Audrey Baer is a public policy graduate student focused on urban policy, with an interest in public-private partnerships, philanthropy, and economic development. Before starting her master’s of public policy, she graduated with a Bachelor’s in Economics from Lehigh University and worked in affordable housing finance at J.P. Morgan for four years. Her experiences growing up in Chicagoland, studying economics, and working in the housing industry fostered an interest in cities, and more specifically, how they can be improved. Her goal is to develop solutions to modern problems faced by cities today, such as segregation and inequity.

Lauren Beard is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Sociology focusing on youth aging out of the child welfare system. She utilizes mixed methods to better understand how to connect youth with needed supports upon exiting services – a process that is often marked by homelessness, mental health crises, and more. Accordingly, she combines national-level administrative data on youth outcomes with longitudinal interviews with youth aging out in Illinois. She has additionally worked as a Research Fellow for NPR’s Invisibilia, the Health Humanities Graduate Fellow at the Smart Museum, and as a contributor to the South Side Weekly. She founded the University of Chicago’s first-generation, low-income (FGLI) graduate student network and has served as a mentor to both FGLI and LGBT undergraduates. Prior to starting her PhD, Lauren graduated with bachelor’s degrees in Biological Basis of Behavior and Modern Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Pennsylvania.

Lauren Cole is a public policy graduate student focused on intersectional and holistic approaches to social policy, particularly at the state and local levels. As such, her education, published research, and professional experience have ranged from a variety of policy areas including housing, criminal justice, immigration, education, energy, technology, healthcare, municipal, and economic development, often through the lens of identity-based factors like race, gender, disability, age, and socioeconomic status. Much of Lauren’s development as an activist and advocate for good local policy has been done in Chicago. She also earned her undergraduate degree in political science and human rights at the University of Chicago and worked in a variety of local advocacy positions. However, electing the right political actors is not always sufficient for good policy outcomes. After the 2019 CTU strike, she began volunteering as a health educator and working in a preschool literacy program to assist CPS teachers. She has also conducted research with the Chicago Justice Project on the effectiveness of the City Council’s Public Safety Committee over 20 years, the misconduct of the ex-Fraternal Order of Police President, and uncovered a suspension of the CPD Superintendent. She now works for AARP’s Livable Communities team to promote policies that allow for residents of all ages and backgrounds to thrive. This includes mixed-use zoning, safe and varied transportation options, a diversity of housing types, and accessible public spaces that benefit everyone. In her free time, she enjoys exploring the various neighborhoods of Chicago primarily through concerts, thrifting, and food.

Lizzie DePentu is a social work graduate student focused on accessible affordable housing and equitable development. She is currently an intern for Full Circle Communities, a nonprofit developer and operator of affordable and supportive housing. There, she supports the resident services team to evaluate their supportive services portfolio and assists the development team with ongoing projects in Chicago and Detroit. Since joining Full Circle, she developed a focus group strategy to better understand resident experience and analyzed findings to inform human-centered practices for developers and service providers. Lizzie is also a Research Assistant intern at Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago. Her work includes supporting the New Opportunities initiative, which aims to develop a national youth homelessness prevention strategy and assisting on a housing voucher pilot project focused on children and families experiencing housing instability. Additionally, she serves as an editorial assistant on the Journal of Child and Family Studies. Prior to starting her master’s degree, Lizzie worked with the Detroit Land Bank Authority where she connected residents with financial and community-based resources needed to renovate vacant properties and address barriers to homeownership. Before working with the city, she served with AmeriCorps doing environmental justice and youth leadership programming in Detroit public schools. During her time in Detroit, she was also a Challenge Detroit Fellow. During her fellowship year, she partnered with local nonprofits on co-created capacity building projects related to youth civic engagement, trauma-informed financial education, and social determinants of health for older adults. In her free time, Lizzie enjoys running, baking, and exploring her neighborhood.

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Noah Fischer is a second-year graduate student at the Harris School of Public Policy focused on leveraging data to inform policy efforts around affordable housing and equitable economic development. During his first year at Harris, Noah worked for the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority across both their research and development divisions. While there, he created a Housing Opportunity Index that the organization currently uses as a points incentive in their Qualified Allocation Plan for the annual disbursement of low-income housing tax credits (LIHTC). Additionally, he conducted an analysis of discriminatory mortgage lending practices in New Hampshire as part of an inquiry from the state’s Department of Justice. Currently, Noah works as a Research Analyst for the National Multifamily Housing Council, conducting quarterly surveys on apartment market conditions and additional research on the apartment industry in the United States. Noah holds a B.A. in Political Science and Chinese Language & Literature from Boston University.

Kayla Jones is a second-year Master of Public Policy student interested in affordable housing, interventions to gentrification, and economic mobility. Before attending UChicago, she worked at a strategy consulting firm, where she helped social sector organizations address social issues such as health disparities, transportation inequities, and food insecurity. Kayla also spent many years in the public and social sectors, where she led programs and initiatives that seek to advance educational and economic justice for historically marginalized individuals. For her summer internship, she worked at a public interest law clinic at the UChicago Law School, the Institute for Justice Clinic on Entrepreneurship, where she expanded the community engagement and stakeholder strategy for the clinic. In her final year at UChicago, she is committed to learning more about innovative approaches to housing issues and is currently taking classes related to real estate, economic development, and urban planning. Outside of her professional and academic careers, she enjoys listening to political podcasts, exploring Chicago, and is an amateur ceramist.

Marissa Jones is a second-year graduate student at the Harris School of Public Policy. Her focus is health policy, specifically how social determinants of health impact marginalized communities. After receiving her bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Case Western Reserve University, she worked at Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation in Cleveland, Ohio. While working at the nonprofit, Marissa helped residents in Cleveland find resources to improve the conditions of their house. Upon moving to Chicago, her interest in the impact of practices such as redlining and other forms of institutional racism impacting health, specifically among children, grew. When she is not advocating for people’s human rights, Marissa can be found crocheting while her cat is simultaneously unraveling the yarn as she works.

James Karner is a second year graduate student at the Harris School of Public Policy pursuing certificates in data analytics and municipal finance. His professional experience includes working with a broad range of federal regulations and requirements including public and affordable housing, disaster recovery and resilience, and procurement and contract management. James has worked in compliance monitoring, case management, and training and development for various aspects of affordable housing and community development programs across the United States, including Chicago, Illinois; Joplin, Missouri; and Harris County, Texas. In these roles, James worked on creating program guidelines, policies, and procedures, as well as establishing a variety of training materials tailored to specific government entities, departments, and community stakeholders. James is currently an intern at The Chicago Community Trust where he has conducted research for a Federal Funds Dashboard that tracks economic recovery funds from the COVID pandemic in Chicago, Cook County, and Illinois.

Angela Wyse is a PhD student at the Harris School of Public Policy. Her research uses linked survey and administrative data to provide new insights into fundamental questions about homelessness in the United States, including the size of the U.S. homeless population and homeless individuals’ connectedness to formal labor and the safety net. Prior to starting her PhD, Angela was a U.S. Foreign Service Officer for five years and completed postings in Morocco and Pakistan. She holds a Masters in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and a BA in Public Policy from the University of Michigan.