Students & Alumni

Violet Acumo is a Public Policy Ph.D. candidate at UMass Boston. She holds a Master of Public Policy from Michigan State University and Bachelor of Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Makerere University Kampala, Uganda. Prior to commencing her doctoral studies, Violet served as a Data and Evaluation Specialist at Michigan State University’s Department of Education Policy’s Office of K-12 Outreach. She also served as a member of Michigan State University’s Research Consortium on Gender Based Violence. Violet completed a summer internship at the Massachusetts State House aiding to draft legislation on racial and gender equitable recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic. Violet’s research interests include gender justice and digital governance. She is currently writing her dissertation which is a mixed methods study of the privacy policies of metropolitan governments across the United States.

Mahesh Admankar is a Ph.D. student in the Public Policy doctoral program at UMass Boston. He earned his Bachelor degree in Social sciences and Master degree in Economics from the University of Hyderabad, India. Before pursuing doctoral studies, he has worked at the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) as a Risk Analyst and as a full time teaching assistant at the Institute of International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB) in Bangkok, Thailand. He has also worked as an Assistant Professor of Economics in various institutions, including in Central University of Karnataka in India. His research interests are in the fields of discrimination in education and the labor market, climate justice, and financial inclusion of marginalized communities.

Vishakha Agarwal is a PhD candidate in the Public Policy program. Her primary research interests focus on equal opportunities in education, youth and development, social exclusion, and international and comparative education. Her research draws from sociology to study the introduction and reproduction of social inequalities, with focus on caste and gender. Her current research investigates how exclusionary practices by teachers and peers, experienced by way of teacher-student and peer interactions in school, shape Dalit youth’s educational outcomes, their self-perceptions, and their sense of the place they occupy in their school and their community. Prior to starting her PhD, Vishakha completed her Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) Degree in Economics from Shiv Nadar University, India.

Maria Manuella Pache Athayde is a PhD student in the Public Policy doctoral program at UMass Boston. She holds a Master's of Public Policy from American University (2017) and a BA in International Relations from Mount Holyoke College (2012). While at American University, Maria was awarded the William K. Reilly Fellowship for her contributions to environmental governance, and was inducted into Pi Alpha Alpha, the Public Administration Honor Society, for her scholastic achievements. She previously worked as a permits and policy analyst for the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in Maryland. Her current research interests include developing models for legislators to implement environmental policies at the local level and studying engagement about climate change adaptation plans among local governments and nonprofit organizations.

Michael Baker is a Ph.D. student in the Public Policy doctoral program at UMass Boston. He earned his bachelor of arts in history (with a minor in English) from Worcester State University in 2011 and a master of arts in history from the same university in 2014. His experiences as a board member for EPIC, an organization that supports disabled youth, have informed his policy interests. Michael’s policy interests are in transportation and disability policy. He is also interested in studying integrated and barrier-free architecture and modern design, accessibility options, and the use of technology to support disabled communities. Michael also served as a transportation fellow for the Boston-based nonprofit A Better City.

Brian Beauregard is a PhD student in the Public Policy doctoral program at UMass Boston.  He earned an MBA at UMass Boston (2017).  Brian’s primary research interests focus on mental health disparities within the LGBT community and the role of mental health in organizations.  Brian is also interested in how public policy affects politics. He works as a research assistant for the Center for Social Policy at UMass Boston.  

Patricio Belloy is a PhD student in the Public Policy doctoral program at UMass Boston. He earned a Master of Arts in Global Studies from Leipzig University in Germany and Wroclaw University in Poland, in addition to a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Austral University of Chile, where he is an Associate Researcher at the Transdisciplinary Center for Environmental Studies. His research focuses on how to close the gap between the renewable energy service needs of underserved communities and the technical skills that can be developed locally through formal and non-formal education. Patricio was a trainee at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Climate Action and worked as a consultant in the carbon emissions market. He has collaborated with planners and policy specialists on development projects in different countries and recently completed a Mel King Community Fellowship at MIT.

