Sarah Goan

Sarah Goan

Sarah Goan, MPP

Senior Research Associate, University of Southern Maine – Cutler Institute, Portland, ME


Sarah Goan is the Director of the Data Innovation Project (DIP), an initiative housed within the Cutler Institute of Health and Social Policy at the University of Southern Maine with a focus on building the evaluation and data capacity of Maine’s mission-driven institutions. Within this capacity, she provides data consultation to the Violence Against Women Act Measuring Effectiveness Initiative (VAWA MEI), also housed at Cutler, and serves as Co-Principal Investigator for the Measuring Criminal Justice Success project, where she led efforts to develop a conceptual framework and identify outcome indicators for grantees supported by the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW). Ms. Goan has over a decade of experience designing and implementing evaluation and research studies related to programs that enhance child and family well-being, with particular expertise in youth substance abuse prevention, mental health, positive youth development and trauma-informed systems of care. She has provided facilitation and technical assistance to a number of organizations on developing logic models, identifying program metrics, developing continuous quality improvement processes and conducting organizational assessments. She earned her Master in Public Policy degree from The George Washington University’s Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration, and Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Latin American Studies from Tufts University.