Impactful Women of the 918: Evie Muilenburg-Trevino

Evie Muilenburg-Trevino’s work centers on a simple but important question: “How do we help people flourish?” At Oral Roberts University, she teaches psychology courses focused on research design and experimental psychology, while her research explores the science of hope, positive psychology, nonprofit organizations and church well-being.

She also works as a research consultant through her business, Hope Wired, studying hope as a transformative mechanism.

“Hope has been shown to be one of the best predictors of well-being,” Muilenburg-Trevino says. “Hope is the belief that the future is bright and you have a role to play in making it happen—that belief drives everything a person does in their life.”

Working with Tulsa organizations that serve individuals facing significant challenges has been especially rewarding. She trains organizations on the science of hope, equipping those in helping professions with practical tools to grow hope in the people they serve.

Outside of work, Muilenburg-Trevino spends time with her husband, Jess, and their three children. They are also active in the foster and adoption community. The couple brought their daughter home from China 11 years ago, an experience Muilenburg-Trevino says fueled her passion for helping families provide healing and support to children through adoption and foster care.

1. Please share a little background about yourself and your current role. How long have you been in your current position? What other things have you done leading up to your current role?  Also, if you’d like to share a little about your personal life, please do! 

I’m an associate professor in the behavioral sciences at Oral Roberts University, where I teach psychology courses focused on research design and experimental psychology. As a quantitative psychologist, my work centers on research and evaluation, the science of hope, positive psychology, nonprofit organizations, and church wellbeing. 

Additionally, for the past 20 years, I’ve worked as a research consultant through my business, Hope Wired, partnering with nonprofit organizations across the U.S. to study hope as a transformative mechanism—particularly for individuals who have faced traumatic life events. At its core, my research keeps circling back to one simple question: how do we help people flourish? 

I’m passionate about teaching and mentoring students, giving them both theoretical grounding and practical research skills, and encouraging them to thoughtfully integrate their faith into their academic and professional work. 

Outside of work, I spend my time with my husband, Jess, and our three kids. I love watching them play piano and compete in sports. We’re an active church family, and we love to travel together. 

Q&A with Evie Muilenburg-Trevino

You were nominated because others felt you have an impact on the community in some way. How do you feel that your position/work impacts the community? Why is that important to you? 

I’m honored by the nomination. 

Hope has been shown to be one of the best predictors of wellbeing. Hope is the belief that the future is bright and you have a role to play in making it happen—that belief drives everything a person does in their life. Working with organizations in Tulsa that serve individuals facing significant challenges has been especially rewarding. I train these organizations on the science of hope, equipping people in the helping professions with practical tools to grow hope in those they serve. Individuals who have been through traumatic life events tend to have lower hope, and that impacts their lives in multiple ways, so partnering with others to bring hope and wellbeing to those who need it most matters deeply to me. 

Another rewarding role is helping organizations tell the story of their success. Doing outcomes research helps organizations clarify their outcomes and accurately measure their work. Analyzing the results and telling that story is incredibly fulfilling. 

I also teach a Hope seminar at ORU, and students often tell me it’s the most impactful class they’ve ever taken. 

What other activities, volunteer work, etc. do you do and why is that important to you? 

I’m active in the foster and adoption community—my husband and I brought our daughter home from China 11 years ago, and she’s been a joy to our family and a light to everyone around her. That experience is a big part of why I’m passionate about helping other families parent children in such a way to bring healing and life through adoption or foster care.

Do you have a fun fact that you can share about yourself, or do you have a favorite place to go in Tulsa (restaurant, entertainment venue)? 

I love Tulsa! The people are kind, the culture is diverse, and it’s a great place to raise a family.