Ally is the Director of Research & Learning, a team dedicated to evaluating the effectiveness of education programs, initiatives, and investment strategies. Prior to NewSchools, she served as the Senior Director of Research & Learning at the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), where she oversaw the design and implementation of CASEL’s research agenda and learning initiatives. She led efforts to improve service delivery, conduct external research shaping the SEL field, and develop resources for a variety of education stakeholders to enhance student experiences and outcomes.
Before CASEL, Ally was a research and evaluation analyst and district consultant at TNTP, where she supported district and charter leaders in implementing and evaluating instructional programs. Her graduate work focused on applied research, intervention projects, and mixed-methods evaluations, emphasizing the promotion of positive academic and socio-emotional development for young people of color in middle and high school classrooms. Ally’s experience teaching high school English shaped her deep commitment to developing and translating research that empowers educators to create optimal learning conditions for students to thrive.
Ally holds a Ph.D. in educational psychology and a master’s degree in developmental psychology from the University of Michigan. She lives just outside Chicago with her husband, two children, and their rowdy dog, Sadie. When she’s not goofing around with her family, she’s locked in a never-ending battle with backyard rabbits that enjoy her novice garden.