We are social scientists, practitioners, communicators, and activists committed to communities that demand affordable, accessible, high-quality education from high school through higher education and beyond.
We engage our funders through a range of stewardship activities, including events, meetings, roundtables, forums, conferences, books and other publications, and specialized communications. We may receive input from funders as well as advocates, policymakers, and other interested stakeholders on different aspects of our research and related activities, but we make the final decisions on conclusions and recommendations. For more information, please see Approach.
Founded in 2013 with a gift from the Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation, we began as the Wisconsin HOPE Lab. At the time of our launch, the higher education community had begun talking about challenges affecting college access and degree completion, particularly racial disparities. Still, discussions of college costs were limited to rising tuition, conversations about students’ challenges in college centered on remedial education, and institutional practices remained unevaluated.
Over the next five years our research drew the public’s attention to the living costs that make it so hard for students to focus on college. We documented a crisis of food and housing insecurity and worked to address these challenges by improving institutional practice and policy. Featured in the pages of the New York Times and the Washington Post, and appearing on the Daily Show with Trevor Noah, our efforts attracted more than $12 million in philanthropic support, influenced more than two dozen pieces of state and federal legislation, produced a best-selling book, and spun off a nonprofit that is providing emergency aid to students around the country. We also trained more than 45 students and created new partnerships with researchers, advocates, practitioners, and policymakers around the country to strengthen and amplify our work.
In 2018, we moved our work to Philadelphia and refocused our strategy to recognize the complexity of the challenges facing today’s students.
Sara Goldrick-Rab is Founder of the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice and Professor of Higher Education Policy & Sociology at Temple University. She is the recipient of the William T. Grant Foundation’s Faculty Scholars Award and the American Educational Research Association’s Early Career Award, and in 2016 POLITICO named her one of the top 50 people shaping American politics. Her latest book, “Paying the Price: College Costs, Financial Aid, and the Betrayal of the American Dream” (University of Chicago, 2016), won the 2018 Grawemeyer Award, and was featured on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. The Chronicle of Higher Education calls her “a defender of impoverished students and a scholar of their struggles,” she is ranked seventh in the nation among education scholars according to Education Week, and in April 2018 the Carnegie Corporation awarded her the Carnegie Fellowship. Sara is married to a Philadelphia native who graduated from the Community College of Philadelphia, and is raising two children attending the city’s public schools.
Sara’s hope: We will fight for a financing system that recognizes the right of every American to a high-quality college education.
Neil Seftor is the Executive Director of the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice and Research Professor of Higher Education Policy at Temple University. Neil has 17 years experience in education research, with expertise in econometric and evaluation methodology, including the design and analysis of education policy evaluations using random assignment and quasi-experimental methods. Neil evaluated Upward Bound, Upward Bound Math-Science, and Talent Search, three national programs that prepare economically disadvantaged students to enter and succeed in college. He also examined the effects of several financial supports for postsecondary students, including Pell grants and tightening credit standards for the U.S. Department of Education (ED), and the undergraduate scholarship and intramural research loan repayment programs for the National Institutes of Health. In more than a dozen years of work for ED’s What Works Clearinghouse, Neil developed many of its signature components, including the training and certification processes for reviewers, the study review guide used by reviewers in assessing research, the procedures and standards handbooks, and several of its products. He joined the Hope Center from Mathematica Policy Research, where he worked since receiving his PhD in economics from the University of Virginia in 2001.
Neil’s hope: Our work will illuminate the range of struggles facing postsecondary students and find evidence-based approaches to solve them.
Christine Baker-Smith is the Director of Research for the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice. Before joining the Hope Center, she was a lecturer in Research Methodology for the Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences M.A. program at Columbia University and an Education Policy Analyst for the NYC Independent Budget Office. She also served as Project Manager for the “NYC High School Admissions Study” — a randomized controlled trial. A sociologist of education, Christine’s training is in mixed-methods research and causal inference with a focus on student social and academic engagement across schooling transitions. She holds a PhD from New York University in Sociology of Education, an EdM in Leadership, Policy and Politics from Teachers College, Columbia University, an MA in Social Sciences of Education from Stanford University, and a BA in Sociology from Whitman College. She has published on adolescence and school transitions in numerous peer-reviewed journals such as Sociology of Education, Peabody Journal of Education, and Education Finance and Policy.
Christine’s hope: We will identify practices for a national audience that improve student outcomes across the K-12 to post-secondary transition.
