Staff

Megan Mitchell, Research Partnership Director

Megan Mitchell (she/her) brings over a decade of experience in the social sector to the Research Partnership Director role. She began her career as a Biology teacher in Memphis, Tennessee, prioritizing inclusive, data-driven instruction, drawing from her own experiences as a student in a low-performing public school.

With an M.S. in Community Development from UC Davis, Megan gained critical tools for addressing systemic change and conducting community-based research. She has gone on to spearhead evaluation and research for...

Erika Hansen, Research Partnership Coordinator

Erika (she/her) brings over ten years of experience in communications, project management, relationship building, and sustainability to her role as Research Partnership Coordinator. In her recent role at a data and evaluation consulting firm, Erika managed two virtual communities, built out the tech stack and LMS for an online course and community of practice, and developed data and brand visualizations to support client work.

Previously, she worked alongside Pre-K through 12th-grade teams to implement on-site garden-based...

Esmeralda Michel, Research Partnership Coordinator

Esmeralda Michel (she/her/they) is a Research Partnership Coordinator. She has previously worked in Oakland Unified School District, where she supported district-wide student leadership initiatives and student-led campaigns on well-being & civic engagement. She has also worked with the National Education Association and the National Center for Youth Law in research and policy-oriented capacities. Esmeralda is passionate about collaborative research to policy initiatives that uplift student and teacher voices and she is eager to continue supporting California’s education...