Aftan Lynch is a Research Associate at Strategic Prevention Solutions. She is lifelong resident of Alaska. Aftan holds a master’s degree from the University of Colorado in public administration where she completed her capstone project by conducting primary research on resilience in the Kichx̱áan (Ketchikan) community. Her professional background includes sexual assault and domestic violence prevention at the local and state levels, coalition building, youth leadership, and health and wellness promotion. Aftan holds a certificate in children’s behavioral health and has previously helped coordinate child programming and services for children with special needs and those involved in the juvenile justice system.

 

She is experienced in writing community plans and needs assessments that emphasize data-driven responses to individualized needs and assets, and she has facilitated teams to perform risk assessments, logic models, and asset maps – all through an evaluation lens. Aftan has been instrumental in managing programs geared toward elementary-age children including successfully raising funds to implement the program, overseeing day-to-day operations, training adult mentors, and organizing community-wide events. Additionally, she has contributed to the development of youth leadership groups for high school students and supported their growth and development. Aftan has been a member of the Alaska Wellness Coalition leadership team for the State of Alaska and has worked to support a statewide marketing project promoting positive youth behaviors. She embraces the concept that evaluation-led community efforts create the most meaningful and lasting results.

 

Aftan’s skillset includes grant writing, graphic design, group facilitation, and marketing development. She uses these skills to create evaluation tools and design reports and templates tailored to the unique needs of clients.  

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 Aftan enjoys spending time outdoors: boating, hiking, fishing, and exploring the beautiful bays and inlets of Lingít Aaní, where she resides with her family.