Data That Delivers: Inside TACC’s Strategic Evaluation Services

The TACC Evaluation Services team is a trusted, sought-after unit that provides evaluation and research services to programs across the country. We spoke with Lisa Gabrecht to learn how her team advances TACC’s mission through data-driven insights and strategic evaluation.

How do you define evaluation, and what tends to surprise people about what Evaluation Services does?

Evaluation is a systematic process of collecting and analyzing data to understand how programs work, assess their effectiveness, and provide insights that inform strategic improvements. In essence, we help programs amplify their impact. People often assume evaluation means compliance monitoring, which can make them reluctant to engage with evaluators. But that’s not our role. Instead, we partner with program leaders to design rigorous evaluation methods that collect the most meaningful and actionable data to inform their efforts. Clients with negative preconceptions are pleasantly surprised by how useful and integral evaluation is to their programs’ success. 

What makes TACC’S Evaluation Services Team unique?

Our doctoral-level researchers bring deep expertise to design thoughtful, high-impact evaluations. We stay current on research and frequently present and publish our work. What sets us apart isn’t just our expertise, but our passion. We take a collaborative, people-centered approach, working closely with leaders to ensure our insights are contextually relevant and truly useful to the programs and communities served.

How does Evaluation Services support TACC’s mission?

Our mission is to provide evidence-based, actionable insights that advance education, research, health, and technology — all in direct support of TACC’s overall mission to enable discoveries that advance science and society through the application of advanced computing technologies. We serve as evaluators for numerous TACC computing projects and resources, such as the National Science Foundation-funded DesignSafe CyberInfrastructure, Chishiki-AI, and SGX3 Center of Excellence for Science Gateways as well as NSF- and National Institutes of Health-funded AI institutes and research centers. At TACC, we collaborate with some of the most innovative science and technology projects happening today.