Thao holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Anthropology from St. Olaf College. She began her evaluation and research career at Wilder Research where she worked primarily on adult and children mental health and public health research projects. She has extensive experience applying quantitative and qualitative research methods to engage community members most impacted by issues being explored. Thao has led and supported projects funded by the government and local nonprofit agencies with internal evaluation capacity building; community needs assessments; and using data for program design, improvement, and decision making.