I am a social policy scholar with wide-ranging interests in U.S. domestic policy and particular interests in sometimes hard-to-identify populations (immigrant communities, LGBTQ+ individuals). I am a Full Policy Researcher with the RAND Corporation. My current projects focus on understanding U.S. immigration enforcement policy and on the well-being and economic integration of refugees. Additionally, I have begun new work at the intersection of LGBTQ+ populations and education policy.
Most of my research is rooted in my professional and personal experiences. I became interested in education policy at my first job out of college, as a fourth grade teacher in the Houston Independent School District. I then learned about the policy-making process as a legislative aide for Texas State Representative Dora Olivo, who served on Texas's House Public Education committee.
Beyond my academic research interests, I have a long-time interest in collaborating with government and non-profit partners. In my previous roles as an IES Postdoctoral Fellow with the School of Education & Human Development at the University of Virginia and as a Research Associate at The University of Texas at Austin, I have worked with the Louisiana Department of Education, Texas Education Agency (TEA), the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC), and Texas Office of the Attorney General’s Child Support Division.
I have a B.A. in History and English from Rice University, a MPA from Indiana University-Bloomington, and a Ph.D. in Public Policy from Duke University.
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