View: Workshop Agenda | Participant List
Janeria A. Easley
jeasle2@emory.edu
Link to: Web Page | CV
LinkedIn
Dr. Janeria Easley, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of African American Studies at Emory University. Her research advances the understanding of racial stratification in two broad areas. First, she interrogates the role of space in creating and maintaining said stratification. Second, she examines racial disparities in economic well being related to employment, wealth, and homeownership.
Fenaba Addo
faddo@email.unc.edu
Link to: Web Page
Dr. Fenaba Rena Addo, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Public Policy at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Her research program examines the causes and consequences of debt and wealth inequality with a focus on higher education and family and relationships. Ongoing projects investigate the systemic barriers Black women and men face in attaining economic security for themselves and their families. She received her Ph.D. in Policy Analysis and Management from Cornell University and holds a B.S. in Economics from Duke University.
Jason Allen
jason@npunion.org
Link to: Web Page
@AllenforAPS Twitter
Jason B. Allen, M.A.T., was raised in Atlanta, Georgia. He is an 19-year veteran educator and National Organizing Director for the National Parents Union. He has served as a classroom Language Arts, Reading and Special Education teacher, District Administrator, School Administrator, charter school board member and Chair of Ivy Prep Academy network. Allen earned his Bachelor of Arts in English and Masters of Art of Teaching Special Education. He is a member of the American Association of Educators.
Daniel Auguste
augusted@fau.edu
Link to: Web Page | CV
@Daniel2Auguste
Dr. Daniel Auguste, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at Florida Atlantic University. He was a MLK Visiting Assistant Professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management in 2022-2023. Dr. Auguste is a faculty affiliate at the Social Policy Institute at Washington University in St. Louis. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He studies the root causes and consequences of social inequalities. More specifically, with a focus on the structural barriers to entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial success, considering the extent to which economic inequality undermines entrepreneurship development and success, and innovation.
Jhonelle Bailey
qmh6sr@virginia.edu
Link to: Web Page
LinkedIn
Dr. Jhonelle Bailey’s, Ph.D., research interests include understanding how early childhood education experiences, family engagement, and access to essential community resources can impact children’s school readiness skills and how these areas can be leveraged to support children, especially for children from minoritized and marginalized communities. Her graduate dissertation work, which she will be presenting on, is aimed to understand how Black families with children in Head Start view play as a skill for their children in the home/neighborhood. Her current work is centered on preschool and kindergarten children’s experiences to understand the supports needed for some of our youngest learners and aims to understand how access to different community resources and opportunities is associated with performance on a statewide readiness assessment.
Keon N. Berry
drkeonberry@outlook.com
Link to: Web Page | CV
IG: @dr.keonberry LinkedIn: Dr. Keon N. Berry Twitter: DrKeonBerry
Dr. Keon N. Berry, Ph.D., is a dynamic scholar-practitioner with a rich background in education management. Driven by a passion for positive social change, Dr. Berry utilizes core principles of equity, advocacy, and innovation to drive impactful transformations in higher education, early childhood education, education policy, academia, and social welfare. Throughout Dr. Berry’s career, he has demonstrated a track record of unwavering commitment to empowering families and fostering favorable outcomes for youth of all ages.
Reiko Boyd
rkboyd@uh.edu
Link to: Web Page
Dr. Reiko Boyd, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work. Her work focuses on racial equity in child wellbeing, Black infant and maternal health, structural racism, abolition, and strengths-based research. Dr. Boyd earned her MSW from the University of California, Los Angeles, and her doctorate in Social Welfare from the University of California, Berkeley.
Marcus Casey
mcasey@uic.edu
Link to: Web Page | CV
marcdcase
Dr. Marcus Casey, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Economics at University of Illinois at Chicago. He is also a Nonresident Fellow in Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution. Dr. Casey’s research lies at the intersection of urban, labor, and public economics. His research program broadly focuses on neighborhood sorting and transition dynamics, housing markets, spatial inequality and intergenerational mobility, the impact of technological change on local labor markets, and education policy.
Jennifer Daniels
jennifer.daniels@wisc.edu
Link to: Web Page
Dr. Jennifer Daniels, Ph.D., is a 2022–2024 National Poverty Fellow in residence in the Division of Economic Independence (DEI) at the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services . Her research interests include racial equity, poverty, and the provision and access to social welfare programs. Specifically, she is interested in the intersections of devolved policy authority and racial inequity in the policy process.
Patrick Dixon
patrick.tdixon@gmail.com
Link to: Web Page
Patrick Dixon is a professional in inclusive investing and economic development, currently working with the Small Business Lending team at the NCRC Community Development Fund. His experience includes forging strategic partnerships, analyzing financial opportunities, and facilitating access to capital for underserved entrepreneurs. Dixon’s background is marked by impactful roles in community research, investment evaluation, and driving initiatives for economic equity.
Sheridan Fuller
sheridan.fuller@frb.gov
Link to: Web Page | CV
@sheridan_fuller
Dr. Sheridan Fuller, Ph.D., is an Economist at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors studying U.S. social infrastructure’s potential to promote families’ well-being while acknowledging its pitfalls. He studies children’s and families’ interactions with income support programs, focusing on the effect of these programs on children’s long-term outcomes (health, human capital, labor outcomes, and economic well-being). He received his Ph.D. from Northwestern University and his MPP and BA from the University of Virginia.
