Ms. Blakely-Sanders most recently worked as an Instructor at Lesley University. Prior to that, she was an Adult Educator at St. Mary's Women and Children's Center. Pieta worked in financial services for several years and taught accounting and finance for 10 years as well as conducting qualitative research, particularly evaluation of educational programs. She currently utilizes these experiences at IASP to help calculate participants' financial data and conduct broader research on the racial wealth gap. Pieta has an MEd from Harvard University, an MS in Administrative Sciences from Boston University, and a BA in Organizational Behavior and Management and a BA in Anthropology from Brown University.
Sara Chaganti has experience in grassroots organizing in several areas, including homeless populations and public housing residents in New Haven, CT, and transgender people in rural Western Massachusetts. She has also worked on climate change and environmental justice in Western Massachusetts. At IASP, Sara has worked on several projects. Currently Sara is part of a team conducting an evaluation of short-term rental vouchers for homeless families in the South Shore area. Sara holds a MA in Anthropology and an MS in Law, Policy and Society, and is pursuing a joint doctorate in Social Policy and Sociology.
Before coming to Heller, Ms. Kimbrel worked in the nonprofit field as an advocate for families in crisis and escaping domestic abuse. While at Heller, she has worked for IASP on several projects researching and evaluating asset attainment by low-income families in Massachusetts. In 2009, she was named a Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government Rappaport Public Policy Fellow and conducted research on the Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program at the MA Department of Housing and Community Development. She is currently working with IASP and Compass Working Capital to continue research on the FSS program. Ms. Kimbrel hold a BA in sociology from the University of Kansas and a MA in Social Policy from the Heller School.
Before coming to Heller, Ms. Loya worked in the nonprofit and education fields on gender-related issues including job training, violence prevention, and reproductive healthcare. While at Heller, she interned at the Crittenton Women's Union where she co-authored a brief on the shortfall of work support programs for low-income women. In 2009, she was selected to participate in the Howard University Summer Institute on Race and Wealth and was recently awarded a Ford Foundation Pre-Doctoral Diversity Fellowship. Ms. Loya has worked for IASP as a researcher for the Massachusetts Asset Development Commission and currently supports the Charles Steward Mott-funded State Asset Building Coalition Initiative. Ms. Loya holds a MA in Social Psychology from Stanford University.
Alexis Mann has a background in economic and community development with a focus on how local, state and federal policies interact with grass roots community action to influence neighborhood and individual outcomes. At IASP, Alexis is part of a team evaluating short-term rental vouchers for homeless families in the South Shore area. Prior to attending the Heller School Ms. Mann worked with the Maine Center for Economic Policy, for Senator Susan Collin's office and for the Department of Economic Development in Brunswick, Maine. Ms. Mann earned her BA in Public Policy and Photography from Hamilton College and is pursuing a joint doctorate in Social Policy and Sociology.
Staff and FacultyProfessor Thomas Shapiro directs the Institute on Assets and Social Policy and is the Pokross Professor of Law and Social Policy at The Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University.
Professor Shapiro's primary interest is in racial inequality and public policy. He is a leader in the asset development field with a particular focus on closing the racial wealth gap. The Hidden Cost of Being African American: How Wealth Perpetuates Inequality, published by Oxford University Press, 2004 (soft cover, 2005) was widely reviewed, including by the Washington Post, Boston Globe, and others. The book was named one of the Notable Books of 2004 by The St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
With Dr. Melvin Oliver, he wrote the award-winning Black Wealth/ White Wealth, which received the 1997 Distinguished Scholarly Publication Award from the American Sociological Association. This book also won the 1995 C. Wright Mills Award from the Society for the Study of Social Problems, and the Gustavus Myers Center for the Study of Human Rights in North America named it an Outstanding Book of 1996.
A Tenth Anniversary Edition of Black Wealth/White Wealth, with two new chapters that examine the most important changes in racial inequality and developments in asset policy in the past decade, was published in 2006.
Great Divides: Readings in Social Inequality in the United States, 3rd edition, was published in the summer of 2004.
His media appearances include Tony Brown's Journal, The Tavis Smiley Show, Talk of the Nation, CNN, and On Point. His work has been reviewed or discussed in The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The American Prospect, The Chicago Sun-Times, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, CommonWealth Magazine, Newsweek, The Village Voice, and others.
Dr. Shapiro presents lectures and seminars throughout the United States to general, professional, policy, community, foundation, and university audiences. He teaches seminars in Assets and Social Policy; The Sociological Inquiry of Inequality; and Qualitative Research Methods.
Dr. Janet Boguslaw is Associate Director and Research Scientist at the Institute on Assets and Social Policy. She is a lecturer and Associate Director of the Masters Degree Program in Public Policy (MPP) at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University.
