Avanthi Jayasuriya

Avanthi Jayasuriya is an Evaluation and Program Manager with Cardea Services (Cardea). Her work includes mixed-methods evaluation, evaluation capacity building, and strategic facilitation support with a variety of community-based partners, public and private funders, associations, and system support organizations. Focusing on early childhood and adolescent social service supports provided through community-based initiatives to advance equity and well-being, Avanthi finds the most exciting aspect of this work to be the opportunity to build relationships with incredible community partners and support evaluations that help communicate their impact.

Cardea is a national, women of color-led organization with offices in Oakland, California; Austin, Texas; and Seattle, Washington; and the Washington DC area. Cardea envisions a world in which optimal health and well-being, equity, and justice are realities for all communities and is committed to addressing complex program, policy, and systems issues by co-creating solutions that center community strengths and wisdom. Guided by a belief that organizations thrive by integrating principles of equity and justice into all aspects of their work, Cardea grounds these principles in its four strategic approaches: social impact evaluation, policy advancement, capacity development, and professional learning.