Candace Sibley’s life has been marked by the words that her parents passed on to her, “You must strive to reach higher, and be better”. Her experience is rich with diverse lessons from her parents who instilled in her that education was the key to traversing life’s inequalities. Ever quirky, creative and curious she was often teased in school. The teasing in early years caused her to become fascinated with people on the margins of society who overcame unspeakable odds. Her participation in a multitude of programs including Upward Bound and Ronald E McNair were integral in boosting her confidence and allowed her to reframe the differences as assets.

Candace continues to use research and evaluation as tools to improve the lives of a myriad of marginalized populations including sex workers, Men who have sex with Men of Color, and Fostered Youth. Her praxis is rooted engaging communities in both research and evaluation to promote sustainable solutions that continue beyond the end of traditional grant funds. She hopes to utilize her experience as a RWJF Evaluation Fellow to hone skills in capacity building, evaluation technical assistance, and culturally responsive evaluation. Her ultimate goal is to utilize ecological asset based approaches to collaborate with communities in the promotion health equity.

Candace completed a B.A. in Medical Anthropology at University of North Texas and a Master of Science in Public Health with a concentration in Health Education at University of South Florida. She is a member of and has presented at meetings for the Society for Medical Anthropology, Society for Applied Anthropology, American Evaluation Association, American Public Health Association, National Association of Ethnic Studies and Eta Sigma Gamma.