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Adele Robinson brings to Abt more than 30 years of experience in policy development and advocating for children and education, with a focus on early childhood and the early elementary years. From Capitol Hill, national education associations, and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to state and local agencies, she has supported the implementation of equitable and effective education as a means of providing success for all of our nation’s families. As a principal associate at Abt, she’ll continue to pursue these goals with our federal clients, as well as at the state and local level, using her expertise in complex policy analysis and strategic technical assistance.

Dr. Jessica Thornton Walker is an accomplished researcher and the leader of Abt’s quantitative methods team who brings 20 years of experience designing and implementing policy-relevant research. She is a recognized expert in large-scale, multi-site evaluations to assess the impacts of social policies and programs in housing and homelessness, child welfare, adolescent risk-taking behaviors, and substance use.In her role as the Quantitative Methods Lead, Dr. Walker is responsible for the management, staffing, budgeting, solutioning, and strategy that guides the work of 120 quantitative research staff and ensures Abt provides high-quality technical delivery and innovative solutions tailored to clients.

Diane Paulsell is an applied social scientist with more than 20 years of experience designing, conducting, and overseeing mixed-methods policy-focused research, including national multi-site studies. She has also led rapid cycle learning and program improvement efforts with a variety of human services programs and a foundation-funded research program to advance equitable access to family supportive services. Her areas of expertise range from early care and education to parenting, family engagement, youth development and family supportive policies and programs, including nutrition.

Katie Kitchin brings more than 25 years of expertise in housing and human services policy that advances the overall well-being of people and communities. She is a subject matter expert in housing finance/development, technical assistance and training, homelessness, justice, and child welfare housing interventions. At Abt, she directs the company’s state and local housing strategy, and partners with clients, local agencies, and organizations on business development and growth opportunities.

Dr. Anna Koehle is a senior associate with 20 years of experience working in local, state, and federal child welfare programs and services. Dr. Koehle is a Human Services Board-Certified Practitioner (HS-BCP) and a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP). Her evidence-to-practice approach to child welfare technical assistance and innovation has allowed her to contribute to systems improvement across the country. Dr. Koehle has lived experience as a foster and adoptive parent and focuses her work on the needs of Black children and families involved with the child welfare system. Her experience includes federal child welfare technical assistance, state child welfare quality assurance, child welfare contracts and grants administration, and human services nonprofit leadership.

Judith A. Alamprese has more than 35 years of experience directing research, evaluation and technical assistance projects in adult education and workforce development. Trained as a sociologist, she has focused on system and individual-level interventions to promote the social and economic well-being of low-skilled adults and at-risk youth. For 18 years she has led the division’s adult learning practice, where her work has ranged from leading rigorous evaluations of innovative practices in basic skills instruction to designing state-systemic change initiatives in career pathways.

René Nutter is the U.S. Food Security & Agriculture Client Account Lead. She has more than two decades of experience helping further food security and education in women and children. From studies with Yale, Harvard, and the Gates Foundation to a long and successful partnership with the USDA Food and Nutrition Services (FNS), she has led large data collection studies and evaluations, provided technical assistance, and helped train the next generation of researchers.

Nichole Fiore is a Principal Associate with over 15 years of experience evaluating housing and homelessness programs across the country, developing deep expertise on homeless service systems, organizational capacity, political and community will, unsheltered homelessness, and permanent supportive housing. Recognizing the critical link between stable, safe housing and overall well-being, Fiore is proven leader bringing together diverse stakeholders who work across many jurisdictions and sectors to address the needs and improve the lives of people experiencing homelessness. She brings person-centric approaches to teams, from fostering inclusive decision-making in system design to ensuring projects are collecting evidence that informs homeless service systems implementation and rapid response to extreme weather situations. She also is a regular source for media outlets, often on the topic of homelessness in California.

Colleen Grogan Moore has over 30 years of experience implementing community development and housing-based programs in collaboration with state and local governments and nonprofit organizations. She has expertise in providing technical assistance (TA) and training, including to recipients of Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) community development, housing, and homeless program funding. She has experience building strong relationships with state and local program grantees and managers and supporting communities in effectively using resources.

Lawrence Buron is an applied economist specializing in housing policy and the impact of government programs on labor market and quality-of-life outcomes of individuals and communities. An experienced leader of large-scale research and evaluation projects, he has led evaluations of the Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCV), HOPE VI, post-disaster housing options, and community redevelopment programs. He directs a random-assignment study of 36-month outcomes from 29 Health Profession Opportunity Grants and other innovative education and training programs to improve the career pathways and economic well-being of low-income, low-skilled workers.