Abra Berkowitz is a Ph.D. student in the Public Policy doctoral program at UMass Boston. She earned her bachelor degree in English and environmental science from Lafayette College in 2009 and a master of environmental studies in 2013 from Ben-Gurion University in Israel. Her master's thesis examined the conflict between bottom-up and top-down city planning by/for indigenous Arab-Bedouin communities, and how the planning process and its outcomes could be described by explanatory and prescriptive planning theories. Abra has a background in hands-on adult education, including as an Assistant Professor at the Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology, a trades-focused two-year college. Her research interests include affordable housing and community development, as well as program evaluations to assess how public programs are meeting their goals.

Salina (Shengli) Chu is a PhD student in the Public Policy doctoral program at UMass Boston. She holds a Master of Science in emergency management from Boston University and worked in the City of Nashua New Hampshire prior to graduate school. Salina’s research interests include racial and gender disparities in the U.S. immigrant workforce, technology in public administration, and emergency management. In her current research she examines how Asian immigrants encounter a “bamboo ceiling” in the U.S. high-tech companies, and the effect of legal status on immigrants’ career advancement. 

Morgan Clark is a PhD candidate in the Public Policy program. Morgan earned a BA in Politics and International Relations with a focus in public health from Scripps College in Claremont, CA. Her interests include public health, particularly sexual health and social determinants of health, regulatory policies, and behavioral economics. Morgan works as Health Director at the Provincetown Health Department. Her current research focuses on how sexual minority men in Provincetown understand and experience the use of methamphetamine and the process of recovery from methamphetamine use.

Claire Connacher is a Ph.D. student in the Public Policy doctoral program at UMass Boston. She earned her bachelor’s degree in history and political science from Fordham University in 2015 and her master of public policy from Brandeis University in 2021. Her research interests focus primarily on employment policy. Her objective is to perform research on the forces that shape job quality and mobility, its connections to family life, and public policies to improve outcomes in these areas. She is also concerned about the role of race and gender on these issues. She began to research some of these issues in her coursework as a master in public policy student, as well as work at Brandeis University on a federally funded study of the Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) program.

Denisse Delgado is a PhD student in the Public Policy doctoral program at UMass Boston. Denisse holds an MA in Social Development from the Catholic University of Murcia (2013). Denisse was previously an affiliated researcher with the Havana think tank CIPS (The Research Center on Psychology and Sociology) and has also been a visiting scholar at Harvard University (2013, 2016-2017). Her primary research interests focus on social inequalities, international migration, remittances, and transnational dynamics. Her scholarship also explores the participation of the Cuban diaspora in the process of social, cultural and economic changes transforming Cuban society.

Kelsey Edmond (she/her) is a doctoral candidate in Public Policy at UMass Boston. She is a mixed methodologist with an emphasis on computational social science methods. Her dissertation explores how to best design sustainable digital equity policies in the era of COVID-19. Kelsey is a former Rappaport Fellow where she worked with the City of Boston's Department of Innovation and Technology conducting research on the digital divide. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Organizational and Community Leadership and a Master of Public Administration with a focus in Social Innovation from the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy & Administration at the University of Delaware. Kelsey also has experience conducting research in the areas of comparative public administration, immigrant acceptance, and climate adaptation.

Sokha Eng is a Ph.D. student in the Public Policy doctoral program at UMass Boston. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from the University of Cambodia in 2012, and her master’s in development policy from the KDI School of Public Policy and Management in Korea. Her research interests are low-skilled labor cross-border migration in the global south and human capital development. Her dissertation is focused on Cambodian migrant’s working conditions, networks, and resisting strategies to exploitation in Thailand.

Jane Ja Kyung Han is a Ph.D. candidate in the Public Policy doctoral program at UMass Boston. She holds a Master’s Degree in Global Affairs and Policy from Yonsei University in South Korea and a Bachelor’s in Chemistry from Wesleyan University. Jane previously worked as an education consultant as well as a coordinator for an American based NGO operating in Vietnam. Her master’s thesis focused on the political economy of chemical regulations for sustainable development, assessing the commonly promoted vehicles of sustainable development (economic growth, democratic institutions, and environmental non-profit organizations) within the context of sound chemical management. Her current research investigates the vulnerability and perceptions of risk to climate change of low-income residents at federally assisted housing programs in Massachusetts.