Iheoma Iruka
iruka@unc.edu
Link to: Web Page | CV
LinkedIn: @IheomaIruka @FPGInstitute @UNCPublicPolicy @unccollege
Twitter: @IheomaIruka @FPGInstitute @UNCPublicPolicy @uncollege
Facebook: @iuiruka
Instagram: @irukathompson
Iheoma U. Iruka, Ph.D., is a Research Professor in Public Policy and the Founding Director of the Equity Research Action Coalition at FPG Child Development Institute at UNC. Dr. Iruka is leading projects and initiatives focused on ensuring that minoritized children thrive through the intersection of anti-bias, anti-racist, and culturally grounded research, program, and policy. She has authored over 80 books and papers and has given over 300 talks addressing systemic inequities and advancing research and action on the well-being of children and families. She serves on numerous national and local boards and committees, including NASEM, the National Science Foundation, the Lancet Commission on Racism and Child Health, and the U.S. Census Bureau National Advisory Committee. Dr. Iruka is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2022 American Psychological Association Mid-Career Award for Outstanding Contributions to Benefit Children, Youth, and Families. She is a 2023 American Psychological Association (APA) Fellow.
Jacob Johnson
jpj@ecic4kids.org
Link to: Web Page
LinkedIn
Jacob Johnson is a consultant and trainer with the Early Childhood Investment Corporations, National Center for Family and Parent Leadership. He works with parent leaders and partners across the nation who are working to build their capacity to embed family and parent leadership. As a father of two young children, Johnson helped develop a fatherhood program at his local county department of health. There he worked as a community educator, supporting new and expecting dads through fatherhood-based curriculums and home visitation. He continues to support fatherhood programming in his local community and across the state of Michigan through the Fatherhood Network.
Tiffany R. King
tiffany.king.1@asu.edu
Link to: Web Page
LinkedIn
Dr. Tiffany King, Ph.D, is a highly knowledgeable and experienced manager/director of research (social science and evaluation), trained in research methodology with over 17 years of success in quantitative and qualitative study design, implementation, data collection, and analysis. Her current research activities centers on early childhood program evaluation, curriculum evaluation and understanding how racism and other biases impact early childhood education.
Chrishana Lloyd
clloyd@childtrends.org
Link to: Web Page
Dr. Chrishana M. Lloyd, Ph.D., is a Research Scholar in the Early Childhood policy area at Child Trends and Co-Director of Research for the federally funded National Early Care and Education Workforce Center. She has more than 20 years of experience in the social science and education fields and considerable experience with applied community-based research and technical assistance using a racial equity lens. Dr. Lloyd has served as the primary investigator on both federally and privately funded research projects. A common theme throughout her career is the integration of research and policy to inform and support the application of equitable and high-quality educational and human service practices.
Rachel Ludeke
rachel.ludeke@jefferson.edu
Link to: Web Page
Dr. Rachel Ludeke (pronouns she/they) ,Ph.D., in Social Work from New York University, a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree from Rutgers University School of Social Work, as well as a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in English and History/Political Science from Rutgers University. She is also pursuing a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree at Thomas Jefferson University. Currently, she is a T32 Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Family and Community Medicine, Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University. She has worked in the child welfare field as an administrator for transitioning foster youth programs in New Jersey and has also served as a program coordinator for various programs related to homelessness, disaster relief, and nonprofit management and governance. Her research examines the educational and employment disparities of child welfare involved minority youth using egocentric social network analysis and mixed methods.
Darcey Merritt
darceym@uchicago.edu
Link to: Web Page | CV
@DrDarceyMerritt, FB and LinkedIn: Darcey Merritt
Dr. Darcey Merritt, Ph.D., has extensive experience as a practitioner in private and public child welfare systems, and her empirical scholarship is meaningfully informed by the lived experiences of those impacted by child welfare systems. Her research portfolio centers on child maltreatment prevention, specifically neglect, and parenting in socio-economic context, considering the impact of working memory on parental decision-making. She is dedicated to elevating the voices of systems-impacted parents and children in the discussion of prevention methods and service delivery in the context of systemic racism and racialized poverty.
Jenille Morgan
jenille.morgan@unc.edu
Link to: Web Page
LinkedIn
Jenille Morgan, MA, is an experienced researcher and evaluator who utilizes a strengths-based, multidisciplinary approach to advancing knowledge related to the impact of race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status across the lifespan. As a research associate and former Assistant Director of Equity Diversity and Inclusion, Morgan is committed to improving the quality of life for children and their families and effecting change through research for our most marginalized youth. As a doctoral student, her research interests include identifying the ways in which educational experiences, religion, and the social context impact identity formation in Black children during early and middle childhood. She seeks to uncover how children’s religion and spiritual strengths can mitigate the harmful effects of racism, foster positive identity development, and create a sense of belonging.
