The OCEP staff includes education researchers, scientists, curriculum development specialists, software developers, and experienced K-12 educators. Our diverse base of knowledge, experience, and skills allows us to develop and sustain creative programs and initiatives, engage diverse stakeholders, build and sustain partnerships, and bridge the research, practice, and service missions of the University to benefit the community.
Nichole Pinkard
OCEP Faculty Director, Associate Professor, Learning Sciences
Nichole (PhD98), one of the first graduates of SESP's Learning Sciences PhD program, focuses on creating supportive learning spaces, both on and offline and spearheading collaborations through OCEP. She is the founder of the Digital Youth Network (DYN), and in 2014 received the Northwestern University Alumni Association Alumni Merit Award. She delivered the keynote speech during the 2016 SESP graduate convocation ceremony.
Amy D. Pratt
Assistant Dean for Community Education Partnerships
Amy brings over 10 years of experience with non-profits both nationally and internationally to the team. Her program areas of expertise include education, public health, community development, and the environment. She has extensive experience in research and organizational development and strategy; program development, management, and evaluation; building partnerships between community groups, non-profits, government agencies, public schools, universities, foundations, and corporations; and grant development and fundraising. Amy is a founding member of the National Alliance for Broader Impacts (NABI), which is designed to create a community of practice that fosters the development of sustainable and scalable broader impacts activity. Amy has a PhD in geography from West Virginia University.
Aneta Baran
Experience Designer
Aneta is a user experience researcher and designer at OCEP’s Digital Youth Network (DYN). In her role, she works alongside researchers, developers, and additional product stakeholders to design engaging experiences for youth across online and physical spaces. Prior to working at OCEP, Aneta collaborated with DYN on various projects as an undergraduate research assistant, conducting research and design work for DYN's Digital Youth Divas program. Aneta graduated from DePaul University in 2017 with a bachelor's degree in user experience design.
Natalie Bueno
Program and Partnership Coordinator
Natalie works with the Baxter Center for Science Education to develop OCEP’s partnership with Baxter International Inc. and Round Lake Area Schools. Natalie is excited to share her passion for STEM at the Baxter Center’s newest location, Round Lake High School, and Northwestern. In working with OCEP, Natalie promotes equity in STEM education by supporting teacher professional development, providing authentic STEM experiences for students, and developing community partnerships in Lake County. She earned a bachelor's degree in neurobiology and a certificate in Global Health from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Emily DePalma
Manager of Programs and Operations
Emily supports all of the programs and partnerships at OCEP and manages the operations of the office. Prior to working at OCEP, she taught elementary school in Chicago Public Schools and holds teaching licenses in Illinois and Minnesota. She earned a bachelor's degree in foundations of elementary education in 2012 and a master's degree in education in 2013, both from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. In June 2019, she completed a Master of Curriculum and Instruction focused on Elementary Mathematics from the University of Concordia-Portland.
Tre Everette
Director of Technology
Tre leads development and user experience teams to successfully create secure, high-quality, valuable products for end-users, stakeholders, and product owners. He bridges the worlds of researchers, educators, and technologists in order to build blended learning tools that help educators and learners connect with valuable resources inside and outside of the typical educational environment. An alumnus of Northwestern's McCormick School of Engineering, Tre dabbles in data science when taking a break from coding and designing.
Emily Ferrin
Program Director and Resident Scientist
Emily is the resident scientist and program director of the Baxter Center for Science Education (BCSE). She helps create teacher professional development workshops and curriculum resources, making them available for middle and high school teachers in the Chicago area. Emily splits her time between Northwestern University's Evanston campus (when there isn't a pandemic) and Lindblom Math and Science Academy in Chicago. She earned a bachelor's degree from Marlboro College and a doctorate from Dartmouth College.
Evelyn Flores
User Experience Researcher & Designer
Evelyn is a user experience researcher and designer at OCEP’s Digital Youth Network. She collaborates with various team members to conduct research and provides insights into user mindsets that drive the design of the L3 platform and learning ecosystem. Her research focus explores socio-technical and data approaches to increasing STEM engagement for youth, parents, and caring adults across online and physical spaces. In 2017, she earned a bachelor's degree in experience design from DePaul University.
Lila K. S. Goldstein
Research Data Analyst Lead
Lila has a passion for bringing education research, practice, and policy into alignment. She is leading the work with Northwestern-Evanston Education Research Alliance (NEERA) as the university builds its data and research partnership with the local school districts. She brings over a decade of experience in research and education. Most recently, she facilitated university-led research and conducted practical, actionable research at the Tennessee Department of Education. She has a master's degree in education policy with a focus on quantitative methods from Vanderbilt University.
Jenny Grist
Program Assistant
Jenny is the program assistant for the Northwestern University - Evanston Township High School (ETHS) Partnership Office. Jenny helps to organize all NU-ETHS partnership office events and projects, including WiSTEM Before coming to OCEP, she worked with a non-profit arts organization in a variety of roles. Jenny has a bachelor's degree in English from Lewis University.
