Nonprofits working across multiple schools and communities often face a common challenge: how to capture meaningful data without losing sight of the people behind it. For organizations like SparkWheel – serving more than 30,000 students across 60+ schools – strong data systems aren’t just about reporting. They are essential to understanding student needs, strengthening supports, and demonstrating real outcomes.
Join Judy from SparkWheel as she shares how the organization evolved its data approach to better support students, strengthen decision-making, and demonstrate impact over a period of significant growth. From early challenges with fragmented systems to building a more cohesive data strategy, this session will highlight what it takes to turn information into insight – and insight into action.
What You’ll Learn:
• How SparkWheel strengthened its data infrastructure to better support students and staff across multiple sites
• Practical ways to improve data collection and consistency, regardless of your current systems
• How SparkWheel uses data to demonstrate outcomes in attendance, academics, and graduation
• Approaches to integrating reporting tools into a broader data strategy
• Lessons learned from implementation, change management, and building internal adoption
Speaker
Judy Hilyard is the Vice President of Data and Evaluation at SparkWheel, where she leads the organization’s data strategy, evaluation planning, and performance measurement efforts to support student and family success. With a career spanning corporate data analysis, healthcare compliance, and nonprofit leadership, Judy brings deep expertise in building data systems, ensuring data quality, and translating insights into actionable improvements.
She oversees organizational data governance, grant-aligned reporting, and learning agendas that promote accountability and continuous program improvement. Known for her practical and collaborative approach, Judy is passionate about making data accessible and meaningful—helping teams minimize administrative burden while maximizing impact. Her work focuses on using evidence to strengthen programs, inform decision-making, and expand effective, student-centered services across communities.
