Zakia Redd is a nationally recognized expert in how programs and policies affect the well-being of low-income children and families. For fifteen years she has led evaluations of community-wide initiatives, out-of-school programs, and youth-risk prevention programs, always with an eye toward real-world prevention and problem-solving.

Ms. Redd recently finished an evaluation of a low-income community school in Washington, DC, finding that new strategies—including online educational games, a Saturday program for students and parents, among other innovations—led to math gains for students. She has also contributed to recent Social Innovation Fund projects, including youthCONNECT, aimed at improving education, employment, and healthy behavior outcomes for low-income youth ages 14-24 in the National Capital Region. Ms. Redd has co-authored dozens of publications and presented research in front of audiences including the Education Writers Association and the National Conference of State Legislatures.

She remains most interested in effecting real-world change by helping individual programs better measure their success.

Her current and upcoming projects include helping to manage library and product development for the Self-Sufficiency Research Clearinghouse, as well as participating in a technical assistance project supporting the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Collaborating with the Foundation’s Generation Work local partners, she will be helping programs incorporate positive youth development approaches into their workforce development efforts.