Bianca Van Heydoorn is the Director of Community Engagement and Research Application for the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice. In her role, she provides leadership, strategic planning, and visioning for community engagement across multiple research projects. Bianca’s work focuses on challenges facing vulnerable populations including former foster youth, returning citizens, and student-parents. Prior to joining the Hope Center, Bianca served as the Director of Educational Initiatives at the Prisoner Reentry Institute at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, where she oversaw a continuum of educational services for incarcerated and community-based college students impacted by the criminal justice system. Bianca is a first-generation college student who holds an MA in Criminal Justice from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a BA in Correctional Sociology from the CUNY Baccalaureate Program for Interdisciplinary Studies. She currently sits on the board of the national Alliance for Higher Education in Prison.
Bianca’s hope: We will work together to create justice, equity, and college access for all.
Vanessa Coca is a Senior Research Associate for the Hope Center for College, Community and Justice. In her past work, Vanessa collaborated on a series of research reports as a consultant for the To&Through Project at the UChicago Consortium on School Research. She was previously an Institute of Education Sciences-funded Predoctoral Interdisciplinary Research Training Fellow at the Research Alliance for New York City Schools where she helped develop and support the NYC Partnership for College Readiness and Success. Vanessa is a first-generation college student who holds a PhD in Sociology of Education from the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development at New York University. She also holds a BA and an MA in Public Policy from the University of Chicago. She brings more than a decade of experience conducting research in research-practitioner partnership settings.
Vanessa’s hope: We will produce research that will used by education stakeholders nationwide to develop the policies, programs, and strategies that will allow all students to meet their long-term aspirations.
Eddy Conroy is a Senior Practitioner-Researcher for the Hope Center for College, Community and Justice. Originally from Scotland, Eddy moved to the United States in 2010. Before joining the Hope Center, Eddy was the Outreach and Communications Supervisor for University of California-Los Angeles Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships, where he created and ran the offices first proactive communications plan, managed their outreach programs and worked with the University’s Economic Crisis Response Team, helping ensure that UCLA students in dire need were provided the resources they needed to succeed. Eddy was also a financial aid counselor at Vanguard University of Southern California and has provided training in financial aid issues and policies to hundreds of high school counselors and advisers. Eddy holds an M.A. in Political Science from the University of Glasgow and is currently working toward his Doctorate of Education, also at the University of Glasgow. Eddy’s work in his doctorate focuses on the barriers that financial aid policy creates for the students who need the most help paying for college.
Eddy’s hope: Our work will ignite change in higher education, allowing all students to achieve their dreams, regardless of wealth or privilege.
Cameron Hudson serves as a Communication Specialist for the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice. He previously served as the Communications Director, Legislative Aide, and Internship Coordinator for the office of New Jersey Senator Nilsa Cruz-Perez, Assemblywoman Patricia Egan Jones, and Assemblyman William Spearman. He has worked with the New Vision Day Shelter, Services Empowering the Rights of Victims, and the Food Bank of South Jersey among others. He holds a BA in Political Science with a concentration in Africana Studies, Leadership Training, and Leadership Application and Organizational Effectiveness from Rowan University. While attending Rowan, he served as an intern for U.S. Sen. Cory A. Booker and Rep. Donald Norcross and founded the Students United for Mentorship and Service. Cameron is the recipient of several honors including the Barack Obama Leadership Award from the N.A.A.C.P. He is a Commissioner of the Housing Authority in the City of Camden.
Cameron’s hope: We will change laws and work together to implement policies that will remove limitations and create opportunities to level the playing field for people who hope to live the American Dream.
Liz Looker is a Research Project Manager at the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice. Prior to joining the Hope Center, Liz worked in academic and student affairs as the Associate Director of Undergraduate Education at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Before working with undergraduates, Liz was the Program Coordinator of Student Life and Learning in the Executive MBA Program at MIT Sloan. Liz earned an MEd in Higher Education Administration from Suffolk University and a BA in Sociology and Fine Art from Hampshire College.
Liz’s hope: We will help make a high-quality college education accessible for everyone.
Jorgi McCarren is the Senior Administrative Specialist for the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice. In this role, she manages the Founding Director’s schedule, including travel, speaking arrangements, and budgeting. Prior to this role she served as the Administrative On-Boarding Coordinator at the University of Pennsylvania, and as an HR Generalist and Executive Assistant to the CFO & CPO of CAN Capital. Jorgi holds a BS in Fashion Merchandising from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Jorgi’s hope: We will enlighten others of their privileges and how they can use their privileges to help others succeed in doing so strengthening our communities and, in time, the world.
