University of Iowa
Kayla Pfau, Ph.D., is a Research Specialist at the University of Iowa’s Center for Evaluation and Assessment. She has worked with the center since 2018, first as a graduate assistant and now as staff. She holds a Ph.D. in Psychological and Quantitative Foundations (Educational Measurement and Statistics) from the University of Iowa, with a dissertation focused on survey methodology and measurement invariance. In addition to her research role, she served as a teaching assistant in 2022 and taught program evaluation as an adjunct professor at the University of Iowa in 2023.
Kayla currently serves as the lead evaluator for the Iowa Blueprint for Change project, a statewide initiative with Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services that aims to advance and improve competitive integrated employment opportunities for Iowans with disabilities. Her previous evaluation experience spans K–12 education, health, arts and culture, and STEM initiatives. Past projects include the Iowa Governor’s STEM BEST programs, 21st Century Community Learning Centers, Portraits of Childhood: Black Dolls from the Collection of Deborah Neff at the National Museum of Toys and Miniatures, and research on pharmacist-led telehealth interventions to support patients with hypertension and diabetes.
Her professional interests center on survey design and utilization-focused evaluation (UFE). She is committed to tailoring evaluation plans that provide clients with meaningful, actionable data and emphasizes accessible communication of findings. Kayla integrates graphic design and visual reporting strategies into her work, ensuring results are digestible and useful for diverse stakeholders.
She previously co-presented at AEA’s 2021 virtual conference on Applying the Program Evaluation Standards to Meta-evaluate Impact Evaluations and looks forward to continuing to collaborate with colleagues to advance evaluation methods that are both useful and accessible.
Disclosure information not submitted.
Engaging Communities to Empower Feedback from People with Disabilities
Thursday, November 13, 2025
11:45 AM - 12:00 PM CST