Transition Announcement: Graduated from Hopkins, Working at National Summer Learning Association

Greetings,

 

Though some may already be aware, I’m writing to let you know that after two wonderful and challenging years I’ve graduated from The Institute of Health and Social Policy at Johns Hopkins University with a Master’s in Public Policy. My time at Hopkins was a truly fantastic experience, thank you to everyone I had the pleasure of working and learning with.

 

Immediately following my graduation from Hopkins I accepted the position of Program Quality and Evaluation Manager at The National Summer Learning Association. In this position I lead NSLA’s work on formative evaluations and assessments and support all the major program quality initiatives across the US. This summer I’ve traveled all over the country from New York to Kentucky to California working to build high quality summer learning programs. I love seeing amazing programs on the ground, without having to be the one responsible for running the program itself. It’s definitely a change from my days managing volunteers and running after-school programs, but my evaluation work allows me to stay connected to young people while making a larger impact on education (specifically the achievement gap and summer learning loss) at the national level. It’s truly a win-win for me! 

 

I am also happy to announce that after my wedding this summer, I will now be using my married name Dara Murray. You can keep in touch via LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/in/daramurray) or Twitter (https://twitter.com/dara_laine).