Alex Hara is a Ph.D. candidate in the Public Policy doctoral program at University of Massachusetts Boston. In 2019, he earned a Master of Arts in Organization and in 2014 a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications from African Bible College. Alex was awarded the Urban Promise International School of Leadership Fellowship in 2017 in honor of his contributions to community development and charitable organizations in Malawi. He has served as the director of Entrepreneurial programming at the Voices Awake organization and also as a Board member of the Water Users Association of Malawi. In his current role, Alex focuses on the development of women and children in Malawi's disadvantaged regions in his role as Director of the Action Ventures Organization. Alex is particularly interested in doing research on development policy and non-government organizations.

Elham Hesari is a full-time Ph.D. student in the Public Policy doctoral program at the University of Massachusetts Boston. She earned her Bachelor’s and first Master’s degrees in Architectural Engineering from Islamic Azad University, Iran. She completed her second Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, USA. Before pursuing doctoral studies, Elham worked on multiple research projects in various institutions both in Iran and USA. She has also published several articles in academic journals such as Social Indicators Research and the International Journal of Community Well-Being. Since 2016, Elham has reviewed journal papers in various urban planning and housing journals. Elham also worked as a Statistics in Public Affairs teaching assistant at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities in Fall 2020. Her primary research interests include housing, residential segregation, community development, and racial justice.

Nadeem Hussain is a Ph.D. candidate in the Public Policy doctoral program at UMass Boston. Nadeem is a policy researcher and strategist. He has co-authored two books, The Economy of Modern Sindh: Opportunities Lost and Lessons for the Future (Oxford University Press, 2019) and Agents of Change: The Problematic Landscape of Pakistan's K-12 Education and the People Leading the Change (Oxford University Press, 2021). He has extensive experience in the design and implementation of programs for multilateral and global development institutions, including World Bank and UNDP projects for governments of Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan; not-for-profit research and advocacy organizations – The Citizens Foundation (TCF) and Karachi Literature Festival (KLF); think tank – Youth Center for Research (YCR); and rehabilitation work for urban slums and rural villages. He has worked with Pakistan's central bank where he led a team of research enumerators to collect information on consumer expectations and confidence. Nadeem writes on a range of subjects covering governance, poverty, inequality, and social change. His research interests include immigration, public finance, political economy and sociology, institutions, economic growth, and private sector development. He contributes opinion pieces to Pakistan's two leading English newspapers Dawn and The News.

Adanna Kalejaye is a Ph.D. student in the Public Policy doctoral program at UMass Boston. She holds an LL.M (Master of Law) from Swansea University, Wales, UK and an LL.B (Bachelor of Laws) from the University of Nigeria. She is an internationally specialized lawyer in the fields of commercial law, maritime law, environmental law and Energy law. Her work experience spans, work in UN agency (IMO), litigation, alternative dispute resolution, environmental advocacy and sensitization, regulatory compliance, policy advocacy, governance and ethics, employment benefits, labor law, internal disputes, company secretarial matters in both private and non-profit organizations. Her research interests are in environmental law and policies, climate change, sustainable development, renewable energy, waste management, policy building and analysis at both national and international level.

Emek Karakilic is a Public Policy Ph.D. candidate at UMass Boston. He holds M.S. in Labor Studies from UMass Amherst and B.A. in Economics and Political Science (double major) from Istanbul Bilgi University. Prior to starting graduate school, Emek worked as a parliamentary group policy advisor at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) focusing on economic policy and labor rights. He also worked as a writer and editor at Eksiyirmidort bi-monthly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, and cultural criticism. Emek’s research interests include labor studies, precarious work, and wealth inequality.

Beimnet Kebede is a Public Policy Ph.D. candidate at UMass Boston. Beimnet is originally from Ethiopia. He completed his undergraduate degree from St. John’s College and has completed his master’s degree from Lehigh University. He is pursuing a PhD program in Public Policy at UMass Boston. He has won many awards like the Hodson grant twice and the Pathway fellowship from St. John’s college. At Lehigh University, he won the Macron Fellowship to work on a research project. His project focused on understanding the historical relationship between police and the Lehigh community. In the past, he has also served as a teacher to underprivileged children in New Orleans.

