Written by: EnCompass Staff

After 11 years leading EnCompass’ Technical Assistance and Evaluation practice, Vice President Lynne Franco will be stepping into a new role as special advisor in April 2021. This is an exciting next step for Dr. Franco, allowing her to continue her support for EnCompass’ thought leadership in her areas of expertise, while transitioning to a new balance in her work and personal life.

We have begun the search for a new vice president to lead this growing practice, prioritizing candidates who have grown country implementation portfolios for USAID and other clients and will continue to champion participatory, strengths-based approaches. This change reflects EnCompass’ commitment to being a full partner for country-led development—a chance to lean into the technical assistance side of our TA & Evaluation practice.

Ten Years of Appreciative Leadership

Dr. Franco brought to EnCompass an exceptional record in evaluation of complex programs and projects and research into quality improvement, as well as a deep belief in the value of appreciative leadership.

“We were fortunate when Lynne decided to join EnCompass,” CEO/CFO Tessie Catsambas said. “She built the TA & Evaluation practice from a small, U.S.-based team to a global one with long-term staff in six countries. She has been an innovator of approaches for making evaluation useful for strategy development, monitoring, and managing organizational change. We are all grateful for her leadership and for her affirming and collaborative management style.”

Dr. Franco has been instrumental in forging partnerships with U.S. government and nonprofit clients. She and her team have grown EnCompass’ work with USAID, including country-based monitoring, evaluation, and learning platforms in Peru and other countries and collaborations to boost the quality of education data.

Her contributions to evidence-based programming are evident in her work on innovative evaluation approaches, such as the use of outcome mapping in developing theories of change and the Pathway to Effective Coverage at Scale to help operationalize systems thinking in global health interventions. In a recent message to staff, President Michelle DeFayette wrote, “We are in awe of Lynne’s accomplishments and contributions in the trajectory of her career.”

Seeking Our Next Leader for TA & Evaluation

As we recruit for a new VP of the TA & Evaluation practice area, we are seeking a proven executive leader who can guide a strategy for continued growth that leverages EnCompass’ current portfolio to deepen our implementation contributions across development sectors. All members of EnCompass’ leadership team must value and model our organizational commitment to innovation, diversity, and inclusion. The right candidate will also embody EnCompass’ appreciative culture—fostering a collaborative team environment and honoring the strengths and potential of team members at all levels.

We are grateful for Dr. Lynne Franco’s leadership over the past decade and we invite you to share the announcement broadly with your networks.