Jamila Henderson is a Senior Research Associate with the California Policy Lab at UC Berkeley where she works on projects focused on education and the criminal legal system. Jamila provides data analysis and technical assistance to data sharing partners on the Student Supports project. Through this project, CPL is helping its partners to measure how many college students use the CalFresh program, and to test strategies to enroll more eligible students into the program. Jamila is also working with partners in San Francisco to inform health and housing interventions for individuals who come into frequent contact with the emergency medical and criminal legal systems. Supporting partners with data and research to inform policies that enable all communities to thrive is one of the most fulfilling parts of her work.

Prior to joining CPL, Jamila worked as a Senior Associate at PolicyLink where she equipped grassroots leaders across the country with data to advance racial and economic equity. Before that, she worked as a Senior Policy Analyst at the John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities at Stanford University. At the Gardner Center, she analyzed student-level data in partnership with school districts, government agencies, and nonprofits to improve educational outcomes for youth.

Jamila holds a master’s degree in city and regional planning from the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Spelman College. Outside of work you can find her and her husband trying to keep up with their two daughters.