Christina LiCalsi

Senior Expert

Christina believes that all humans have the right to flourish—and that we all have the responsibility and the ability to help our fellow humans do so. She is committed to applying her gifts, skills, and time to improving our collective understanding of which types of social and educational programs and policies support flourishing, for whom, and under what conditions. She hopes that her efforts support implementation of better programs and policies so that more individuals live and grow in environments that allow them to thrive.

Christina has over two decades of experience conducting applied research and evaluation to improve the lives of children and families. Most recently she spent 11 years at the American Institutes for Research conducting a wide range of research, including studies commissioned directly by local and state education agencies, community partners, and city and state agencies; independent evaluations of federal grants; and research under the Regional Educational Laboratory program. Christina was also a principal investigator on research grants funded by the Institute of Education Sciences and National Institute of Justice focused on community college access and success, school discipline, and student well-being. From 2022 to 2025 she directed the national evaluation of the American Rescue Plan, leading a cross-agency, cross-program evaluation of equity-focused pandemic relief programs.