Katelyn Kelly is a PhD student in the Public Policy doctoral program at UMass Boston. She earned her Bachelors of Arts in Political Science from Stonehill College (2009) and a Master of Science in Ethics and Public Policy from Suffolk University (2010). Katelyn is currently employed by the Massachusetts House of Representatives as Chief of Staff to the House Committee on Post Audit and Oversight which performs state agency and public policy reviews for the Commonwealth. Her research interests include public management and social and political policy.

Samiya Khalid is a PhD student in the Public Policy doctoral program at UMass Boston. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Lahore University of Management Sciences (2017). She is originally from Pakistan and has worked as a Consultant for Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department for the Government of Punjab managing and implementing the rural ambulance service project to improve maternal and child healthcare. Samiya is interested in evaluating social welfare policies and safety net programs for domestic and home-based female workers in developing countries. Her research also focuses on family planning policies in Pakistan.

Hina Khurshid is a PhD student in the Public Policy doctoral program at UMass Boston. She is from Pakistan and holds a B.Sc (Honors) in Economics (2016) from the Kinnaird College for Women in Pakistan and an MA in Economic Policy in Global Markets (2019) from the Central European University (CEU) in Budapest, Hungary. During her master’s, Hina was selected for a 1-year research fellowship with the Regional Academy on the United Nations (RAUN), where she worked on a policy project for increasing the political participation of women in Haiti. Before joining UMASS, Hina was working with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Hungary, where her key areas of focus were humanitarian logistics, data management, reporting and donor relations. Inspired by her work in the humanitarian sector, Hina plans to conduct research in the climate policy area, specifically on environmentally sustainable practices in the business sector in relation to the global humanitarian supply chain.

Jamie Lannon Ph.D. student in the Public Policy doctoral program at UMass Boston. She holds a Master of Public Health (2018) from Boston University School of Public Health and a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences with a minor in Business Administration from Boston University: Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (2016). Prior to pursuing a PhD, she was working as a Program Manager for MassHealth (Massachusetts Office of Health and Human Services). Her research interests are grounded in health policy, with particular focus on the relationship between social determinants of health, Medicaid program policy, and the impact these factors have on health outcomes.

Stephanie Lessing is a PhD candidate in the Public Policy doctoral program at UMass Boston. Stephanie completed her MS in Economics from Tufts University (2016) and earned her BS in Economics and Finance from the University of Hartford (2014). Her primary research interests focus on law enforcement policy and technology. Her current research examines the effects of police body cameras on law enforcement processes, department transparency, and community relations. In future studies, she hopes to assist police departments and policy makers in making policy decisions to increase the effectiveness of body cameras while strengthening complimentary police programs and practices to improve transparency and accountability.

Ryan McLane is a PhD candidate in the Public Policy doctoral program at UMass Boston. His primary research interests focus on veteran benefit policy. His current research examines how federal and state veteran benefits target various veteran populations. Ryan finished his MPA from Norwich University in 2009. He currently serves as the Town Administrator in Hubbardston, MA after serving several years at the Director of Veteran Services in Melrose, MA. Ryan is interested in how all public policies inform applied government at the municipal level.

Sean Mossey is a PhD candidate in the Public Policy doctoral program at UMass Boston. He graduated with a BA and MPA from the University of New Hampshire in history and public administration, respectively. He has worked as a research and teaching assistant on projects in the realms of e-governance, m-governance, education policy, and organizational development. From 2015-18 Sean was the UMass student representative to the Northeastern Conference on Public Administration (NECOPA).  Sean currently works as a Human Resources Data Analyst for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts with the Department of Transportation. His research interests include information security policy, quantitative analysis, global comparative policy, and organizational theory. Sean is working on his dissertation: “Crafting the Government Mobile Application: Understanding Citizen Participation in the Development of Government Smart City Services.”

Olanike Ojelabi is a PhD candidate in the Public Policy doctoral program at UMass Boston. Olanike holds a Master’s degree in Nonprofit Management from Worcester State University, a Master’s degree in International Social Policy from the University of Bath, U.K., and a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Bowen University, Iwo, Nigeria. Her research work with the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy, William Monroe Trotter Institute, and the Center for Social Policy contributes to the advancement of social justice and economic security for underserved groups in Massachusetts. Olanike serves on the UMass Boston Student Advisory Board, representing student interests to university administrators including the Chancellor for Student Affairs. Her current research examines issues and policies around immigration, nonprofits, and population health.