Through direct practice, evaluation, and research her work focuses on creating multi-sector innovations and partnerships to advance economic opportunity and stability through both voluntary and policy-driven initiatives. Dr. Boguslaw has worked with corporate managers to research, direct and advance their community development initiatives, with state agencies in the areas of workforce training and employment stabilization, and on funded research exploring policy strategies for regional development and stabilization. She teaches the graduate seminar in Assets and Social Policy, co-leads the dissertation seminar for the Concentration in Assets and Inequality, and directs the MPP Poverty Alleviation Concentration.
She is the author of Social Partnerships and Social Relations: New Strategies in Workforce and Economic Development, and has co-authored numerous articles and book chapters. She received her M.Ed. from Washington University in St. Louis and her Ph.D. from Boston College.
Dr. Tatjana Meschede, Research Director and Lecturer, manages the IASP project on indicators of financial well-being and risk, including creating data tools documenting economic security and risk for the US middle class and seniors, and racial wealth gap analyses. She is the lead author on many IASP publications, such as reports in the Living Longer on Less and By a Thread series, published in collaboration with Demos, and has presented on senior economic well-being with a specific focus on racial/ethnic disparities at many conferences and events.
In addition Dr. Meschede leads research and evaluation projects on homelessness, most recently an evaluation of the Housing First for Homeless Families Program in Massachusetts' South Shore region. She has extensive experience in research on homelessness collaborating with Massachusetts' state departments (DTA, DPH, DHCD) and local communities, and is the author of numerous reports and publications, such as Bridges and Barriers to Housing for Chronically Homeless Street Dwellers; Accessing Housing: Exploring the Impact of Medical and Substance Abuse Services; The First Two Years of Housing First in Quincy, Massachusetts; and From Street Life to Housing: Consumer and Provider Perspectives on Service Delivery and Access to Housing.
Dr. Meschede worked in Israel and Europe, and is on the faculty at the Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning Department at Tufts University where she teaches introductory statistics. She received her Ph.D. in Public Policy from the McCormack Graduate School in Policy Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston.
Martha Cronin works primarily on issues impacting the economic security of seniors. Prior to joining IASP, she served as assistant director of Tempe Community Council, a nonprofit human services planning agency in Tempe, Arizona. In this capacity, she provided administrative oversight for Shared Living Village, a congregate housing program for low-income seniors and advocated for quality of life and access enhancements for people with disabilities. She also worked for many years as a research analyst for the Arizona Legislative Council, the research and bill drafting agency of the State Legislature. Ms. Cronin holds an MPP degree from The Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, and a BA in English from Oberlin College.
Crystal Germond provides office, administrative, communications, and project support for the Institute. A graduate of the College of Public and Community Service at the University of Massachusetts-Boston, Crystal received a BA in Community Planning. Prior to coming to Brandeis University, Crystal supported administration and communications at a national healthcare non-profit, directed volunteers and outreach for a grassroots animal rescue, and managed several retail stores in addition to researching reproductive health indicators at a national advocacy organization.
Laurie Nsiah-Jefferson, PhD., M.P.H., M.A. is a Senior Scientist and Senior Lecturer at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management and a Visiting Scholar at the Women's Studies Research Center, Brandeis University. She is also a Lecturer in Women and Gender Studies at Harvard University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences. She teaches courses on the intersection of race, gender and other identities, and its impact on public and institutional policy. She currently serves as a Senior Fellow at the National Center for Health Behavioral Change, Urban Medical Institute, Morgan State University, collaborating to develop, evaluate, and study innovative interventions and policy initiatives to support community and evidenced based methods to improve the health status of minorities in disenfranchised communities. Dr. Nsiah-Jefferson's research interests include racial/ethnic and gender inequities; intersectionality theory and research methods, and the impacts of stress and racism on health and social outcomes for women, mothers and children.
Sam Osoro joined IASP to research racial wealth disparity, especially as it pertains to long-term economic security. Before coming to Heller, he worked for the Center for Governmental Research (Rochester, NY) where he conducted research for governments, businesses, and nonprofit organizations who drive public policy action and organizational change. He has also engaged in research to increase awareness of the imbalances of wealth and power in the nation, including his work at United for a Fair Economy (Boston, MA) assisting the development of their annual report State of the Dream. Mr. Osoro holds a BA in Economics and Finance from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo and a MA in Business Economics from University of Texas at Arlington, where he published a journal article on Political Corruption: A Comparative Analysis of Haiti, Bolivia, Italy and Nigeria.
