Moriah Barrow Aktaş is an Associate Consultant at Learning for Action (LFA) with over six years of experience working at the intersection of evaluation, strategy, and capacity building. She partners with foundations, nonprofits, and community-based organizations to design and implement learning-oriented evaluation efforts that inform decision-making, strengthen impact, and support more equitable outcomes.
Moriah brings deep expertise in mixed-methods research, with a strong preference for qualitative and mixed-use data approaches. Her consulting experience includes program evaluation, measurement, evaluation, and learning (ME&L) partnerships, and landscape scans. She is particularly skilled in translating complex data into actionable insights and facilitating meaning-making processes that help clients align strategy with evidence. Her work spans diverse issue areas, including education, early childhood systems, public health, housing, and community development.
An intentional and collaborative project manager, Moriah approaches her work with a strong commitment to equity, ensuring inclusive practices and accessibility are embedded throughout each phase of an engagement. She is also a skilled convener and facilitator, known for designing and leading spaces that are thoughtful, participatory, and grounded in trust—enabling stakeholders to engage deeply, navigate complexity, and move toward tangible outcomes. As both a project manager and researcher, Moriah leads and contributes to multi-year, multi-stakeholder engagements, balancing technical rigor with relational and responsive client engagement. She is known for building enduring relationships and supporting clients in using data not just for accountability, but as a tool for learning, reflection, and transformation.
Moriah holds a Master of Arts in Human Rights from Central European University and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from North Carolina State University, with a concentration in interpersonal, organizational, and rhetorical communication. Her academic background informs her commitment to systems change, equity, and centering lived experience in research and evaluation practice.
Born and raised in North Carolina, Moriah is now based in Greensboro, where she remains closely connected to the communities and systems that shape her work and perspective. Outside of her professional work, she enjoys spending time out and about with her husband and their two dogs, and is an enthusiastic supporter of women’s professional sports—especially the Golden State Valkyries!
Education
BA, Communication, North Carolina State University
MA, Human Rights, Central European University
Selected Project Experience
Evaluation of Housing Trust Silicon Valley’s First-time Homebuyer Programs
Blue Cross NC Foundation Evaluation of Home-Based Childcare Programming
RWJF Health Children and Families (HCF) SUPER Learning Study
First 5 San Mateo County Early Childhood Mental Health Landscape Scan
College Futures Foundation – Landscape Scan on College Student Mental Health