Marissa Meyers is a practitioner-researcher at the Hope Center. Prior to joining the Hope Center, Marissa was a special projects manager for Integrated Health Services at Public Health Management Corporation, a program manager for The Moyer Foundation, and an admissions counselor at the University of Pennsylvania. She serves on the boards and advisory councils of many Philadelphia organizations addressing food insecurity, foster care, and trauma-informed practice. Marissa holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Rosemont College and a masters in nonprofit leadership from the University of Pennsylvania.
Marissa’s hope: Society will start telling the truth about what it really takes to complete a college degree for all populations.
Lakisha Stone is a Grants Specialist for the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice. She brings more than a decade of experience to her role. Prior to joining the Hope Center, Lakisha worked in the Center for Executive Education, Global EMBA Programs as the Department Coordinator in the Fox School of Business. Before that she was the Clinical Coordinator at the Kornberg School of Dentistry where she managed grants to improve the quality of HIV healthcare and support services to those who were uninsured or underinsured.
Lakisha’s hope: We will ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for everyone.
Latosha Thomas is a Communications Specialist for the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice. She brings 15 years’ experience in the financial sector along with seven years of higher education experience to her role. Latosha is a first-generation college student who holds a BA in Strategic and Organizational Communications from Temple University where she studied Public Relations. She also holds an MBA from the University of Maryland. She is currently a doctoral student at Temple University in the College of Education studying Higher Education Policy and Practice. Latosha proudly serves as a member of the board of trustees for the Lawnside Education Foundation in New Jersey, a nonprofit committed to supporting the academic mission of Lawnside Public School with an emphasis on college entrance/graduation.
Latosha’s hope: We will help increase financial resources to fund higher education, making it more accessible to students who need college the most.
Frank Chi is a media adviser to the Hope Center. He is an award-winning filmmaker, creative director, and digital media strategist. Since 2016, his videos on behalf of clients and partners across the progressive coalition have garnered almost 40 million views and more than 1.5 million engagements on social media, and have been recognized by The Washington Post, NBC News, and ABC News among others as films “sure to give you chills.” Frank was also part of the team that created the “Notorious RBG” meme honoring Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and was featured in the movie RBG. He’s been profiled in Communications Arts and has written for The Washington Post. A native of New Haven, Connecticut, Frank holds a degree in Government and African-American Studies from Bowdoin College. He lives in Washington, DC. Click here to learn more.
Angela Baggetta has worked in public relations for two decades, after beginning her career as a print journalist in Washington, DC, and New England. She has worked with authors to launch their books, literary organizations to announce festivals and awards, and nonprofits to promote reports and research. Among the notable individuals with whom she has worked are Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz, Holberg Prize-winning legal scholar Cass Sunstein, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, Sen. Olympia Snowe, Joe Nocera, Bethany McLean, Arlie Russell Hochschild, Yascha Mounk, Diane Ravitch, and the Hope Center’s Sara Goldrick-Rab on the launch of Paying the Price. Click here to learn more.
Eileen Horng is an independent education research consultant and founder of Evaluation, Research and Assessment Solutions. She provides project management for the full project cycle including: planning, grant writing, executing (data collection and analysis), monitoring progress, reporting to stakeholders, and disseminating results. She also provides third-party data de-identification services. Eileen received a BA in Human Biology (with a concentration on education and child development) from Stanford University and a PhD in Education (in the Urban Schooling Division) from the University of California, Los Angeles. She has previously been a Project Director at the Institute for Research on Education Policy and Practice at Stanford University, the Director of Research, Assessment and Accountability for the Redwood City School District, and an elementary school teacher. Click here to learn more.
Samantha Zucker is a design strategist with six years of experience leading and facilitating the human-centered design process for companies hell-bent on changing the world. Her work has spans multiple industries—including education, college access, finance, and workforce development,—and has a distinct focus on designing products to match real needs. Based out of Pittsburgh, PA, she works with companies across the US to drive creative solutions by co-designing with those they aim to serve. Click here to learn more.
Mary Enoch Elizabeth Baxter, also known by her hip-hop name “Isis Tha Saviour,” is a Philadelphia artist who creates socially conscious music through an autobiographical lens. Ms. Baxter is an art and design graduate of the Community College of Philadelphia who recently received her second degree in behavioral health. She is a single mother, entrepreneur, and prison reform advocate.