Laura Sullivan, Research Associate, works on a number of projects at the Institute investigating financial security among the middle class, seniors, and households of color. As a data analyst, Ms. Sullivan utilizes national survey data to explore factors influencing the economic security and vulnerability of families. Before coming to Heller, she worked in policy advocacy for low-income communities, interned in the Texas State Senate, and worked on a cost-benefit analysis of referral networks for social services. Ms. Sullivan, a PhD candidate at the Heller School, holds a Masters of Public Affairs and an MA in Latin American Studies and has studied abroad in Spain and Mexico.
Hannah Thomas is a doctoral candidate at the Heller School for Social Policy at Brandeis University, and a research associate at the Institute on Assets and Social Policy. Her dissertation research, funded by the department of Housing and Urban Development, focuses on how foreclosure sales are sold in Boston and their potential impact on neighborhoods. She conducted earlier research on families' experiences of foreclosure with the City of Boston between 2007 and 2008. Hannah is the project manager for the project "Leveraging Mobility" a multi-site interview study examining the interaction of race, assets and social mobility. Her additional work at IASP examines the impact of foreclosures on wealth in communities of color and the intersection of individual and community assets. Prior to working at Brandeis University, she worked as a research associate for a community development organization in Maine, researching and evaluating the impacts of asset-related policies and programs. Hannah has written and published works on community development finance and foreclosures and has presented at several national meetings of asset practitioners and researchers. She holds BA and MA in Geography and an MA in Social Policy and Sociology.
Ms. Sandra Venner, IASP's Policy Director and Fellow, has extensive program development and policy advocacy experience in the areas of family and child welfare, youth development and financial assistance for low-income households. Her work with the Institute primarily includes policy research analysis and consultation with state and local advocacy and community organizing groups. Ms. Venner's research focuses on identifying and advancing asset building strategies for those typically left out of the opportunity structure. She has written numerous policy analysis reports and co-authored a chapter in the book,Welfare Reform, 1996-2000: Is There a Safety Net?
Dr. Heather Bullockis a Professor at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University and an affiliate of the Institute on Assets and Social Policy. A social psychologist, her research examines how members of different socioeconomic groups perceive economic inequality, mobility, and social class. Much of her research focuses on identifying the attitudes and beliefs that predict support for anti-poverty and economic policies, and the impact of framing on public support for social policy. Dr. Bullock also studies low-income women's experiences with the welfare system. She is particularly interested in documenting institutional and interpersonal discrimination in diverse contexts (e.g., housing, health care, social services). An overarching goal is to understand the social psychological processes and structural forces that contribute to social policy and to the political mobilization of low and middle-income groups on behalf of economic justice.
Professor Andrew Hahn is Senior Advisor to IASP. He conducts policy analysis, evaluation, and demonstration projects for government agencies and major foundations focusing on employment, education, youth, and community development both here in the United States and in development settings.
Dr. Hahn's books, notably, What Works in Youth Employment and Dropouts in America: Enough Is Known for Action, numerous published articles, and reports are syntheses of practical lessons for donors, policy makers and program managers about effective strategies for assisting society's most vulnerable youth. His work is aimed at identifying opportunities to strengthen youth policies and assisting local leaders to contribute to policy development and change. An emerging interest is focused on how institutions of higher education contribute to progressive social change.
Dr. Hahn is a Professor at The Heller School for Social Policy and Management and teaches courses on program evaluation, youth policies and programs, and community building.
Professor Anita Hill began her law career as an Associate with the Washington, D.C., firm of Wald, Harkrader & Ross. She has worked as special counsel to the assistant secretary of the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights and served as advisor to the chairman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Professor Hill is the author of numerous articles on international commercial law, bankruptcy, and civil rights, all areas in which she has taught. She presents on commercial law as well as race and gender equality, and her commentary is regularly published in Newsweek, The New York Times, and The Boston Globe. She has served on numerous boards of directors for nonprofit organizations and is the author of Speaking Truth to Power, which chronicles her experience as a witness in the confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas.
Dr. Hill is Professor of Social Policy, Law, and Women's Studies at The Heller School for Social Policy and Management.
Professor Jeffrey Prottas is a member of the senior staff of the Schneider Institutes for Health Policy. He has specialized in research on organizational behavior and change, especially service delivery programs. His work has often focused on how organizations adapt to changes in their political and technical environments. This research has been concentrated in the health care field and has been concerned with program and policy evaluation and the impact of organizational factors in the implementation of public policy.
Professor Prottas co-leads the Working Group on Immigration at The Heller School. Professor Prottas is the Director of Evaluations for the Robert Wood Johnson ACCESS Project. This project works with, and learns from, community organizations attempting to develop broad based coalitions to improve the accessibility of health care. His role involves both evaluating the project's activities in communities and drawing lessons about community mobilization and empowerment from the experience of community leaders.
Professor Prottas received his Ph.D. in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
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