Erin Sainato

Erin Sainato, M.P.A., is the Senior Project Evaluation Specialist at the Battelle Center for Science, Engineering and Public Policy at the John Glenn College of Public Affairs. She leads and manages the center's program evaluation and continuous quality improvement work, ensuring that its initiatives are grounded in rigorous, evidence-based practice. Erin brings nearly two decades of experience designing and implementing evaluation frameworks in the fields of public health, homeland security, and criminal justice. She holds a bachelor's degree in Arabic and international studies and a Master of Public Administration from The Ohio State University. Her expertise spans mixed-methods data collection, logic model development, performance indicator design, and using quantitative and qualitative analysis to translate findings into actionable recommendations for leadership, funders, and partners. She has applied this expertise to initiatives including HIV prevention program evaluation, STI prevention and intervention program evaluation, homeland security strategic and threat prevention planning, and criminal justice grants administration. Prior to joining the Battelle Center, Sainato served as Senior Manager of Program Evaluation at the National Coalition of STD Directors and as a Researcher in the HIV Prevention Monitoring and Evaluation Unit at the Ohio Department of Health. Earlier in her career, she held roles at Ohio Homeland Security and the Ohio Attorney General's Office, supporting the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy and the Office of Crime Victims Services.