People

Amy Dorman

Pronouns: she/her
Affiliate, Evaluation Studies
Research Director, Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Office of Justice Programs

Amy Dorman is the Research Director for the Office of Justice Programs at the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.

PhD, University of Minnesota, Social Work
MPP, University of Minnesota, Public Policy
BA, Luther College, Women and Gender Studies

Mixed methods social policy research
Evaluation project design, management, and execution
Collaborative, cross-sector policy research and evaluation

I serve as the Research Director for the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) at the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS). I direct the research and evaluation activities of OJP, including conducting legislatively mandated studies, building and implementing internal evaluation structures, and providing evaluation technical assistance for the hundreds of grantee organizations supported by OJP. In this role, I have overseen the re-establishment and tripling in size of our research unit, drafted legislative policy proposals, provided consultation on data practices, and served as a representative for DPS on multiple interagency teams and working groups.

Previously, I served as a Researcher at the UMN Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare, where I led interdisciplinary research studies with government and nonprofit partners and built an evaluation framework for a national nonprofit organization. I also served as Research Manager with the Minnesota Justice Research Center where I led the intersectoral program evaluation for the Returning Home Saint Paul pilot program.

PUBLICATIONS

Dorman, A., Hoffmeister, M., Piescher, K., & LaLiberti, T. (2025). Getting to Yes: What Works in Supporting Children with Complex Mental and Behavioral Health Needs. University of Minnesota.

Dorman, A., Ingram, D., Corcoran, F., Kritzik, R., LaLiberti, T., Piescher, K., & Bailey, A. (2023). Early Care and Education Participation for Young Children in Foster Care: Family and Staff Perspectives. University of Minnesota.

Dorman, A., Ingram, D., Corcoran, F., LaLiberti, T., Piescher, K., Bailey, A. (2023). Early Care and Education Participation for Young Children in Foster Care: Administrative and Contextual Insights. University of Minnesota.

Dorman, A. (2022). One-Year Check-In of the Returning Home Saint Paul Pilot: Preliminary Learnings, Considerations, and Next Steps. Minnesota Justice Research Center.

Dorman, A. (2021). Road to Transformation Listening Sessions, Reports 1-9. Women’s Foundation of Minnesota.

Ewig, C., Bombyk, M. and Dorman, A. (2020). COVID-19’s Unequal Impact on Minnesota Workers: A Gender and Race Lens. Center on Women, Gender, and Public Policy.

PRESENTATIONS

Bailey, A. and Dorman, A. (2023, June). Access to Early Childhood Programming for Children in Foster Care. Paper presentation at the National Association for the Education of Young Children Professional Learning Institute. Portland, OR.

Dorman, A., Piescher, K., LaLiberte, T. (2023, April). Working Across Systems to Understand Early Childhood Education Participation for Children in Foster Care. Paper presentation at the Child Welfare League of America 2023 National Conference. Washington, D.C.

Dorman, A., Piescher, K., LaLiberte, T. (2023, April). Addressing Inequities by Understanding Early Childhood Education Participation for Children in Foster Care. Paper presentation at the 23rd National Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect. Conference held virtually.