Erin Knepler, Ph.D. Email & Phone Number

Washington, Dc, Bethesda, Md, And Chicago

Bethesda, Maryland And Chicago, Illinois

Washington, D.C. And Brooklyn, Ny

Erin Knepler was the Associate Director of Research; Higher Education and Workforce Research Lead at Public Agenda. In this role, she co-leds the research department with a focus on higher education and workforce research. Erin designed and analyzed representative surveys of the general public and specialized surveys of specific populations, leds focus groups around the country, and conducted in-depth interviews with postsecondary leaders and content experts. The research often addresses questions like how policies affect people’s everyday lives, how people understand and speak about complex social and educational attainment problems, how people seek and use information, and how leaders understand and fulfill their roles.

Washington, D.C. And New York, Ny

Erin Knepler was the Associate Director of Higher Education and Workforce Programs at Public Agenda. She oversaw knowledge management for the Competency-Based Education Network (C-BEN) and in this role, she provided support to institutional teams and leads C-BEN research activities. Additionally, Erin managed multiple projects working with dozens of colleges and universities across the country to support the capacity of institutional leaders and faculty at every level to effectively engage members of their communities as partners in enhancing student success.

College Park, Maryland

—Served as lead evaluator on a mixed-methods evaluation of the ACES program.—Designed pre/mid/post student surveys.—Developed protocols for focus group and individual interviews.—Conducted student focus groups, faculty/staff individual interviews, and industry partner interviews.—Analyzed data and provided written reports multiple times a year.

College Park, Md

In Erin's role at USM, she managed research and grant projects within the Office of Academic Affairs related to USM’s college access and college completion agenda, course redesign, and STEM education and pipeline issues. Specifically, Erin managed grants from the Lumina Foundation, State of Maryland Teacher Education, Business Higher Education Forum, Sloan Foundation, and Battelle Corporation. Through this work, she conducted quantitative and qualitative research on academic and industry engagement in STEM, managed a statewide course redesign initiative, conducted evaluation and data analysis, assisted with policy implementation, and wrote grants for USM's Academic Affairs.

Adelphi, Md

Assisted with a large state grant on course redesign and also was involved with grant evaluation, data analysis, and general grant development/writing.

Washington, D.C.

Assisted IES staff with all submitted grant proposals. Verified proposals for responsiveness. Coordinated reviewers for panel meetings.

Washington, D.C.

Supported the Director of the Center for Effective Leadership to prepare for the annual Presidential Roundtable and the Chief Academic Officer and Chief Financial Officer (CAO/CFO) annual meeting. Conducted literature searches and literature reviews. Assisted in writing and editing of presidential leadership reports.

Boston, Ma

Researched urban education policy and develop case studies. Conducted literature searches and literature reviews. Assisted in data collection, analysis, proof reading and editing of research projects.

Wellesley Hills, Ma

Developed grant proposals. Researched, compiled and disseminated information about federal, state and private funding. Advised staff on programs and maintain internal resource files. Wrote, edited, revised and submitted grant applications. Created and conducted development workshops. Developed MassBay’s Grants Manual.Prepared presentations and other written materials for grantors and potential donors. Assisted in securing $150,000 an Exploratory Research grant from the National Science Foundation for the Biotechnology Program. Co-authored $25,000 grant to the National Student Nurses’ Association. Secured $278,415 in Perkins funding to support programs for career and vocational technical education from the Massachusetts Department of Education. Assisted in securing $48,480 in Building Careers grant funding from the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care. Co-authored a $118,674 Inclusive Concurrent Enrollment (ICE) grant from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Boston, Ma

Provided oversight and management on all academic grants and evaluates them for effectiveness. Researched and assisted in writing of all federal, state, and private grants. Wrote and submitted all quarterly, bi-annual, and annual reports for funded grants. Coordinated and conducted advisory committee meetings required by grants. Monitored expenditures of grants and oversees budget needs of grants. Assisted in NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) accreditation processes. Assisted in 2006 NEASC (New England Association of Schools and Colleges) reaccredidation process.Secured $30,000 for library improvements in 2006 & 2007 from The Harold Whitworth Pierce Charitable Trust. Secured $15,000 for branding initiatives in 2006 and $10,000 in 2007 from the Tomfohrde Foundation. Co-authored and managed a $600,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in 2006. Co-authored and managed a $240,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2007.

Ph.D., Higher Education Administration And Policy

Dissertation title: Examining How Undergraduate STEM Degree Production is Influenced by State Higher Education STEM Policies.

Master Of Arts, Higher Education Administration And Policy

Activities and Societies: Served on Marquette University’s Graduate Student Organization (GSO) as a Department Representative for School.

Bachelor Of Arts, English And Political Science

Activities and Societies: Studied at the Marquette University Les Aspin Center for Government in Washington, D.C., 2001; Studied abroad.