MDRC is pleased to announce that William Corrin has been named Deputy Director of MDRC’s Policy Research and Evaluation Department and Caroline Roben has been named Director of the Family Well-Being and Children’s Development policy area.

William Corrin joined MDRC in 2004 and has been Director of the K-12 Education policy area since 2019. In his new role, he helps manage all the organization’s research and technical assistance activities and serves on MDRC’s executive team. He will continue to direct the K-12 Education policy area, leading and contributing to evaluations of educational reforms and interventions. In his tenure at MDRC he has led many studies, including national evaluations of digital math instructional support in late elementary grades, secondary school reforms, literacy interventions, and services that seek to reduce dropout rates and increase the school persistence of young people.

Prior to joining MDRC, Corrin served as Director of Research, Evaluation, and Assessment for Evanston Township District 202 in Illinois, taught social studies at an alternative high school in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg public school system, and worked as a Medicaid caseworker for the Mecklenburg County Department of Social Services in North Carolina. He received his Ph.D. in sociology from Northwestern University.

Caroline Roben is an experienced leader, researcher, clinician, and strategist in early childhood and child care evidence-based practices, systems, and funding environments. Most recently, she was a program officer with Vanguard’s philanthropic Strong Start for Kids^TM Program. She led the team’s impact measurement efforts and managed a place-based portfolio that prioritized early relational health and equity in supporting caregivers in parenting and early literacy, connecting to early childhood systems and learning opportunities, and accessing community resources. Prior to joining Vanguard, Caroline spent 10 years at the University of Delaware, directing the implementation and program evaluation of the Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up (ABC), a national, evidence-based home visiting program for infants and their families. 

Caroline completed her doctoral degree at the Pennsylvania State University, with a clinical internship specializing in early childhood and community systems from the University of North Carolina and an undergraduate degree in psychology from Harvard University.

“I am delighted that Caroline and William are assuming these important leadership positions at MDRC,” said MDRC President Virginia Knox. “A talented researcher and creative manager, William has worked alongside educators across the country to learn what classroom practices help all students thrive in school and to communicate those lessons. Caroline has devoted her career to expanding parents’ access to evidence-based supports in their communities as their young children grow and develop.”