People
Lead Researcher
Joanne W. Golann
Joanne W. Golann is an Assistant Professor of Public Policy and Education and an Assistant Professor of Sociology (secondary appointment) at Vanderbilt University. Trained as a sociologist and an ethnographer, she seeks to understand how culture shapes educational policy and practice. She is committed to listening and learning from others, and wants her students to develop a critical lens and a sense of empathy when evaluating educational policies and programs.
Dr. Golann received a Ph.D. in Sociology from Princeton University. She received a master’s degree in social sciences from the University of Chicago and a bachelor’s degree in English from Amherst College. She also is a recipient of the National Academy of Education/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship.
Research Assistant
Maria Maria Castillo
Maria Maria Castillo is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Leadership, Policy, and Organizations at Vanderbilt University. Maria is interested in K-12 finance and examining how policies and interventions can improve mathematical learning outcomes and educational experiences for low-income students of color.
Before graduate school, Maria served as an AmeriCorps member on the admission team at Breakthrough New York. She was then a graduate coordinator for the Women in STEM program at Harvard College. Maria has worked on several research projects ranging from Latinx parental engagement and linguistic and cultural diversity to a more recent independent study focused on understanding how Title I funds reach schools in New York and examining its intended impact. Maria earned her bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Mount Holyoke College and her Ed.M. in Teacher Education from The Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Former Lab Members
Kara P.M. Brennan
PhD Research Assistant (2021-2024)
Peabody Program:
Leadership, Policy, and Organizational Studies
NJFS Project(s): Food Negotiation
Current Role: Legislative Analyst
Catherine Duggan
PhD Research Assistant (2023-2024)
Peabody Program:
Leadership, Policy, and Organizational Studies
NJFS Project(s): Modern Family
Current Role:Director of Student Accessibility Services
Kanoe Bonilla
Undergraduate Research Assistant (2021-2025)
Peabody Program: Child Development
NJFS Project(s): Food Negotiation
Current Role: Medical School
Emma Bufkin
Undergraduate Research Assistant (2022-2025)
Peabody Program: Child Studies and Political Science
NJFS Project(s): Food Negotiation
Current Role: Law school student at the University of Kentucky
Sheila Chau
Undergraduate Research Assistant (2023-2024)
Peabody Program: Bachelors of Arts in English and Anthropology
NJFS Project(s): Food Negotiation
Current Role: Writer
Angelina Ma
Undergraduate Research Assistant (2022-2023)
Peabody Program: Bachelor of Science in Child Studies
NJFS Project(s): Food Negotiation
Current Role: Undergraduate student at Vanderbilt University
Audrey Morris
Undergraduate Research Assistant (2023-2025)
Peabody Program: Cognitive Studies and Classical and Mediterranean Studies
NJFS Project(s): Food Negotiation
Current Role: Undergraduate student at Vanderbilt University
Yida Lu
Undergraduate Research Assistant (2024-2025)
Peabody Program: Child Development and Economics
NJFS Project(s): Food Negotiation
Current Role: MPH student in Social and Behavioral Sciences at Yale University
Monica (Yumeng) Shen
Undergraduate Research Assistant (2022-2024)
Peabody Program: Bachelor of Science in Child Development and Cognitive Studies
NJFS Project(s): Food Negotiation
Current Role: PhD Student in Cognitive Science at UC San Diego
Grace (Yukun) Xu
Undergraduate Research Assistant (2022-2024)
Peabody Program: Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and Child Development.
NJFS Project(s): Food Negotiation
Current Role: Masters Student in Learning Design and Technology at Stanford University
Rich Hall
PhD Research Assistant (2017-2022)
Peabody Program: Leadership, Policy, and Organizational Studies
Current Role: Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Saint Louis University-School of Education
Erin Smith
Graduate Research Assistant (2020-2022)
Peabody Program: Masters of Public Policy, Education Policy
Current Role: Research Associate at SRI International
Elsie Kindall
Graduate Research Assistant (2021-2022)
Peabody Program: Masters of Public Policy, Educational Policy
Current Role: Masters of Public Policy Student
Susanna Harpold
Undergraduate Research Assistant (2021)
Peabody Program: Bachelors of Science, Human and Organizational Development
Current Role: Higher Education Consultant
Tracy Luan
Undergraduate Research Assistant (2021-2022)
Peabody Program: Bachelors of Science, Human and Organizational Development
Current Role: Masters of International Comparative Education at Stanford University
Taqiyyah Elliot
Graduate Research Assistant (2019-2020)
Peabody Program: Masters of Education, Community Development and Action
Current Role: Young Adult Trainer