Tips and Tricks for Applying to the SRCD U.S. Policy Fellowship

Alaina Flannigan, PhD, is a Senior Research Scientist in the Child Welfare research area at Child Trends, a non-profit child and family research and technical assistance firm. She has a background in program evaluation using applied statistical modeling and participatory qualitative methods as well as experience managing federal, state, and foundation projects. Her research focuses on strengthening developmentally appropriate supports to older youth in foster care as they transition into young adulthood, including establishing relationships with supportive adults and building financial literacy skills. Currently, Dr. Flannigan’s projects at Child Trends include the 4-year technical assistance and evaluation for Girls Inc.’s Character Development Initiative learning activities. Additionally, she co-leads Child Trends’ ongoing work as the data and self-evaluation partner to the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Family Well-being Strategy Group, particularly the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative, which is now part of the older youth workstream. Dr. Flannigan strongly endorses centering youth voice and choice in all decisions that affect the lives and well-being of young people.

Prior to joining Child Trends, Dr. Flannigan served as a Science and Technology Policy Fellow for the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). In this role, she was sponsored by the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) and placed with the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee, where she focused on housing, tax, health, and social safety net policy to ensure that America’s families can lead healthy, productive lives and meaningfully contribute to the growth of the economy. Dr. Flannigan received her PhD in Educational Psychology and MA in Program Evaluation from the University of Texas at Austin, where she focused on human development, culture, and learning science.

Lara joined the State Court Administrative Office, Friend of the Court Bureau following a post-doctoral fellowship with the Society for Research in Child Development at the Michigan Office of Child Support.

Lara earned her PhD in Social Work from Washington University in St. Louis in 2022, with a focus on child support policy and father involvement. She also holds a Master of Science in Social Work from Columbia University (2012) and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan (2006).

Prior to her doctoral studies, Lara worked as a bilingual (Spanish) social worker and case manager in various settings including emergency and family medicine, eviction prevention, community mental health, and schools throughout New York City. Lara returned to Michigan to raise her five-(and a half) year-old in her hometown, near family.

Dr. Jennifer Brooks specializes in the use of evaluation, metrics, and evidence-based policy to amplify the benefits of social programs for children and families. She provides expert advice on building more effective programs and policies to foundations, government, and non-profit organizations. Through an IPA between the University of Chicago and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Dr. Brooks facilitates a federal peer learning group focused on the role core components frameworks can play in enhancing evidence-based policy and, ultimately, the outcomes of social programs. Previously, Dr. Brooks served as Senior Program Officer at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, helping to shape the foundation’s strategic investments in high quality public early learning programs. Prior to that she directed the human services, workforce, and economic development portfolios at the National Governors Association’s Center for Best Practices, where she led then-Governor Hickenlooper Chair’s Initiative, Delivering Results. She also led the Head Start research and evaluation portfolio in the federal government for ten years. Dr. Brooks received her Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Human Development and Family Studies from Penn State University and a MA in Public Policy from the University of Chicago.