Although it has been a decade since her release from a Pennsylvania prison, Mary’s time spent on the inside continues to shape the direction of her music and film work. Her entertaining but poignant works offer a critical perspective on the particular challenges women of color face when they become immersed in the criminal justice system.
In 2017, Mary’s lyrically raw and unflinching examination of giving birth while shackled in prison earned her a “Right of Return” fellowship for formerly incarcerated artists. She has since partnered with Van Jones’s Cut50 and Senator Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, and Dick Durbin to support the national “Dignity for Incarcerated Women Act,” seeking to end the shackling of pregnant women while incarcerated. Mary has also spoken at numerous universities across the country, most recently at Harvard University’s Center for Bioethics.
Read about Mary’s activism as a returning citizen and formerly homeless and parenting student.
Estela Mara Bensimon is Dean’s Professor in Educational Equity at the University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education and Director of the Center for Urban Education, which she founded in 1999. Her most recent books include Critical Approaches to the Study of Higher Education (co-edited with Ana Martinez-Aleman and Brian Pusser) which was selected as the 2016 Outstanding Publication by the American Education Research Association, Division of Postsecondary Education; Engaging the Race Question: Accountability and Equity in US Higher Education (with Alicia C. Dowd), Confronting Equity Issues on Campus: Implementing the Equity Scorecard in Theory and Practice (co-edited with Lindsey Malcom).
Dr. Bensimon has held the highest leadership positions in the Association for the Study of Higher Education (President, 2005-2006) and in the American Education Research Association, Division on Postsecondary Education (Vice-President, 1992-1994). In 2011, she was inducted as an AERA Fellow in recognition of excellence in research. In 2013, she received the Association for the Study of Higher Education Research Achievement Award. In 2015, she received the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE) Outstanding Latina Faculty Award for Research & Teaching.
In 2017, she was elected to the National Academy of Education and she was presented with the 2017 Social Justice in Education Award by the American Education Research Association. Her opinion pieces have been published in Inside HigherEd, Denver Post, Sacramento Bee, and Zocalo. In January 2018, Governor Jerry Brown appointed Dr. Bensimon to the Education Commission of the States. She is the 2018 AERA Division J Research Award recipient. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Campaign for College Opportunity. She earned her doctorate in higher education from Teachers College, Columbia University.
Check out Estela’s advice on how to create racially and ethnically diverse faculties.
Richard Binswanger is a Philadelphia entrepreneur, investor and connector in finding new ways to make an impact. He is a lifelong educator who is focused on helping people innovate on important problems. He is currently working on a number of projects that include helping organizations measure their social outcomes, bring more diversity onto the tech industry, and make Philly a world recognized hub for developing impactful organizations. He also serves on boards of Jounce, CB Community School, Russell Byers Charter, The Trust for Public Land, GreenLight Foundation, Triskeles Foundation, MilkCrate, XMOD, and ImpactPHL.
ImpactPHL is Richard’s latest passion project and promises to reshape Philadelphia.
A passionate advocate for public education and building stronger communities, Anette Carlisle uses her expertise to build systems change in Texas and beyond. She has a long history of involvement in education, leadership, and governance. A visionary leader with a scientific approach to developing solutions, she addresses root causes of systemic problems by using data analysis, integrating existing resources, and building diverse teams to drive change. As founder and director of Panhandle Twenty/20, her emphasis has been on increasing educational attainment and reducing poverty, and she is now an independent consultant. A long-time Amarillo ISD Trustee of 19 years, Anette currently serves on the Amarillo College Board of Regents, as well as the boards of Leadership Women, the Center for Public Policy Priorities, and the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice.
Anette is an evolutionary biologist with degrees in molecular genetics and zoology from Texas Tech University. A native of Borger, Texas, she is the mother of three creative boys, and is married to infectious disease doctor Taylor Carlisle.
Amarillo College, where Anette is a trustee, was recently featured in The Atlantic for its work on poverty.
Jim Larimore is Chief Officer for the Center for Equity in Learning at ACT, where he leads ACT’s strategy to engage students, families, educators and communities to promote equity in learning and success. Jim’s team develops programs, research and partnerships to improve college and career readiness and success for all students.
Jim’s career in higher education focused on college access and student success. He served as deputy director for student success at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and as a student affairs leader at campuses including Stanford, Dartmouth, Swarthmore and NYU Abu Dhabi. Jim’s postsecondary career began as assistant dean and director for the American Indian Program at Stanford.
