Tara Gregory, Ph.D., is Director of the Center for Applied Research and Evaluation at Wichita State University’s Community Engagement Institute. She has nearly 30 years of experience in consultation and research related to positive youth development, youth leadership, substance use prevention, mental health and trauma, and community and organizational development. Dr. Gregory oversees all projects and supervises the staff of researchers in completing complex efforts including Kansas Power of the Positive adverse childhood experiences collective impact project evaluation, Wichita Community Child Abuse Prevention coalition evaluation, the Early Childhood Block Grant evaluation, Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services Behavioral Health and Home and Community-Based Services research, community needs assessments for a wide range of counties/entities, and multiple projects related to mental health consumer initiatives and mental health system evaluations. As part of her work in the mental health area, Dr. Gregory has focused on research and evaluation related to the experience of trauma/re-traumatization among mental health consumers and including their voice in transforming mental health systems and organizations to be more trauma-informed. Dr. Gregory also provides research and evaluation services to youth leadership groups for youth with mental illness and focuses on the both marginalizing and supportive experiences these youth face. Dr. Gregory has extensive experience in designing, facilitating and analyzing data from mixed methods projects involving online surveys, key informant interviews and focus groups. She is a member of the Society for Community Research and Action (APA division 27 for community psychology) and the American Evaluation Association, for which she serves on the leadership council for the Community Psychology Topical Interest Group. Dr. Gregory earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in Community Psychology from Wichita State University.