Strategy and Operations Executive
Oyesola Oluwafunmilayo Ayeni, Ph.D., is a community-engaged leader, researcher, and evaluation expert with several years of demonstrated experience providing strategic leadership, managing research portfolios, and implementing monitoring and evaluation plans in gender-based violence prevention and response.
Funmi leads and drives the execution of high-priority strategic and operational initiatives to achieve the organization’s goals. In her role as the Strategy and Operations Executive, she develops, implements, and coordinates strategies and operational enhancements aimed toward ensuring that STER delivers high-impact programs and services. She is an experienced facilitator and trainer in strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, program and personnel management.
Funmi’s research and evaluation work focus on mixed-methods evaluations of community interventions for survivors, improving the community response to gender-based violence, evaluating victim/survivor service programs, and policy advocacy.
She has deep knowledge and use of participatory, empowerment, and equitable evaluation approaches and is proficient in using data-driven, learning, and innovation-focused evaluation and assessment methods. She is passionate about improving the well-being of victims/survivors and focuses on elevating and centring the values and voices of those most impacted by research and program work.
Funmi is the recipient of several awards in recognition of her accomplishments including the Black Girl Magic Award, the Michigan State University Disciplinary Leadership Award, and the Bob and Bets Caldwell Land-Grant Values Award.