As Director of Insights, Gabby leads the organization’s research and program evaluation teams.
Dr. Gabby L’Esperance is a dedicated qualitative researcher and program evaluator with a commitment to amplifying the voices of diverse communities through narrative-based research. In her role as director of insights, Dr. L’Esperance harnesses the power of qualitative methodology to uncover profound insights into the lived experiences of military and veteran families.
Through Gabby’s leadership and emphasis on the value of qualitative methods in understanding military life, MFAN continues to shine a light on the support military families need most and evaluate the programs built to support them. These research and program evaluation findings have been used as a basis for convening stakeholders, developing programs, and invoking positive change for service members, veterans, and their families.
Gabby is a subject matter expert on military and veteran family research methods, military family well-being, food insecurity, whole health care needs, military family financial readiness, program evaluation, and more. She regularly shares research findings and thought leadership to varying audiences including, but not limited to, higher education, military and veteran family stakeholders, government leadership, and funding partners.
Dr. L’Esperance earned her doctorate in public administration from University of Nebraska at Omaha, specializing in nonprofit management and qualitative research. She holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree from James Madison University. Gabby lives in Omaha with her husband and two dogs, where she continues to teach nonprofit management courses at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Gabby is an instructor at UNO, where she teaches courses on nonprofit management.
Download Gabby’s portrait.