Wasserman is a researcher with more than 10 years of experience in designing leading qualitative and implementation research studies. One of her primary roles is to lift the lived experience, insights, and lessons offered by individuals who take part in the programs being researched. Wasserman is adept in using participatory research methods to create more actionable and relevant research. For example, she recently co-led an initiative to pilot strategies to increase MDRC’s use of lived experience advisory boards and currently leads a photovoice study focused on exploring fathers’ experiences with a program designed to improve their relationships with their children and co-parents.
Wasserman has substantial knowledge of the research and practice fields related to opportunity youth and young adults, especially justice- and system-impacted young people. She has led qualitative data collection for several evaluations of programs that aim to improve employment, education, or criminal justice outcomes for young adults, including an evaluation of a cognitive behavioral therapy intervention for young men in Baltimore who are at high risk for being incarcerated.
Wasserman uses her expertise to help service organizations implement data-driven approaches to continuous quality improvement and developmental evaluation. She currently serves as project manager for a developmental evaluation and technical assistance initiative that supports 25 California-based organizations in helping opportunity young adults access training, obtain credentials, and get jobs that offer family-sustaining wages. In addition, Wasserman is a seasoned project director with experience leading multiyear, multisite, and mixed-methods research studies. She holds an MA in anthropology from The New School for Social Research.
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