Jim served on the Advisory Council that created the Gates Millennium Scholars Program, and now serves on the Advisory Board for Michelle Obama’s Reach Higher Campaign, the Aspen Forum for Community Solutions Advisory Council, the Advisory Board for the UNCF Career Planning Initiative, the Advisory Board for American University’s Center for Postsecondary Readiness and Success, The Board of Directors for the Hope Center for College, Community and Justice at Temple University, and the International Student Affairs Advisory Board for the Universidad de Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico.
Jim pays it forward by sharing his educational and career path on Share Your Road.
Tyrell Mann-Barnes is a first-generation senior and biology major with a minor in English at Temple University. He previously served as a Resident Assistant, Owl Ambassador, Secretary of Main Campus Programs, volunteer at Cooper University Hospital, scholar at Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons- Summer Medical and Dental Education Program, Vice President of Student Activist against Sexual Assault, Director of Campus Life and Diversity, and President of Temple Student Government. Currently, he is a MARC-U*STAR Scholar and works as an undergraduate research assistant studying monocyte and macrophage infiltration as a catalyst for inflammation in patients living with HIV at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine. Upon graduation, he aspires to pursue an MD/PhD with the interest of merging cutting edge biomedical research, medicine, race, and social justice as a Clinical Scientist. Throughout his career, he hopes to write books that explore education, race, class, sexuality, gender, medicine, and accessibility.
Listen to a podcast with this student leader as he talks about identity, purpose, self-care, and more.
Dr. Mark David Milliron is an award-winning leader, author, speaker, and consultant, who works with universities, community colleges, K-12 schools, foundations, corporations, associations, and government agencies across the country and around the world. He is Co-Founder and Chief Learning Officer of Civitas Learning, a social-purpose corporation committed to using the best of data science and design thinking to help students learn well and finish strong on education pathways. He also serves as Executive Director of Civitas Learning’s Next-Generation Leadership Academy, a program designed to prepare rising leaders to guide innovation and transformation in education. Outside of Civitas Learning, Mark helps catalyze positive change in education through his service on the boards and advisory councils of leading education organizations, including the Trellis Foundation, the Global Online Academy, the Mastery Transcript Consortium, and ISKME/OER Commons.
In previous roles, Mark served as the Deputy Director for Postsecondary Success with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; founding Chancellor of WGU Texas; Endowed Fellow and Director of the National Institute of Staff and Organizational Development at The University of Texas at Austin; Vice President for Education and Medical Practice with SAS; and President and CEO of the League for Innovation in the Community College. Past board service includes the American Council on Education (ACE), Western Governors University (WGU), and the National Technical Institute for the Deaf.
Watch as Mark and Sara Goldrick-Rab dissect the challenge of affordability innovation.
Since 2015, Judy C. Miner has been chancellor of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District, headquartered in Los Altos Hills, California. She has worked as a higher education administrator since 1977. From 2007-2015, she was president of Foothill College.
Her extensive board service currently includes: University of San Francisco; NOVA Workforce; Bay Area Council Economic Institute; Advisory Commission on Legislation for the Community College League of California; California Council on Science and Technology; American Council on Education; Year Up; and League for Innovation in the Community College.
In 2011, she served on the Working Group that produced Report to the President, Engage to Excel: Producing One Million Additional College Graduates with Degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. The White House published the report in February, 2012.
She earned a B.A in history and French, an M.A. in history, and an Ed.D. in organization and leadership.
Check out Judy’s latest efforts to protect undocumented students pursuiting higher education.
Abigail Seldin is a Rhodes Scholar and Forbes Education “30 Under 30” designee who co-founded College Abacus in 2012 and served as its CEO until she led the successful sale of the company to ECMC Group in 2014. Until 2016, she served as VP of Innovation & Product Development at the acquirer, where she started and led their DC-based ECMC Innovation Lab, an 80% female technology and design center. In the fall of 2015, Seldin and her team worked with the White House and U.S. Department of Education as beta partners in launching the Obama Administration’s College Scorecard initiative, including co-leading a Computer Science Week event with Secretary King and Chief Digital Service Officer Lisa Gelobter. Secretary John King highlighted her work on Pell Abacus in his recent speech in Memphis, “Opportunity Across America.” Seldin has been profiled in national media outlets including The New York Times.
