Youth Policy Lab

Jacob is co-director of the Youth Policy Lab. His primary fields of interest are labor economics, program evaluation, and the economics of education. Jacob's current research focuses on urban school reform, with a particular emphasis on standards and accountability initiatives.

Tompkins-Stange is a scholar of education policy and philanthropy, focusing on the influence of private foundations on the politics of K-12 school reform.

Kaj Althaus is a Michigan Data and Policy Fellow with the Youth Policy Lab, a joint initiative of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and the Institute for Social Research. As a fellow, he will be placed at the Michigan State Court…

Milagros Chocce is a project manager at the Youth Policy Lab. Milagros holds a MPP degree from the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Economics from Universidad del Pacifico in Lima, Peru. Prior to…

Sara Elhasan is a data and policy fellow with the Youth Policy Lab. Sara holds an MPH in epidemiology from the University of Michigan, as well as a BS in public health and BA in sociology from Wayne State University. Prior to joining YPL, Sara was an…

Megan Foster Friedman is the deputy director for the Youth Policy Lab, focusing on maternal and infant health issues. Prior to joining the Youth Policy Lab, Megan was a senior healthcare analyst at the Center for Health and Research Transformation at…

Jeremy Guardiola is a project manager for the Youth Policy Lab. In this role, he coordinates and executes all phases of research projects, including planning, data collection and analysis, and dissemination. Prior to joining the Lab, Jeremy served as…

Adrianna High is a Michigan Data & Policy Fellow with the Youth Policy Lab. Adrianna comes to YPL from the State of Michigan's Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives. In her previous role as a data analyst, her primary focus was…

Zaiyi Jiang is a project manager at the Youth Policy Lab. Zaiyi holds a Master of Public Policy degree from Harvard Kennedy School and an MA in international journalism and communication from Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. During her time in…

Yejae Kim is a data analyst with the Youth Policy Lab. Yejae holds a bachelor’s degree in data science and international relations and a GIS certification from Calvin University in 2021. Yejae has worked for Calvin University Center for Social…

Olivia Meeks is a project manager for the Youth Policy Lab. Prior to joining the Lab, Olivia served as a research coordinator at District of Columbia Public Schools and as a research assistant in education policy studies at the American Enterprise…

Shiyu Nitsos joined the Ford School in July 2018 and currently provides administrative support for the operations and programs of the Youth Policy Lab.  Shiyu grew up in China and graduated from Southwestern University of Finance and Economics…

Andrea Plevek is the Executivee Director for the Youth Policy Lab. In her role, she provides executive leadership, administrative management, community outreach, and partnership development for the Lab. Previously, Andrea was the Executive Director…

Liz comes to YPL with seven years of experience working in the California Department of Public Health. She holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science and a Master's degree in Sociology. At YPL, she will oversee our data operations, analyze and…

Aaron Sepulveda is a Michigan Data & Policy Fellow with the Youth Policy Lab. Through his fellowship placement with the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, he will work on improving employment and training outcomes for…