Tyla Ricks
tylaricks@gmail.com
Link to: Web Page | CV
LinkedIn
Dr. Tyla Ricks is a recent PhD graduate from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro from the Human Development and Family Studies program. In her current role, she is a Continuous Quality Improvement Specialist and works alongside programs to improve the quality of services offered to children and families. Dr. Ricks’ research and dissertation explored the resilience and wellbeing of Head Start educators through an innovative professional development approach. She looks forward to having more conversations about Head Start and its impact on teachers, families, and children.
Zawadi Rucks-Ahidiana
zrucks-ahidiana@albany.edu
Link to: Web Page
zra_research (Threads/Twitter/IG)
Dr. Zawadi Rucks-Ahidiana, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at University at Albany, State University of New York. Her research focuses on racial inequality including studies on the racial wealth gap, gentrification, and culture.
Krista Ruffini
kr333@georgetown.edu
Link to: Web Page | CV
@KristaRuffini
Dr. Krista Ruffini, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy. Her research examines how government policies targeted to disadvantaged populations affect labor market, health, and education outcomes. Prior to joining McCourt, Dr. Ruffini was a visiting scholar at the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank’s Opportunity and Inclusive Growth Institute. She previously worked on labor, health, and fiscal policies at the Council of Economic Advisers and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. She holds a Ph.D. in Public Policy and a MA in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley; an MPA from the London School of Economics; and a BA in Economics, International Relations, and Political Science from Boston University.
Jermaine Toney
jermaine.toney@rutgers.edu
Link to: Web Page
Dr. Jermaine Toney, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University. He was selected to receive the 2023-2024 National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) Fellowship on Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Economic Outcomes. Dr. Toney was a member of the 2022-2023 cohort of Early Career Faculty Fellows in the Institute for the Study of Global Racial Justice at Rutgers University. His work has been supported by an Early Career Award (Pipeline Grants Competition) from the Russell Sage Foundation and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Prior to joining the Bloustein School faculty, he was a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University. His work has been profiled in Marketplace, and The Atlantic. Much of Dr. Toney’s research focuses on household finance and race.
Annette Waters
annette.waters@hhs.gov
Link to: Web Page
Dr. Annette L. Waters, Ph.D., is a senior social science analyst in the Office of the Assistance Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE), at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Dr. Waters conducts both quantitative and qualitative research on low-income populations and the social welfare programs that they access. She currently is the government lead for the National Research Center on Poverty and Economic Mobility (IRP). Dr. Waters also serves on HHS’s Overdose Prevention Strategy Workgroup and on the Office of National Drug Control Policy’s Recovery Research Interagency Workgroup. Dr. Waters is the project lead for the Substance Use Identification in Human Services Programs project and was one of the project leads for the Virtual Human Services Delivery study and the Addressing Opioids in Communities of Color study. Dr. Waters was the project manager and statistician for the Parental Substance Use, Opioid Misuse and Child Welfare Mixed Methods study and also the Opioids and Child Support study. Dr. Waters completed a post-doctoral research fellowship at Princeton University. She has a PhD in Sociology from the University of Maryland at College Park, a M.A. degree in Public Policy from the University of Chicago, and a B.A. in Sociology from the University of Michigan.
Badger, E., Cain Miller, C., Pearce, A., and Quealy. 2018. Income Mobility Charts for Girls, Asian-Americans and Other Groups. Or Make Your Own, The Upshot, New York Times, March 27, 2018.
Planning Title IV-E Prevention Services: A Toolkit for States, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE).
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE). 2024. Estimates of Child Care Eligibility & Receipt for Fiscal Year 2020, February 14, 2024.
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE). 2024. Children’s Interagency Coordinating Council FY 2023 Report to Congress, February 6, 2023.
Ashley Watts
a0w70288@marymount.edu
@ashadvancingeq
Ashley Watts is a doctoral student in the Department of Education at Marymount University. She is a practitioner/scholar having served Black & Brown students & families in predominantly Title I communities. Her experiences have drawn her to take intersectional and systemic approaches to address poverty, and equity, especially in the realm of early learning, student support, whole child concepts, and out-of-school supports. As a leader in these spaces and through her current studies in leadership and organizational innovation, Watts aims to take collaborative approaches to her research agenda with the goal of bridging gaps between research and current practice which often hinders minority children.
Natalie Williams
nwilliams@aphsa.org
Link to: Web Page
LinkedIn
Natalie Williams is the Chief Equity Diversity Inclusion and Belonging Officer at American Public Human Services Association (APHSA). Williams believes that all people should have the opportunity to experience wellbeing and to thrive. She has committed her life to highlighting issues of racial injustice while working to find solutions that increase social and economic mobility for communities who have experienced long term marginalization.
Abigail Williams-Butler
aw643@ssw.rutgers.edu
Link to: Web Page
Dr. Abigail Williams-Butler, PhD, MSW, MS, is an Assistant Professor at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Her research interests focus on social welfare policy, understanding the developmental trajectory of families, adolescents, and children in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems, strengths-based science, and innovative approaches towards trauma-informed care for youth in child-serving systems. She is particularly interested in understanding the role that intersectionality plays in development across the lifespan for systems involved families and youth.