Carol joined Pajama Program in 2018. She works closely with the Board of Directors and Good Night Advisory Council to develop programming approaches that are aligned with our mission to promote and support a comforting bedtime routine and healthy sleep. She is inspired by the opportunity to explore ways to deepen impact and build new program pathways to support youth and families.
Throughout her career, her personal mission has been to bring together practice, policy, and research to promote child and family well-being. Carol has applied her background in developmental psychology to work with programs for children and youth from early childhood through workforce entry. With an eye toward program improvement, her research on Head Start and child care addresses program quality, infrastructure, and policy. She has used data to develop programs including after school care, early literacy, parents’ financial literacy, and supports for foster families. She wants to learn about what helps youth and young adults succeed in high school, college, and beyond, particularly youth those who are affected by instability. Whatever the focus, Carol believes all programs benefit from strong program models and strategic planning.
Carol was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated summa cum laude in psychology from Yale University (B.A., 1990); her doctorate in developmental psychology (1995) is also from Yale. Before joining Pajama Program, Carol was Assistant Professor in the Yale School of Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry; Senior Researcher at the Annie E. Casey Foundation; Principal Evaluator in the North Carolina General Assembly’s Program Evaluation Division; and Associate Director of the Social Science Research Institute at Duke University. Upon moving to New York City in 2016, she directed the Office of Research, Evaluation, and Program Support and launched the university-wide Adult Learner Initiative at The City University of New York.