Katricia Stewart, PhD
I'm a researcher, evaluator, and consultant with a PhD in Community Psychology and 18 years of experience studying how systems and wellbeing work — and what gets in the way — across organizations, communities, and individuals.
My work lives at the intersection of rigorous methodology and human-centered practice. I bring both to every engagement.
PhD, Community Psychology — specialization in wellbeing, systems-level research, and diverse populations.
14 years of applied research and consulting — spanning mixed-methods, program evaluation, organizational research, and research operations.
18 years studying (and applying) positive psychology and wellbeing — I’m obsessed, it’s my passion.
Peer-reviewed publications— in community psychology and wellbeing research.
Director-level research roles — at Advocates for Human Potential, Adept, and Portland State University.
Harvard Business School — Leadership Principles certificate.
Compassion Institute — Compassion Cultivation Training.
Based in WA/OR — available for remote and in-person engagements nationally.
MY BACKGROUND
I began studying positive psychology (and psychology generally) nearly 20 years ago, and I’ve been hooked ever since.
My research career began supporting organizations with workforce development and becoming Deliberately Development Organizations and otherwise supporting the personal development and effectiveness of individuals and small groups. That work shaped my passion for wellbeing in the workplace.
From there, I worked in community settings alongside people navigating homelessness, behavioral health challenges, workforce barriers, and systems that weren't built with them in mind. That work shaped how I approach data: with precision, yes, but also with an understanding that behind every data point is a person in a real context.
Over time, the work kept returning to organizational settings: employee research, engagement surveys, people analytics, and research operations. I've led statewide needs assessments, built research infrastructure from scratch, designed and analyzed survey programs for thousands of respondents, and translated complex findings for executive audiences who needed clarity, not jargon.
What's stayed constant across all of it: a belief that good research should serve the people it's about — not just the organizations funding it.
Throughout all of this, I’ve studied and practice in Buddhist and contemplative traditions and engaged in ongoing work supporting individual wellbeing across all areas of life. I’m deeply passionate about a holistic, integrated approach to wellbeing and supporting individuals with going beyond learning to actually applying the concepts in ways that change their lives for the better.
MY APPROACH
I'm a mixed-methods researcher. I believe that numbers and narratives each reveal things the other can't, and that the best research uses both deliberately.
I tend to work closely with clients through the full research arc: from defining the right questions, to designing instruments that will actually measure what matters, to analysis, to an actionable report that lands in a room full of decision-makers who need to make decisions based on it.
I'm direct, efficient, and honest about what the data can and can't support. I won't oversell a finding, and I won't bury a difficult result. Good research serves the work — even when it's uncomfortable.
I'm Portland-based, with deep roots in the Pacific Northwest nonprofit and public health communities, and I work remotely with organizations nationally.
For individuals, the Coaching page can tell you more about my approach.
Principles that guide the work:
Rigor is an act of respect.
Sloppy measurement doesn't just produce bad data — it disrespects the people whose lives the data is supposed to represent. I hold high methodological standards because the work demands it.
Complexity deserves translation, not simplification.
Well-being is multidimensional. It resists easy answers. Part of my job is helping organizations and individuals hold that complexity while still being able to act on what they’re learning in meaningful ways.
Research should serve the people it's about.
Whether I'm working with a Fortune 500 HR team or a community nonprofit, I ask: who benefits from this research? Are we measuring what actually matters to them?
Honesty over comfort.
I'll tell you what the data says — even when it complicates a narrative you'd prefer. That's what good research is for: not to confirm what you already think, but to show you something true. Then we get to the fun part: creative, actionable strategies for addressing the needs that the data show are there.