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Learn more about Ezgi Havsoy, our new Evaluation and Certification Specialist at Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy!

Name & Pronouns: Ezgi Havsoy (she/her)

Job Title & Role: Evaluation and Certification Specialist – I'll be evaluating training programs and supporting certification processes to ensure they effectively serve and meet the community's needs.

Education & Experience: I'm currently finishing my Ph.D. in Communication at Michigan State University. Throughout my Ph.D. and my master's at Ewha Womans University, I've held several research roles, including process evaluator, statistical consultant, and research associate. These experiences allowed me to collaborate with diverse teams and develop strong skills in evaluation, data analysis, and communicating research findings clearly and effectively.

Time in the Field: I've been involved in research, evaluation, and data analysis for about nine years now.

What I Enjoy Most About My Work: I appreciate the continuous opportunities for learning, along with the ability to collaborate closely with colleagues. Solving challenging problems and translating data into understandable, useful information is particularly rewarding for me.

Professionally Passionate About: Inclusion, respect, and meaningful collaboration are central to how I approach professional environments. I enjoy working with others to communicate effectively and use data-driven insights to support positive, community-focused outcomes.

Personally Passionate About: Outside of my professional life, I'm committed to supporting and advocating for animal welfare. Spending quality time with animals brings me great joy. So, I try to give back to organizations and causes whenever I can.

Surprisingly Good At: I'm not sure if this counts, but perhaps reading? I often finish books in just a day or two, which keeps my curiosity high and my e-book shelves crowded. On second thought, maybe this just means I'm exceptionally good at being impatient!

What I Enjoy Outside of Work: I love staying active, especially through swimming and playing squash—my two favorite sports. Another thing I enjoy immensely is discovering new desserts. While I wouldn’t say I excel at making them, my passion definitely lies in tasting as many as I can!

Fun Fact: This may not be “fun,” but it often surprises people: I learned Korean in just one year—enough to complete my master’s degree entirely in Korean. While that might sound impressive, it mostly involved countless hours of studying from morning until night—definitely more determination than natural talent!