Sohyon (Victoria) Pak is a Ph.D. student in the Public Policy doctoral program at UMass Boston. She is from South Korea. She holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Maryland in 2018 and an M.S. in Finance from Seoul National University in 2021. Sohyon is especially interested in small-medium enterprises tax credit programs and public finance. She has working experience in the State House of Maryland and in a private equity firm in South Korea

Amrith Fernandes Prabhu is a Ph.D. student in the Public Policy doctoral program at UMass Boston. She earned her BA in economics from American University in 2007 and her MS in international relations and global affairs from Northeastern University in 2009. She has nearly 15 years of experience in nonprofit management, capacity building, and working with survivors of sexual violence. Her policy research interests are child protection, sexual violence, and disability.

Daniel Santos, P.E., is a PhD student in the Public Policy doctoral program at UMass Boston. His primary research interests include deliberative democracy and policy-making at the local government level. Daniel earned his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Rhode Island and his Master of Public Administration from Suffolk University. He has more than three decades of experience in public service, including in the military, local and federal government, and nonprofit sectors. Daniel currently works as the Director of Public Works for the Town of Barnstable, Massachusetts. His career goals are to become a municipal chief executive and to teach public administration at the graduate level.

Angesom Teklu is a Ph.D. student in the Public Policy doctoral program at UMass Boston. He also holds an M.A. in Sustainable International Development from Brandeis University. He is passionate about helping community organizations design and implements programs that add value to community members. Before joining his doctoral program, he worked as an international development practitioner both in Eastern Africa and here in the U.S., specifically in capacity building, civic engagement, workforce, and organizational development. His current research interests are immigration policies and local communities’ engagement to improve policy and action.

Emma Tynan is a Ph.D. student in the Public Policy doctoral program at UMass Boston. Before coming to UMass Boston, Emma earned her BA in public policy from Hamilton College in 2020. Her primary research interest is education policy, with a focus on equity of both opportunity and funding for disadvantaged students. She is particularly interested in the transition period between high school and college. Her research assistantships at UMass Boston have given her the opportunity to study several topics within the field of education policy such as student/parent activism and unequal access to high level math courses in public schools. Additionally, she is currently working on a project studying representation and diversity in the highest levels of the healthcare sector.

Jason Wright is a PhD candidate in the Public Policy doctoral program at UMass Boston. He holds an MPP from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.  Jason has been a research assistant and research coordinator for the federal government and in multiple public universities, where he has worked with diverse populations, from residents of public housing to patients diagnosed with PTSD, using both qualitative and quantitative methods.  Jason’s research interests currently include economic inequality, political economy, descriptive representation of the working-class, and the application of systems thinking to economic and social policy. Jason is working on his dissertation: “Intersectionality, Class, and Representation in State Legislatures.” 

Bianca Ortiz-Wythe is a PhD candidate in the Public Policy doctoral program at UMass Boston. Bianca is a graduate research assistant at the Gastón Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy. Her primary research interests focus on immigration and deportation policy, gender and migration, mixed-status families, and economic inequality. Her current research examines the spillover effects of local expansion of 287 (g) Secure Communities (ICE) in Massachusetts on Latinx immigrant take-up of social programs like SNAP and SSI. She hopes to use her research on the impact of anti-immigrant rhetoric and legislation to help encourage the implementation of policies and practices that support and promote protection of the noncitizen immigrant population.

Weichun (Mia) Yan is a Ph.D. student in the Public Policy doctoral program at UMass Boston. She earned a Master of Management in social security from Dalian University of Technology. Prior to starting graduate school, Weichun has seven years of lecturer experience focusing on teaching public economics, social insurance and social security. She also has experience conducting research in the areas of competency model of patent attorneys, patent application quality, innovation human capital and social security, using both qualitative and quantitative methods, and has published 18 scientific papers. Weichun’s research interests currently include organizational theory, policy assessment, unemployment, social policy, human resource management, and technology and innovation. She works as a graduate assistant for the Center for Social Policy at UMass Boston.