Background:
Carrie Hahnel is a senior associate partner with Bellwether in the Policy and Evaluation practice area. She has experience using evidence to support advocacy, policy development, and organizational improvement, with a focus on mitigating racial, socioeconomic, and linguistic inequities. She brings policy expertise in school finance, education accountability, data systems, community engagement, and other topic areas.
Prior to joining Bellwether, Carrie worked as senior director of policy and strategy with The Opportunity Institute and served as an independent consultant to a variety of education nonprofits, including research, advocacy, and technical assistance organizations. She also led policy and research for The Education Trust–West, served as director of research and evaluation for the KIPP Foundation, and was an arts education advocate. Carrie started her career as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer working to expand out-of-school time arts education opportunities in Riverside, California.
Carrie is a senior policy and research fellow with Policy Analysis for California Education, chair of her local school district’s parcel tax oversight committee, and a proud parent of two middle-grade children. She received a bachelor’s degree from Carleton College and a master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Why I do this work:
I find it unconscionable that in a country with so much wealth and knowledge, we struggle to provide every child with a high quality education, and we tolerate yawning gaps in opportunity and achievement. I do this work because I am committed to building a bright future for our young people, our country, and our planet — and that must begin with building a world-class educational system.
