Dow Maneerattana has been cultivating a monitoring and evaluation culture within an international team of over 50 people for the past two years at World Resources Institute--an environmental research organization. Their goal is to improve natural resource management globally by putting advanced science and technology in the hands of people who can make a difference. They build mazing tools like a forest monitoring platform--Global Forest Watch http://www.globalforestwatch.org/ and a scanning system to stop illegal wood imports. Dow works with team managers to set targets, track metrics, and share impact stories with stakeholders. Currently, she's working with government and non-profit partners in Rwanda to monitor biomass regrowth and socioeconomic benefits as a result of national restoration efforts.

She sees her current role as setting the stage for evaluating the impact of restoration interventions in Rwanda. Millions of dollars have already been allocated to different government agencies and international non-governmental organizations. She adds, "How do we know when trees are growing, land productivity is improving, and farmers are lifted out of food insecurity beyond just one or two projects? What we are trying to do now is use advanced science and technology to collect data so we can evaluate it". 

A member of WE for over three years, Dow joined Washington Evaluators to stay on the pulse of evaluation learning opportunities and connect with one of the biggest evaluation communities in the nation. She believes, "No matter what sector you come from, I always feel like WE members understand you. Also, my trailblazing position at WRI is wonderful and challenging but it can also be isolating. I am lucky to have the WE community in my support network".

When she is not M&Eing, she  enjoys bird watching, traveling to warm and beachy locations, and teaching Thai cooking classes!  Want to keep up with Dow? Follow her on Twitter at @dow.maneerator or simply drop her an email at omaneerattana@gmail.com.