Data Say What? Research for Community Impact
Elissa Yancey, A Picture’s Worth &
Viann Barnett, Recovery Services at HER Cincinnati
Wednesday, April 16, 6pm
Taft Research Center
Join Elissa Yancey, MSEd, executive and creative director of A Picture’s Worth, and Viann Barnett, BA, managing director of Recovery Services at HER Cincinnati, as they share insights about working with community experts and how they define and collect data through the lens of trust-based research.
They’ll discuss A Picture's Worth's ongoing Data For Equity pilot project in which local experts in human trafficking and related traumas worked to design research, define meaningful data and create impactful content, blending academic and community-centric research models. The project prioritizes community expertise to drive action and impact, using story collection to determine themes that build confidence and pride in people on recovery and healing journeys. The ultimate goal of this long-term systems change work is to ensure that those with the most expertise have direct and ongoing influence in defining, collecting and disseminating data, allowing them to shape solutions that are both actionable and sustainable.
Elissa Yancey, MSEd, is a trained journalist, teacher and researcher who has spent more than three decades listening to and sharing other people’s stories. She was born and raised in Norwood, Ohio, the daughter of an Appalachian migrant who was a masterful storyteller. She taught journalism at the University of Cincinnati and campuses around the country for more than a decade before following her entrepreneurial instincts outside of academia. Today, Yancey leads A Picture’s Worth, a nonprofit focused on community-led storysharing that uses multi-disciplinary approaches to elicit powerful, strengths-based stories from, by and for communities.
Viann Barnett is a passionate advocate, dedicated leader, and relentless changemaker with over 30 years of lived experience in addressing human trafficking, domestic violence, sexual assault, and related traumas. Holding a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Union Institute & University (2014), Viann leverages her academic foundation and lived expertise to advocate for systemic reform and innovative solutions that empower marginalized populations. Viann’s work extends beyond direct service provision to narrative change and data equity initiatives that challenge societal stigmas surrounding human trafficking and violence against women. As a data-driven advocate, she amplifies the voices of survivors, ensuring their experiences inform the policies, programs, and systems designed to support them.