Learn more about why Abigail turned down Silicon Valley for Washington DC.
Michael Sorrell is the longest-serving President in the 146-year history of Paul Quinn College. Under his leadership Paul Quinn has become nationally renowned for its innovative approach of using higher education to address the most persistent and pressing problems of society. Among the school’s numerous accomplishments during President Sorrell’s eleven-year tenure have been the following: winning the HBCU of the Year, the HBCU Student Government Association of the Year, and the HBCU Business Program of the Year awards; achieving recognition as a member of the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll; creating the New Urban College Model; demolishing 15 abandoned campus buildings; partnering with PepsiCo to transform the football field into the “WE over Me Farm”; achieving full-accreditation from the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools; creating the College’s first faculty-led study abroad program; and rewriting all institutional fundraising records. President Sorrell was recently named to Fortune Magazine’s list of the World’s Greatest Leaders (as #34) and is the only two-time recipient of the HBCU Male President of the Year Award in history (2016 and 2012) and has been nominated a record six times. The Washington Monthly named President Sorrell one of America’s 10 Most Innovative College Presidents.
Watch Michael’s South by Southwest EDU talk— you’ll never forget it!
Drew M. Anderson is an Associate Economist at the RAND Corporation where the main focus of his research is financial decision-making by college students. He collaborates with the Hope Center on the Wisconsin Scholars Longitudinal Study and a federally-funded study of loan counseling.
Katharine M. Broton an Assistant Professor of higher education and sociology (courtesy) at the University of Iowa whose research interests include sociology of education, social stratification and education policy. She is co-leading several Hope Center studies testing food and housing supports for community college students and collaborating on the Wisconsin Scholars Longitudinal Study.
Bridget Burns is the Executive Director of University Innovation Alliance where she advises university presidents, system chancellors, and state and federal policy leaders on strategies to expand access to higher education, address costs, and promote completion for students of all backgrounds.
Ruben Canedo is the Research and Mobilization Coordinator at the University of California, Berkeley Centers for Educational Equity & Excellence. Ruben is a key Hope Center partner in the #RealCollege movement and its annual conference.
Clare Cady is the co-founder of the College and University Food Bank Alliance (CUFBA). She was a key contributor to the creation and launch of the Hope Center and co-authored several of the Center’s publications.
Shar-Day Campbell is an award-winning communicator and certified social media expert who currently serves as the Financial Aid Communications and Social Media Coordinator at Houston Community College (HCC). She is a key partner in the Hope Center’s evaluation of food scholarships at HCC.
Sarah A. Cordes is an Assistant Professor at the Temple University College of Education whose research focuses on the ways in which the urban context, including neighborhoods, housing, transportation, and school choice, affects student outcomes. She is co-PI on a Hope Center study of Section 8 housing vouchers for community college students.
Rashida Crutchfield is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at California State University, Long Beach, where she is committed to amplifying the voices of marginalized communities and leads research on basic needs security in the California State University system. She contributes to Hope Center guidance on the measurement of basic needs security, and is co-developing a new study of a rapid housing assistance program.
Barbara Duffield has worked at the intersection of education and homelessness for more than twenty-five years, and now serves as Executive Director of SchoolHouse Connection, a national organization providing strategic advocacy and technical assistance to overcome homelessness through education. She provides strategic policy advice to the Hope Center and contributes to the annual #RealCollege conference.
Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield is a Senior Policy Analyst with the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), where her focus is access to and success in postsecondary education and training for low-income students. She advises the Hope Center on policy issues and contributes to the annual #RealCollege conference.
Daphne Hernandez is an Associate Professor of Nutrition, Obesity Studies, and Health Disparities at the University of Houston who studies gender and race/ethnic health disparities resulting from poverty-related issues, including food insecurity and obesity across the life span. She is co-leading a Hope Center study of food scholarships at Houston Community College and is a collaborator on a Hope Center study of food insecurity and remedial test scores.
Anthony Abraham Jack is a Junior Fellow at the Harvard Society of Fellows and Assistant Professor of Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He holds the Shutzer Assistant Professor at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. His first book, The Privileged Poor: How Elite Colleges Are Failing Poor Students, explores the experiences of lower-income undergraduates at elite colleges. He will be sharing his work on food insecurity and his new book at the 2019 #RealCollege conference.
Robert Kelchen is an Assistant Professor of Higher Education at Seton Hall University whose research interests focus on higher education finance and accountability policies, including areas such as student financial aid, college rankings, and program evaluation. He collaborates with the Hope Center on multiple studies of financial aid and living costs and contributes to the #RealCollege conference.
