education over the last 13 years as an advisor, instructor, and administrator. As an educator, he believes in building a culture of excellence, developing educational programs that promote critical thinking and academic achievement for all students. As a consultant and evaluator, he brings those same principles of excellence and achievement in working with his clients allowing them to reach their organizational goals and initiatives.

Roni Van Buren
Ms. Van Buren partnered with PROPONENTS during an evaluation capacity building project. Providing her technical expertise as a Community Activist and Program Manager in the southeast side of Grand Rapids, Ms. Van Buren has a long tenure tirelessly working for families and children in her community. Dedicated to justice and sharing the wisdom her front-line experiences and research, Ms. Van Buren proved to be an invaluable asset to our work and to her community.
Tiffany Williams, MPA
Ms. Williams partnered with PROPONENTS as a Lead Evaluator for an external evaluation project. She recently served an Evaluation and Research Consultant (https://www.i6llcconsulting.com) based in West Michigan and earned a Master of Public Administration at Cornell University where she was a 2014 – 2016 Cornell Institute of Public Affairs Fellow. During this time she worked with the Cornell Office for Research on Evaluation where she contributed to NSF-funded research on practitioner-researcher collaboration. Cultivating an active role in the Evaluation Community that unites practitioners, evaluators, and researchers is a top priority and core mission for Ms. Williams. She brings her research background and penchant for systems thinking to each evaluation opportunity, and highly values supportive relationships with practitioner clients. Ms. Williams is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in political science in Paris, France.

Affiliations & Network