Leadership

Michael Vaden-Kiernan is a managing researcher at American Institutes for Research (AIR) and serves as the director of REL Southwest. Dr. Vaden-Kiernan has more than 20 years of experience conducting education research in prekindergarten through grade 12 settings. He is a methodological and statistical expert in designing large-scale experimental and nonexperimental studies in early childhood education and K–12 curricular/school reform interventions. In his role as REL Southwest director, he maintains connections with critical policymakers and education stakeholders in the region's five states. He coordinates and leads efforts to build capacity to address high-leverage education needs in the region using evidence-based policies, programs, and practices. Dr. Vaden-Kiernan holds a Ph.D. in community psychology from the University of Virginia and was a postdoctoral fellow at the School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University.

Lynn Mellor is a principal researcher at AIR and deputy director of REL Southwest. Dr. Mellor has extensive expertise in designing, planning, and leading evaluation and research studies. As the former REL Southwest lead for applied research and evaluation, she oversaw the completion of more than 20 research studies for federal, state, and local audiences. In her role as deputy director, Dr. Mellor collaborates with principal investigators to help them communicate complex scientific and technical information and findings in plain language and a user-friendly manner. She also leads the planning, execution, and evaluation of research-based technical assistance, including responding to state priorities in the REL Southwest Region and building on knowledge gained from applied research and evaluation studies. Dr. Mellor earned her Ph.D. in educational psychology with a specialization in quantitative methods from the University of Texas at Austin.

Angelica Herrera is a senior researcher at AIR and the REL Southwest lead for collaboration and coordination. In this role, she oversees six research-practice partnerships in the five states that REL Southwest serves. Dr. Herrera has more than 16 years of experience in bridging the gap between researchers and practitioners, providing coaching and training on education practices to state and local education agencies, and designing and implementing research and evaluation studies. Her areas of expertise include culturally responsive practices and the use of logic models to plan, implement, and evaluate programs and policies. She currently serves as the research lead for the REL Southwest School Improvement Research Partnership and is leading a quasi-experimental study in Texas on a widely used school reform approach. In addition, she has led REL Southwest coaching projects in New Mexico on best practices for improving the quality of instruction for English learner students. Dr. Herrera holds a Ph.D. in developmental psychology from the City University of New York.

Lacy Wood is a principal technical assistance consultant at AIR and the REL Southwest lead for dissemination and engagement. In this role, she oversees all dissemination activities and works with stakeholders across the region on planning and executing research-to practice bridge events and a broad range of communications activities. In addition, she works to ensure that research and practice partners are engaged in development and implementation of communication strategies to guarantee that products and events are accessible and relevant. She has extensive experience in dissemination and knowledge utilization, developing events with stakeholders and creating products for diverse audiences. Wood has previous experience working on the REL Southwest program as well as 20 years of experience in school improvement and 19 years of experience in stakeholder and family engagement. Wood holds a Masters in Library and Information Science from the University of Texas at Austin.

Jill Walston is a principal researcher at AIR and the REL Southwest lead for training, coaching, and technical support. In this role, she oversees the planning, development, and facilitation of projects focused on building the capacity of state education agency staff and other state and local stakeholders in using data and research evidence to inform education policy and practice. Dr. Walston has more than 20 years of experience in education research, quantitative analysis, and survey methodology, and has led projects related to early childhood education, college and career readiness, and educator effectiveness. In addition, she has led technical support and trainings for researchers and practitioners in research design, survey development, and data use. Dr. Walston holds a Ph.D. in education measurement, statistics, and evaluation from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Amy Feygin is a senior researcher at AIR and the REL Southwest lead for applied research. In this role, she oversees all research and evaluation activities for the program. Dr. Feygin has extensive experience in education research, including leading and advising high-profile studies and engaging in researcher-practitioner partnerships. Her area of expertise is college and career readiness, with a focus on underserved youth. Dr. Feygin also serves as the applied research lead for REL Midwest and as the project director for an IES-funded RCT evaluating the efficacy of Pathways to Success, a psychosocial intervention designed to help eighth-grade students connect what they are doing in school right now to the person they expect to become in the future. In addition, she is a certified What Works Clearinghouse Group Design Standards Version 4.0 reviewer. Dr. Feygin earned her Ph.D. in social service administration from the University of Chicago.