Nancy Kendall is a Professor of Educational Policy Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she conducts comparative ethnographic research on the school and life experiences of marginalized (college) students, families, and communities in the U.S. and around the world. She is co-leading a Hope Center study on college affordability.
Gregory S. Kienzl is the Principal Strategist at ACT, and has spent the last 20 years conducting research on and developing interventions for underserved populations. He is a collaborator on a Hope Center study of food insecurity and ACT test scores.
David Monaghan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology & Anthropology at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania specializing in open-access postsecondary institutions and undergraduates from marginalized populations. He is a collaborator on a Hope Center study of food insecurity and remedial test scores.
Matthew Morton, DPhil, is a Research Fellow at Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago with expertise in youth empowerment, homelessness, and evaluation of complex interventions. Matt leads Chapin Hall’s cluster of work on youth homelessness, including Voices of Youth Count, the most comprehensive national research initiative to-date on youth homelessness in the U.S. Matt’s prior experience includes working as an Economist at the World Bank focused on international youth and gender initiatives, as an advisor in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources, and serving in multiple research and policy positions with governmental, philanthropic, and community-based organizations. Matt is collaborating with the Hope Center’s Sara Goldrick-Rab on a new book about homelessness and education, and contributes to the #RealCollege conference.
Lindsay Page is an Assistant Professor of Research Methodology University of Pittsburgh whose research focuses on quantitative methods and their application to questions regarding the effectiveness of educational policies and programs across the pre-school to postsecondary spectrum. She is a co-investigator on a Hope Center intervention study of nudging and FAFSA renewals.
Lara Perez-Felkner is an assistant professor of Higher Education and Sociology and Higher Education graduate program coordinator at Florida State University. Her research investigates gender, racial-ethnic, institutional, and socioeconomic disparities in post-secondary educational attainment and entry to STEM fields. She is co-leading a Hope Center study of an affordable housing support for college students.
Jed Richardson is an Assistant Scientist at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research who studies education policies and programs, and formerly served as the Managing Director of the Wisconsin HOPE Lab. He is a collaborator on multiple Hope Center studies and publications.
Michael Rosen is the former Union President of the American Federation of Teachers Local 212 and retired economics instructor at Milwaukee Area Technical College, where he also launched their FAST Fund emergency aid program. He is a key advisor to the Hope Center, particularly on emergency aid.
Christine Stevens is an Associate Professor in the University of Washington Tacoma Nursing and Healthcare, whose research focuses on social justice and how structural disadvantages affect health especially in low-income residents and adolescent populations focusing on housing and food insecurity. She is a contributor to a Hope Center study of Section 8 housing vouchers for community college students.
Jesse Stommel is Executive Director of the Division of Teaching and Learning Technologies at University of Mary Washington. He is also Co-founder of Digital Pedagogy Lab and Hybrid Pedagogy: an open-access journal of learning, teaching, and technology. He has a PhD from University of Colorado Boulder. Jesse’s research focuses on higher education pedagogy, critical digital pedagogy, and assessment. He is a contributor to the #RealCollege conference and supporting extensions of that Hope Center work to inform teaching and learning.
Amanda Tachine is Navajo from Ganado, Arizona and a Research and Evaluation Associate at the American Indian College Fund. She is a key advisor to the Hope Center’s nascent efforts at supporting Native Americans students and tribal colleges.
Douglas Webber is an Associate Professor in the Department of Economics at Temple University whose research focuses on the economics of higher education. He is a co-investigator on a Hope Center study of completion grants.
Travis York is the Director of Academic & Student Affairs at the Association of Public & Land-grant Universities (APLU) whose research centers on issues of college student access, success, and educational equity. He is a co-investigator on a Hope Center study of completion grants.
Poverty remains one of the most serious challenges plaguing Philadelphia, an otherwise ambitious and thriving city on an upward trajectory. More than one in four residents live in poverty, the highest rate among the nation’s 10 largest cities. Almost half of those individuals live in deep poverty. And the situation facing our children is even …
Food insecurity is widespread on American college campuses. Students do not have enough food to feed themselves and sometimes their families as well. We created the College and University Food Bank Alliance (CUFBA) to provide support, training, and resources to campus-based food banks/pantries and other food-insecurity initiatives that primarily serve students. This report demonstrates that …