Lois Joy
Chesterfield,MA
Summary
Accomplished Director of Research at Jobs for the Future, specializing in workforce program improvement and stakeholder engagement. Proven track record in leading mixed methods research initiatives that enhance equity in education-to-workforce pathways. Expert in data analysis and project management, driving impactful solutions for underrepresented communities.
Overview
20
20
years of professional experience
Work History
Director, Research
Jobs for the Future
Boston, MA
01.2020 - 04.2025
- Workforce development lead (non-profits, community colleges, employers)
- Led collaborative TA efforts to implement research findings for building more effective education to workforce programs with equity and for scale.
- Led in the development of the JFF Racial Economic Equity research agenda.
- Facilitated collaboration among educational leaders, employers, and policy-makers to enhance regional workforce ecosystems.
- Oversaw portfolio of research and TA on broadening racial and gender community college STEM participation, persistence, work-based-learning, and outcomes.
- Directed research and evaluation initiatives that integrated education-to-workforce pathways for high-quality jobs.
- Developed metrics across ten colleges to measure effectiveness of work-based-learning initiatives for scaling with a focus on broadening participation to groups underrepresented in high quality career pathways.
- Conducted national population focused mixed methods analysis of registered apprenticeship participation, wages, and completion rates by occupation and industry.
- Developed new national survey to measure job quality, supplemented by qualitative research findings.
- Led National Science Foundation project assessing impacts of work-based learning on STEM education for continuous improvement and scaling.
- Co-developed NSF evaluation of new pilot for virtual internship.
- Led cross-functional teams in the development of innovative solutions to complex education and workforce problems.
- Improved productivity initiatives, managing budgets and accounts, and implemented research quality controls.
- Cultivated relationships with stakeholders to secure support and funding for key initiatives.
- Facilitated professional development programs to build a high-performing team.
- Recruited, trained, supervised, evaluated and mentored staff members.
- Represented the organization at industry events, conferences, and public meetings.
- Mitigated business risks by working closely with staff members and assessing performance.
- Implemented systems for tracking progress on key initiatives or projects.
- Provided leadership, insight and mentoring to newly hired employees to supply knowledge of various company programs.
- Identified opportunities for improvement in operational performance metrics.
- Applied labor market theory to identify industry opportunities for middle-skill workforce engagement.
Assistant Research Director
JFF
01.2018 - 12.2019
Senior Research Manager
JFF
11.2013 - 12.2017
Senior Research Associate, Learning and Teaching Program
Educational Development Center Inc
Waltham, Massachusetts
01.2008 - 01.2013
- Led NSF-sponsored research on Community College Pathways to STEM Education for women.
- Developed and directed evaluations on gender, racial differences, and college readiness.
- Expertise in large-scale database management, qualitative design, and mixed methods research.
- Collaborated with educators and policy-makers on evaluation design and data analysis.
- Managed research teams while developing funding proposals, curricula, and workshops.
Director in Research, Metrics
Catalyst
New York, New York
01.2005 - 01.2008
- Conducted research and evaluation on barriers to career advancement for women and underrepresented minorities.
- Collaborated with Fortune 500 organizations to enhance management diversity.
- Managed research teams and graduate student interns while overseeing database development and policy analysis.
- Communicated research findings effectively to policy-makers and media outlets.
- Served as a member of organizational leadership teams, contributing strategic insights.
Education
Ph.D. - Labor Economics
University Of Massachusetts-Amherst
Skills
- Project management
- Team management
- Data analysis
- Benchmarking
- Workforce program improvement
- Workforce capacity building
- Metrics and analytics
- Survey design
- Mixed methods research
- Population focused research
- Evaluation
- Policy development
- Strategy development
- Financial administration
- Organizational leadership
- Operational performance
- Risk management
- Team effectiveness
- Trust building
- User-centered design
- Stakeholder facilitation
- Stakeholder engagement
- Performance valuation
- Monitoring
Publications
- Unveiling Disparities: Racial, Ethnic, and Gender Gaps in Student Financial Insecurity and Proposed Solutions, 2024, Research Report, Umair Tarhbai, https://www.jff.org/idea/unveiling-disparities-racial-ethnic-and-gender-gaps-in-student-financial-insecurity-and-proposed-solutions/
- Black Learners in Associate's Degrees and Credential Programs, 2023, Research Report, Umair Tarhbai, Andrea Juncos, Destiny Washington, Melissa Gordon, https://www.jff.org/idea/black-learners-in-it-associates-degree-and-credential-college-programs/
- The Current State of Diversity and Equity in U.S. Apprenticeships for Young People, 2022, Research Report, Myriam Sullivan, Dristi Adhikai, Vicki Ritterband, https://info.jff.org/apprenticeshipdeia-youth-apprenticeship-rapids
- Building Effective Community College Engineering and Information Technology Internships, 2022, Conference Paper, Nia Yisrael, https://peer.asee.org/41908
- Who Participates in Community College STEM Work-Based-Learning?, 2022, Research Report, Jenna Terrell, Diana Roldan-Rueda, Angeal Estacion, https://www.wested.org/resources/who-participates-in-community-college-stem-work-based-learning/
- Technology Internships Prove Flexible, Resilient, and Critical during COVID, 2022, Research Report, Matt Longo, Fran O'Reilly, Angela Estacion, https://www.jff.org/resources/technology-internships-prove-flexible-resilient-and-critical-during-covid/
- Building Effective Technology Internships, 2022, Research Report, https://www.jff.org/resources/building-effective-technology-internships/
- Equity Framework for Career and Technical Education Research, 2022, Research Report, https://cteresearchnetwork.org/equity-cte-research-framework
- Values-Based Interventions Increase Reenrollment and Equity among Community College Pre-Allied Health Students, 2022, Journal Article, Ross E. O'Hara, Betsy Sparrow, https://doi.org/10.33009/fsop_jpss129761
- What can we learn from the 2008 Recession to support equitable economic recovery during COVID?, 2020, Research Brief
- Growing Opportunities in Manufacturing through Bilingual Upskilling, 2020, Research Report, Jessica Toglia, https://www.jff.org/resources/growing-opportunities-manufacturing-through-
- Nevertheless, she persisted: A comparison of male and female experiences in community college STEM programs, 2020, Journal Article, Lisa Marco-Bujoso
- Evaluation of Four Software Engineering Apprenticeship Programs for Broadening Participation, 2019, Evaluation, Christine Chiu, Dristi Adhikari
Timeline
Director, Research
Jobs for the Future
01.2020 - 04.2025
Assistant Research Director
JFF
01.2018 - 12.2019
Senior Research Manager
JFF
11.2013 - 12.2017
Senior Research Associate, Learning and Teaching Program
Educational Development Center Inc
01.2008 - 01.2013
Director in Research, Metrics
Catalyst
01.2005 - 01.2008
Ph.D. - Labor Economics
University Of Massachusetts-Amherst
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