Partnering With Organizations to Advance Equitable Outcomes

DEEP Consultants is an evaluation and strategy firm focused on helping organizations design, assess, and strengthen work that serves communities most impacted by inequities. Our work combines methodological rigor, systems thinking, and deep relational practice to support learning, accountability, and meaningful change.

We partner with organizations across health, housing, education, and social services to support decisions that are grounded in evidence, informed by community wisdom, and responsive to real-world conditions.

Meet Deepika

Dr. Deepika Andavarapu is the Founder and CEO of DEEP Consultants, an urban planning scholar, evaluator, and community researcher with more than sixteen years of experience working at the intersection of equity, systems, and social impact.

Her work spans program design and evaluation, strategic planning, capacity building, and federally funded initiatives. Deepika brings academic training and methodological expertise into applied settings, supporting organizations in translating complex information into insight that can guide action.

As a researcher, she has produced published scholarship on social capital and community resilience, with a particular focus on historically disenfranchised communities. She is a published author and public speaker, and has presented her work nationally, including at a TEDx conference.

Deepika has served as an external evaluator on federal and state-funded initiatives, designing and implementing evaluations that meet the requirements of agencies such as CNCS and HRSA while supporting continuous learning and improvement.

How We Partner in Practice

Across all service areas, our work is grounded in a consistent set of principles that shape how we partner, design, and evaluate.

Community-Centered

Community perspectives and priorities shape our work. We collaborate with organizations to identify what matters most to the people they serve and ensure those perspectives inform evaluation questions, strategy, and interpretation.

Rigorous and Practical

We bring academic training, methodological expertise, and deep knowledge of evaluation and organizational development. Our work meets federal and funder standards while remaining accessible and usable for program teams and community partners.

Systemic

We recognize that outcomes are shaped by policy environments, organizational capacity, and structural conditions. Our work considers these interconnections rather than isolating programs from the systems in which they operate.

Actionable

We focus on producing insights that support decision-making, strengthen practice, and guide improvement. Evaluation and strategy are tools for learning and action—not exercises in compliance or reporting alone.

Relational

We work collaboratively and respectfully, valuing the expertise and experience of our partners. Our goal is to strengthen organizational capacity, not create dependence on external consultants.

OUR FACILITATORS

MEET TAISHA

Taisha Rojas-Parker

Taisha Rojas-Parker serves as Associate Director of the Xavier University Leadership Center in Cincinnati OH. Taisha started her career as a Disaster Specialist with the American Red Cross where she built relationships and partnerships with Red Cross volunteers, Emergency Management Agency as well as the Fire and Police Departments in the rural areas of southern OH and northern KY. She worked in that capacity for over 3 years. Additionally, Taisha has nearly 10 years of managing, coaching and consulting experience. She has a Master’s degree in Executive Leadership and Organizational Change from Northern Kentucky University. Taisha is also a change management professional and has assisted leadership teams in effectively implementing and sustaining change, particularly in the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) space. Taisha currently serves on the board as DEI chair for several local boards, specifically for her DEI expertise. Taisha is passionate about supporting the most vulnerable and advocating for systemic change. Taisha is married to her husband of 14 years and has 2 children.

MEET RHYANNE

Rhyanne McDade

Rhyanne McDade is an experienced Social Scientist with a wealth of knowledge in School-Based Health Initiatives, Health Promotion/Education Health Behavioral Theories and Community Based Program Evaluation & Data Analysis. I have 5+ years of SPSS experience, as well as 5+ years of professional work experience in working with large data sets. I enjoy employing forecasting techniques and statistical models to inform public policy and individual/community health outcomes.

She served as Principal Investigator, Program Director, and Senior Evaluator on a multitude of state, county, and city funded grant initiatives. Broadly speaking, my directorial experiences encompass Behavioral Health, as well as Health Education & Communication based initiatives. Moreover, she spearheaded numerous programs involving many community partnerships (e.g.schools, churches, rec centers) in which I have trained staff, students, and residents on evidenced-based community program delivery. Generally speaking, projects have centered on social, economic and health disparities pervasive in adult and school-age African American; Latin X populations. Several specific project examples include, Do Right! Wellness series (community-based mental health program) and Do Right! Block by Block Initiative (community- based nutrition and physical activity program).
Rhyanne has extensive statistical data analytic experience and served as the Senior Data Analyst and program evaluator on a multitude of public health-based initiatives. I am highly skilled in mix- method research/analyses, data visualization, and inferential statistics (ANOVA, Multiple Regression, and Propensity Score Matching). I have a wealth of knowledge and experience in a myriad of data analytic platforms, with expertise in SPSS.

Broadly, her research analyses have examined relational factors between demographic variables (SES, race/ethnicity, etc.) and behavioral health outcomes (e.g. correlation between student demographics on various stress outcomes {e.g. anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, etc.}).

MEET PAT

Pat Clifford, MSSA, LSW

Pat Clifford, MSSA, LSW, is a social worker, consultant and strategist working with non-profit and community-based organizations. Clients include MIT Community Innovators Lab, the National Coalition for the Homeless, the Pretrial Justice Institute, Housing California, Joseph House, MORTAR, and many others. He is a professor of community social work and curriculum developer at the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University. During the first half of his career, he served for twelve years as Executive Director of the Drop Inn Center, Cincinnati’s largest homeless shelter. Other roles include board chair of SOURCE Studio (with artist Mel Chin) and past co-chair of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. Pat received his MSSA from the Mandel School for Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University, where he received the Dean’s Award for outstanding achievement. He is a graduate of Leadership Cincinnati Class 34.