Higher Ed: Impact & Evaluation Experts

Empowering community colleges and workforce initiatives through expert evaluation, strategic consulting, grant development, and training.

Need an External Evaluator or Consulting Partner?

Evidence-based evaluation that drives decisions—and results.

External Evaluation for NSF
ATE, Dept Ed Title III/V, and other grants

Peace of Mind
We handle evaluation
 so you can focus on your program

Strategic Insights
 Real-time data-driven feedback for course corrections

Credibility

Show stakeholders and funders measurable impact

Polished, Timely Reports

Ready for funder deadlines and reports

Proven strategies to fill your STEM & CTE programs—fast.

Boost Enrollment: Fill seats in high-demand programs like Cybersecurity, Engineering, and Manufacturing

Reach the Right Students: Attract first-generation and underrepresented students often missing from the pipeline

Step-by-Step System: A proven enrollment strategy delivered in just 8 hours over 2 live online sessions

Immediate Impact: Apply actionable tools to launch or expand new grant-funded programs successfully

Save Time: Skip the trial-and-error—use a tested system that’s already worked for two-year colleges nationwide

Meet the team behind your success.

Lara Smith:

Master’s in Evaluation, Kirkpatrick Certified

Donna Milgram:

5-time NSF Principal Investigator, Project Highlighted by NSF

Clients served: Maricopa Community College District (AZ), Chippewa Valley Technical College (WI), Mt. Hood Community College, Joliet Junior College (IL), Greater Phoenix Economic Council, and more!

“One of Lara Smith’s most important contributions is using evaluation data to help leadership make strategic decisions that enhance results.”
— Dr. Michael Lesiecki, Executive Director (ret.) The Maricopa Advanced Technology Education Center (MATEC)

“Donna Milgram’s support was key to nearly tripling enrollment in our new Robotics Manufacturing program—from 10 to 29 students (full capacity).
Her strategic outreach and hands-on support made a real difference.”— Hao Loi, PI, NSF ATE Grant, Quinsigamond Community College (MA)

“The greatest benefit was seeing almost immediate results.
We saw overall growth in all four targeted programs: Cybersecurity, Manufacturing, Engineering, and Construction.” — Pam Gibson, Dean of Engineering & Applied Technology, Fayetteville Technical Community College (NC)

Lara Smith, HI-TEC, "What You Should Expect from Your Evaluator: Promising Practical Practices”

Donna Milgram, U.S. Dept of Ed Symposium,

"Moving STEM Forward", Career, Technical and Adult Education

L. Smith, "What Grant Writers Need to Know about Evaluation" [EvaluATE Blog post].

D. Milgram, "Evaluation Strategies: Improving recruitment and retention in ATE projects" [EvaluATE Blog post]. 

Need an evaluator or consulting partner? Let’s talk.

Join our mailing list: IEX Insights

© Higher Ed: Impact & Evaluation Experts (IEX) 2025