Nico Punkar will receive his MPA from CU Denver in May 2025 and received his BA in Criminology, Law and Society with a minor in Queer Studies from UC Irvine in 2012. Their master’s thesis investigates the motivations of policy actors in Colorado to become involved in advocacy for policies that support transgender communities. Nico has built expertise in the use of evidence and data in practice through a decade of experience in research, evaluation, and assessment. As a data analyst with CU Boulder Student Affairs, Nico gathered, analyzed, and reported data on the student experience to identify recommendations for the division of student affairs to enhance the student experience, with a focus on uplifting the needs of students with basic needs insecurities. Prior to his role at CU Boulder, Nico partnered with nonprofit, public sector, philanthropic, and educational organizations as an evaluator to measure and communicate the impact of service delivery and advocacy initiatives. Nico joined the Qualitative and Mixed Methods Core in 2025.