Denise Bellows Kumar, PhD

I think discipline and work ethic are really important. You have to work hard to get all the way to the doctoral level. I also think you need to have some self-awareness that you don't know everything, which is ironic because most people think that PhDs have a lot of ego and think they know everything, but in truth, you could know a lot about a specific topic, but you have to have a bit of humility. I think that's important because for me, it drives you to continue to keep learning. I would say, just for general advice for most people, it's probably network and maintain your relationships well. Make a good first impression, and then the other piece of it is you have to put the effort in. I don't think I know anybody that's been very successful without working hard. And then somewhere while you're doing all of that, if you have a family, you've got to try to balance that, and I think that comes with having a very supportive partner to allow you to do what you do.

I would say, actually, look for a really good mentor. Take advice from people who are in places where you would want to be. There's gonna be a lot of people who will try to give you advice, but take advice from the people that you think have a career and lifestyle that is one that you would want. If you get advice from people who have a lifestyle or career that doesn't interest you, then you can take that with a grain of salt. I've worked with a lot of people I looked up to, and I've also worked with people who I came to a point and I said, you know what? I don't want their life. I don't want to be like them. I would also say do a lot of self-reflection. I would say journal, too. That's advice that I didn't take myself all the time, but I think it's helpful to think about what it is that you want, what you're good at, and explore a lot of different options. Do a lot of self-reflection when you're earlier in your career. And another one I think young women probably need to know is that you do not have to say yes to everything. Maybe that's one that some people might benefit from. It's okay to say no if it's not serving your purpose.

I think the biggest challenge right now is twofold. If you took all of the philanthropies in the country and combine their resources, they would have a tiny fraction of impact compared to what the federal government is able to do in its programs and policies to support vulnerable populations. While we can still do great work with foundations and nonprofits and state and local governments, the scale of the impact at the federal level is much greater, and I've supported a lot of those contracts over the years. But in the past year, there have been a lot of changes, and a lot of funding got cut. It's not just that the programs got cut, it's that our role as evaluators and researchers is to try to make sure that whatever programs exist, that they're held accountable to the taxpayer, and that decisions about those programs are informed by evidence and research. Most of us, like myself included, are trained to be very objective and not partisan when we're doing research - that's the whole point. We're people who are trying to find truth without bias. So I think the biggest challenge right now is that most people don't understand that our position exists in the first place, and that we have a significant role. And two, that the entire system's kind of been gutted. The future is very unclear right now.

In my work, being objective and finding truth is really important to me. I also have a commitment to putting your best foot forward and doing good work - we used to call it a commitment to excellence. And then in my personal life, I would just say being kind to other people is an important one.