MSW, Washington University in St. Louis, 2013
MPH, Washington University in St. Louis, 2013
BA, Economics, University of Pennsylvania, 2006
Organizational decision-making, organizational fields, and cross-sector collaboration; trauma-informed, healing centered policy; research use in education; mixed methods
Master in Public Administration, Harvard Kennedy School of Government, 2020
Master in Economic Analysis, University of Sao Paulo, 2015
Bachelor of International Relations, Pontificia Universidade Catolica de Sao Paulo, 2013
The interplay between identity development, culture, and learning; the implementation of pedagogical practices and policies that can shift the development of students’ ethnic-racial identities to the center of the educational experience; the impacts of culturally sustaining pedagogies on students' academic and social lives.
MS, Education, Johns Hopkins University, 2020
BA, Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2018
I am interested in topics related to educational neuroscience; more specifically, exploring how neuroscience can be applied within academic contexts to improve instructional practices, school policies, and educational outcomes within underserved communities.
Ed.M., Human Development and Social Policy, Harvard Graduate School of Education, 2018
BA.LLB., ILS Law College Pune, 2012
I am interested in the implementation of education policies in school systems by stakeholders who play a leadership role, school and district leaders as well as players in the private sector like curriculum providers and non-profit leaders. I am using institutional analysis as an overarching framework in my current work. I am exploring questions related to social justice leadership and social capital generation as they intersect with school leaders' personal identities and their (mis)match with the student demographics.
Nai-lahdixon2029@u.northwestern.edu
BA, Sociology modified with African and African American Studies, Dartmouth College, 2021
My research focuses on the experiences of Black and Brown students with learning disabilities across K–12 and higher education. I examine how these experiences affect access to accommodations, career opportunities, economic outcomes, and interactions with the carceral system. Through this work, I aim to highlight systemic barriers and promote more equitable supports for marginalized learners.
MS in Education, Culture and Society, Graduate School of Education at University of Pennsylvania, 2020
MS in Nonprofit Leadership, School of Social Policy and Practice at University of Pennsylvania, 2020
BA in Secondary Education: English, Brooklyn College, 2018
My research explores the challenges that housing insecurity and homelessness have on young people, particularly as it relates to their education and social and emotional development. It also looks at the ways that social policies and programs interact with young people who experience these conditions and ways that these interactions can be improved to best support them.
darinfields2029@u.northwestern.edu
Website
BS, Psychology and Sociology, University of Pittsburgh, 2023
The effects of wealth, wealth disparities, and socioeconomic mobility on adolescent future identity and behavioral health. Asset-building policies for families experiencing net worth poverty.
Master in Education Policy and Management, Harvard University, 2021
Bachelor in Business Administration, Emory University, 2015
Vishal’s research interests are in studying gender identity development to create and support social policies that foster responsible, healthy masculinity. Previously Vishal has worked as an independent DEI consultant, non-profit director, undergraduate career advisor, and management consultant.
rebeccalawrence2026@u.northwestern.edu
Website
BA, Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Rochester, 2019
BA, Health Behavior and Society, University of Rochester, 2019
My research focuses on the social, emotional, and identity development of students from marginalized communities as they transition from high school to university. My current work examines higher education policies and initiatives that support first-generation, low-income, and students of color in pursuing their academic and professional goals.
shanequelove2027@u.northwestern.edu
BA, African American Studies, Loyola Marymount University
My research interest investigates how Black mothers' experiences with the child welfare system influences their political knowledge. More specifically, I examine their experiences by using the theory of family policing.
marcia.maxson@u.northwestern.edu
Master of Public Administration, University of Colorado Denver, 2024
Bachelor of Public Service, University of Colorado Denver, 2020
Interdisciplinary mixed-methods scholar dedicated to advancing educational equity and social policy through rigorous research, policy analysis, and stakeholder engagement. Expertise in quantitative and qualitative methodologies, leveraging large-scale datasets and in-depth fieldwork to examine how educational and policy systems affect foster youth, independent students, and displaced populations. Adept at survey design, data collection, and program evaluation, with a strong commitment to translating research into actionable frameworks that promote inclusion, dignity, and systemic change. With experience across domestic and international contexts, she bridges research and practice to inform policies that expand opportunity and belonging within and beyond education.
chernicembogori2030@u.northwestern.edu
B.A Political Science and Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Yale University 2025
I am interested in creating and implementing education systems that operate effectively across economic and sociocultural contexts, with a focus on teaching and learning practices that promote equity within the Kenyan context.
melaniemuskin@u.northwestern.edu
Website
MA in Organization and Leadership, Teachers College at Columbia University
BA in Cognitive Science, Vassar College
Teacher Activism; Social Movements; Professional Dignity; Early Childhood Education; Educational Leadership; Participatory Design Research
zinanoel@northwestern.edu
Website
BA, International Affairs, Lewis & Clark College, 2013
M.Ed, International Education Policy, Harvard Graduate School of Education, 2019
Post-Bac, Early Childhood Education Policy, University of Minnesota, 2020
My research focuses on the intersections between early childhood development and civic society development, exploring how social policy and individual children and their families interact with and influence one another. My current research utilizes critical and ecological theories to unpack identity development among multiracial children, new parents, and early educators within the context of U.S. family and child policy. Early childhood policy; Early care and education; social policy; identity development; critical theory
leahouellet@u.northwestern.edu
MS from the Department of Criminal Justice at Wayne State University
BA from the Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan
I study human development and punishment in the context of carceral policy and practice.
B.S. Economics and Public Policy Analysis, The Ohio State University (2018)
K-12 education policy; social inequity; economics of education
BA, Political Science, Davidson College, 2020
Social identity development; Implementation of welfare policies; Societal perceptions of belonging and deservingness
MA in History, Yale University
BA in History, Yale University
I research the history and politics of educational policymaking, with a focus on how racial and sexual politics since the Civil Rights Movement have shaped educational research and decisions at federal and state levels about curriculum, testing, school quality, and school choice.
karlathomas2026@u.northwestern.edu
MA, Human Development and Social Policy, Northwestern University, 2024
MBA, Management & Organizations, Northwestern University, 2005
BS, Mechanical Engineering, University of Mississippi, 2000
Karla Thomas is a Critical Race Scholar who is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Human Development and Social Policy at Northwestern, where she researches parent, teacher, and community acts of resistance, defiance, and dream-building in the face of anti-Black and anti-LGBTQ education policy. Her current dissertation, “Smuggling Black Truths: Blackcrit Sensemaking Amidst the Disruption and Expansion of Black Liberatory Educational Possibilities,” interrogates how Black parents, Black educators, and Black churches make sense of and resist Florida’s regressive education policies while also expanding opportunities for Black education. Her ongoing collaborative research efforts explore the invisible ways Black parents and communities participate in the struggle for a just Black education in the face of anti-Blackness through activism, political advocacy, and educating the educators and community on issues of race and racism.
Higher education; community colleges; education finance; labor markets
MEd in Development, Education, and International Cooperation; Minor on Educational Leadership, University of Jyväskyla, Finland, 2021
BA in International Relations; Concentration in East Asia, Boston University, 2013
My work focuses on women and explores the concept of agency and intersectionality in relation to political learning, civic education, leadership, and networking.
M.A., Economics, University of Virginia
B.S., Mathematics, Morehouse College
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
MS, Psychology, National Taiwan University
BA, English, National Taiwan Normal University
Emotion and motivation; self- and emotion regulation; interpersonal relationships; well-being; goal pursuit; culture; health