Peter York

Peter York has dedicated his career to leveraging big data to create precision analytic models to help solve some of society’s greatest challenges. He has used his expertise for over 20 years as a consultant and researcher to aid nonprofits, foundations and government agencies in improving their performance, and he also serves as a national spokesperson for social impact measurement.

He began his evaluation career over 20 years ago at Case Western Reserve University’s Center on Urban Poverty, where he served as a project manager for the first application of a “theory of change” to evaluate the Cleveland Community Building Initiative. Subsequently, he co-designed and managed a number of evaluations specifically focused on improving early childhood outcomes and school readiness. These initiatives were designed and funded by philanthropies like the Graustein Memorial Fund and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

In addition, he developed and led numerous program evaluations funded by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, The Gap, Inc. Foundation, Atlantic Philanthropies, Lucent Technologies, the California Endowment, as well as many other regional and national funders.

Pete is the author of a critically acclaimed book on the topic of evaluation for philanthropists – “Funder’s Guide to Evaluation: Leveraging Evaluation to Improve Nonprofit Effectiveness.” In addition, he has authored numerous research papers, and articles for academic and professional journals and most recently, he coauthored a peer-reviewed book chapter and article on the application of precision analytics in juvenile justice and child welfare.

Pete has served as an advisor to institutions and members of national leadership groups focused on impact measurement, investing and data analytics. For example, he served as an advisor to the Rockefeller Foundation on the use of big data for evaluation; a reviewer and evaluation design advisor for the Social Innovation Fund; a member of the Alliance for Effective Social Investing, Reimagining Service, and Data Analysts for Good; and a board member of the Alliance for Nonprofit Management. Pete is also a Leap Ambassador, which is a private community of nonprofit thought leaders who are committed to the adoption of high-performance in the nonprofit sector.

Pete has a B.S. in Psychology, Purdue University and a MSSA and PhD (ABD) in Social Work, Case Western Reserve University.