Hello, my name is Andres Lopez. I am a community researcher who is formally trained as a cultural sociologist and professional research and evaluation scientist. I currently serve as the Research Director for the Coalition of Communities of Color (CCC). My role at the CCC focuses on running the Research Justice Institute (RJI). The RJI supports and advances research and data in Oregon and beyond to advance racial justice through cross-cultural collective action by working with BIPOC serving community-based organizations (CBO) and dominant institutions. The division of RJI’s work – between CBOs and dominant institutions – is framed by our understanding of the differences between equity and justice. Our work with dominant institutions (e.g., governments, universities, health systems, philanthropy) focuses on advancing equity within organizations so that BIPOC communities are better represented and served. Our work with BIPOC serving organizations supports justice efforts, which center work that builds capacity and community power on the terms of communities of color. centers community-based participatory research in support of communities of color in the Portland Metro Area and the state of Oregon

Before joining the CCC, I worked with various non-profits, social justice organizations, universities, and national research projects as a professional researcher and evaluator. Some of my previous work includes needs assessments, priorities assessment, process and impact evaluations, social network analysis, spatial analysis, and methodological development. As a trained qualitative researcher, I have years of experience conducting ethnographies, narrative/discourse analysis, case studies, phenomenological research, and ground theory projects. I also have expertise in survey design and question development for quantitive studies. You can learn more about my previous professional research under the “previous work” tab.

Alongside my professional research and evaluation skills, I am a trained sociologist. My academic work primarily focuses on the relationship between everyday social inequalities, as experienced and structured through gender/race/sexualities and organizational settings such as work and religious institutions. In my research, I examined how men mobilize masculinities in the workplace to achieve and maintain power, advancement, and status. In a similar vein, I have studied how religious institutions and their members both challenge and reproduce social inequalities through their organizational efforts and everyday practices. Also, I am experienced teaching the sociology of gender and sexualities, men and masculinities, religion and spirituality, research methodologies, work, occupations, and gendered organizations, cultural sociology, and cultural anthropology. You can learn more about my sociological work under the “academic” tab.

I would love to collaborate with research and evaluation scientists, social scientists, humanities scholars, businesses/non-profit organizations, religious professionals, and activists who share my interest. I am patricianly interested in connecting with folks doing social justice work and those interested in applying participatory action research and a racial justice lens to their work. Please contact me.