Marcia K. Meyers, Center Director and Principal Investigator

Marcia K. Meyers is a Professor in the School of Social Work and the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs. She studies U.S. welfare, child care and work/family reconciliation policies. Her current poverty-related research focuses on income and social disparities in early childhood education and state-level variation in the adequacy and inclusiveness of social welfare policies. Email: mkm36 at uw.edu; Phone: 206-616-4409

Jennifer Romich, Associate Director

Jennifer Romich is an Associate Professor in the UW School of Social Work. Jennifer studies resources and economics in families, with a particular emphasis on family budgets and interactions with public policy. Her current and recent poverty-related projects include ongoing research into effective marginal tax rates created by means-tested benefit schedules and the tax system; a study (with WCPC affiliate Bob Plotnick) on the effects of highway tolls on low-income households; research into financial services used by low-income consumers; and an ethnographic study of financial well-being among families served by the Seattle Housing Authority. Email: romich at uw.edu; Phone: 206-616-6121

Denise Novotny, Program Director

Denise Novotny has a Master in Public Administration and a Master of Arts in International Studies from the University of Washington and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Whitman College. Her Master degree project was a program evaluation of microcredit projects in Guatemala. She also has a certificate in photovoltaic design and installation. Outside of her job with the Center, she works with renewable energy and other environmental and international activities. Email: dnovo at uw.edu; Phone: 206-616-2858

Shannon Harper, Research Director

Shannon Harper is a doctoral candidate in Sociology. Her dissertation research explores how couples make decisions about whether or not to marry. Prior to starting graduate school, Shannon worked in Washington, D.C. and Oakland, California, doing research on the effects of welfare reform at the state and national levels. At the WCPC, Shannon works on the Poverty Flash series and other written WCPC publications. Email: shannonh at uw.edu; Phone: 206-685-7727