Jamela is a participatory research & evaluation practitioner and qualitative specialist. A life-time Chicagoan, Jamela’s parents instilled in her a deep love for all people rooted in their experiences as Black Americans, pre-1968, navigating life as citizens without full protection of the law and as Chicago struggled with desegregration, racially driven violence, and the further socioeconomic isolation of its Black and Brown residents. As a result, Jamela has a strong research interest in community level economic and public health policy outcomes for systemically marginalized peoples and the spectrum of their identities and experiences.

Jamela’s experience includes collaborating with youth transitioning from Illinois’ child welfare (DCFS) and the juvenile justice systems (DJJ), identifying the support systems involved youth need to thrive as young adults, exploring inequities for Illinois parents of young children in accessing and maintaining TANF cash benefits, evaluating gender equity in social welfare policy schemes in India, and investigating access to economic opportunity through municipal transportation policy for faveladors living in Brazil.