Mia C. Harris
Program Manager
Mia leads program and partnership development for the Center for Excellence in Computer Science Education. She is driven to design sustained, effective, and impactful cross-sector collaborations. Mia brings a wide range of experience from government, technology, and private research industries. Most recently, she served as the Youth Policy Manager on Mayor Lightfoot’s transition team and completed a fellowship within the Provost Office at Wake Forest University. Mia earned her bachelor's degree in biology with minors in neuroscience and psychology from Wake Forest University. She is currently enrolled in the Master of Science in Law Program at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law.
Mighel Jackson
Implementation Coordinator and Systems Integration Specialist
Mighel is an implementation coordinator and systems integration specialist at OCEP's Digital Youth Network. In this role, Mighel translates complex systems into action on the ground by creating, facilitating, and maintaining spaces that promote a greater understanding of how technical solutions can be integrated most effectively into internal initiatives and external partnerships.
Camryn Lemke
Administrative Aid
Camryn is an administrative aid with the OCEP office. She supports the OCEP team on various projects that include the preparation, advertisement, and data organization of and for all of OCEP’s community programs and partnerships. Camryn is a current SESP undergraduate studying Social Policy and Global Health.
Jen Lewin
D65-NU Partnership Coordinator
As partnership coordinator with our local K-8 school district, Evanston-Skokie School District 65, Jen serves to facilitate partnership opportunities between Northwestern and District 65. Jen has experience in formal and informal education, most recently working as a middle school science teacher and science coach in the Chicago Public Schools. She has a bachelor's degree in biology from Loyola University, a master's in teaching and learning from from DePaul University, and a master's in educational technology from Michigan State University.
Kat Maka Hasso
Research and Programs Coordinator
Kat supports all of the programs and partnerships at OCEP. Prior to joining the OCEP Team, Kat ran operations at MetaMedia, a digital media center and maker education program for middle-school youth. She earned her bachelor's degree in social work from Northeastern Illinois University in 2017.
L. Shai Moore
Mentor
Shai is a mentor at OCEP's Digital Youth Network. She primarily focuses on implementing various programs including Digital Youth Divas and the City of Learning mobile van. She is a Chicago native and studied at the Rochester Institute of Technology.
Love Morgan
Research Data Analyst Lead
Love serves a dual role for OCEP as an administrator of the Northwestern University PreK-20+ Engagement Initiative and research/data coordinator for the Chicago Public Schools - Northwestern University partnership. Love received her bachelor's degree in biology from Rockford University and her master's degree in applied statistics from DePaul University.
Kristen Perkins-LaFollette
Northwestern University - Evanston Township High School Partnership Coordinator
Kristen serves as partnership coordinator for the Northwestern University - Evanston Township High School (ETHS) Partnership Office. She focuses on increasing collaboration between ETHS and Northwestern University, as well as bringing new learning opportunities to the students. She previously worked as a science teacher at Roberto Clemente High School in Chicago. Kristen graduated from Purdue University in 2003 with a bachelor's degree in biology education.
Sachin Pradhan
Software Developer
Sachin is the lead software developer for the Baxter Center for Science Education (BCSE) and the Computational Thinking in STEM (CT-STEM) projects. He earned a bachelor's degree in computer engineering from the University of Washington in 2006.
Miranda Standberry-Wallace
Community Relations and Engagement Manager
Miranda leads the organization, logistics, and communications in sustainable STEAM collectives involving key stakeholders such as community members, parents and families, organization leaders, program leads, and school district leaders, in both Evanston and Chicago. Miranda earned her bachelor's degree in social entrepreneurship and a joint master's degree in business and information technology.
Naomi Thompson
Postdoctoral Scholar
Naomi is a postdoctoral scholar working on the Digital Youth Divas program. She works across design, implementation, and research of the program with a particular focus on relationship and community building among the Divas youth and their mentors and on the intersections between the arts and other STEM domains toward equitable learning experiences. Naomi earned her doctorate in learning sciences from Indiana University.
Natalie Turner
Administrative Aid
Natalie is an administrative aid with the OCEP office. She supports the OCEP team on projects that include the preparation, advertisement, and data organization of and for many of OCEP’s community programs and partnerships, specifically the Baxter Center for Science Education (BCSE). Natalie is a current Weinberg undergraduate studying neuroscience.
Ashley Walter
Program and Partnership Coordinator
Ashley works for the Baxter Center for Science Education (BCSE) as program and partnership coordinator - Chicago. Ashley helps create professional development workshops and curriculum resources, making them available for middle and high school teachers in the Chicago area. She splits her time between Northwestern University's Evanston campus and LMSA. She has both a master's and a bachelor's degree from Purdue University.