Sheida Elmi Email & Phone Number

Denver, Colorado, United States

• Provide strategic guidance and thought partnership for research-related activities and products. Advise on the design of research projects and be a thought partner on the interpretation and communication of research.
• Serve as the Research Lead for programmatic initiatives related to savings and investing, wealth-building, and inclusive financial systems.
• Explore the intersection of climate change and financial resiliency
• Manage staff, develop and implement staffing plans, contribute to budget planning, and participate in the development of and stewardship of funding opportunities

Denver, Colorado, United States

• Help develop and execute person-centered research to generate actionable insights for improving the financial security of families in the U.S. Build cross-sector partnerships that illuminate the needs and experiences.
• Work across the Financial Security Program team to make strategic recommendations for research and policy and programmatic solutions that can help people become financially stable, build financial security, and.
• Manage complex projects across the team and a variety of topics and identify opportunities for further research or partnership.
• Manage and coach up to 1-3 staff members, fellows, or interns at a time.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

• Manages FSP’s Consumer Insights Collaborative, an effort across nine nonprofits to collectively understand and amplify data about the financial lives of low- and moderate-income households.
• Supports research efforts related to employer-based benefits and other topics connected to short- and long-term financial stability and security.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

• Managed two staff members on the financial security and mobility project;
• Project managed an effort to elevate the needs and concerns of American workers by conducting in-depth interviews with workers and employers in eight cities and three rural regions; managed all project activities.
• Conducted half of the 130+ hour-long in-depth interviews with employers and low- and moderate-income workers for the project described in the bullet above
• Worked with management to develop work plans and manage costs for specific projects;
• Worked with colleagues to explore new potential areas of research

Washington D.C. Metro Area

• Studied the financial well-being of American families and the degree to which short-term financial security relates to long-term economic mobility
• Analyzed the Survey of American Family Finances to determine the prevalence of year-to-year income volatility in households across income, education level, family composition, race and ethnic group, and age
• Conducted in-depth interviews and focus groups to better understand how low-income families make ends meet, what the role of service providers is, and the ways to better equip families to weather financial instability
• Explored policy avenues to determine potential lines of new research and space for future advocacy efforts

Washington D.C. Metro Area

• Writing original content on American family balance sheets that concisely translate complex policy issues into non-technical terms
• Analyzed the Survey of American Family Finances (over 7,800 respondents) for Portrait of Financial Security, an interactive that explores the intersection of demographics and financial security
• Providing support to the Financial Security and Mobility team's efforts to disseminate research and collect new data by helping edit, proofread, and write reports, fact sheets, issues briefs, and survey questions
• Assisting in planning events, briefings, and convenings for researchers, policymakers, and thought leaders

• Supported data collection and random assignment implementation for the Assets for Independence Program Evaluation, which provides Individual Development Accounts to low-income individuals seeking to use funds to buy a.
• Served as part of the site development and implementation team for the Subsidized and Transitional Employment Demonstration and as a site liaison in Chicago and Northern New Jersey for the Health Profession Opportunity.
• Supported eight projects with the Urban Institute, Abt Associates, and MDRC for the Department of Labor, Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Agriculture
• Collecting and analyzing qualitative data with NVivo and assisting with the cost-benefit analysis of the Rate, Causes, and Costs of Churning in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program project
• Conducted implementation research for Innovative Strategies for Increasing Self-Sufficiency
• Conducted a cost-benefit analysis of the Enhanced Transitional Jobs Demonstration

Berkeley, CA

• Provided course support to Professor Robert Reich, former US Secretary of Labor, for the Wealth and Poverty course, including instructing two classes of approximately 25 students, grading papers and examinations.

Berkeley, CA

• Provide course support to the undergraduate Introduction to Public Policy Analysis course

• Conducted a case study of Oakland, CA to assess whether a Rehab-to-Rent program is possible in the city, as a means to combat the high number of Fannie Mae- and Freddie Mac-owned foreclosures
• Identified and interviewed key stakeholders in the Bay Area and across the country by phone or in-person interviews
• Found the most up-to-date data related to foreclosures in Oakland and used ArcGIS to create density maps of the properties owned by the government-run entities
• Wrote a policy brief that details the Oakland-specific findings and national-level recommendations for the strategies that might be most effective at combating neighborhood decline

Washington, D.C.

• Cleaned a large dataset containing Labor Condition Applications (LCA) requests for foreign workers coming to the United States
• Analyzed the LCA data to prepare a report on the H-1B visa program
• Updated data on US immigration enforcement for the Migration Information Source (online journal)
• Researched investor visas and employer visa fees

• Created metrics to measure the effectiveness of the Victim/Offender Education Group (VOEG) on alleviating recidivism at San Quentin Prison, with two other student policy consultants
• Created a survey to administer to future participants of the VOEG program in order to assess its learning objectives and identify problem areas
• Compiled research, findings, and policy recommendations into a final written report for the client, which included short, medium, and long-term options for the nonprofit organization to adopt

• Researched the emergence of European Studies in Postwar America for her upcoming book, including conducting on-site research at various think tanks and universities, such as The Brookings Institution, the Atlantic.
• Prepared weekly reports, wrote analytical reports to summarize large findings, and used Excel to keep track of all materials found

• Performed administrative duties for United We Learn, a grassroots group advocating higher quality education for all (created pamphlets to describe the educational gap within IL and beyond its borders)
• Researched fair housing, educational disparities, and landlord and tenant rights, used to create handouts which were distributed to the local community and event participants
• Expanded the Center’s reach online by creating Wikipedia and Facebook pages

• President - Led a seven-person team in the execution and planning of cultural and speaker events 3/2008 – 3/2009
• Treasurer - managed contracts and petitioned for funding from the university’s student government; balanced accounts and budget; helped increase allocation by approximately 40% 3/2007 – 3/2008
• Public Relations Chair - Directed publicity efforts and created effective marketing materials for events 3/2006 – 3/2007

• Tutored Northwestern University student-athletes enrolled in Spanish classes on a walk-in basis

• I planned numerous events throughout the year for my residential dorm, culminating in a formal with morethan two hundred guests, and a budget in excess of six thousand dollars. I attended weekly executive board.

• I assisted by scheduling appointments, organizing and setting up the new office, and other clerical duties. I entered every patient’s confidential chart into the new computer system that the office was transitioning to.

Master Of Public Policy, Public Policy

Activities and Societies: Students of Color in Public Policy (SCiPP)• Coursework: Economics of Public Policy Analysis; Quantitative.

Bachelor Of Arts, Political Science And International Studies

Activities and Societies: Persian American Representatives of Students (PARS), Dance Marathon (4 years), Women's Chorus, Intramural.