Ben Wood

Ben Wood is a researcher focused on changing the world through data-driven programming. His focus is on monitoring and evaluation (M&E). He started his career looking at improving the quality and reliability of rigorous evaluations. He conducted and managed several rigorous evaluations of international development projects, including estimating the influence of Malawian food price policies on health and Rwandan agricultural encouragement schemes on poverty. More recently he pivoted to standardizing and enhancing the reporting of implementation M&E with Heifer. He co-designed and led the roll out of Heifer’s Household Transformation Model. He regularly interacts across Heifer’s internal and external stakeholders to align Heifer’s organizational framework with the data the organization collects. He also leads a team that designs the HQ level data collection tools and quality assures the data that are submitted for organizational reporting. Whenever possible, he finds ways to expand his work at Heifer to include research, including work on personal transformation, women’s empowerment, carbon sequestration, and sustainable livelihoods.

He holds a PhD in Agriculture and Applied Economics from the University of Illinois and an BA in African American History from Carleton College.