Michelle Albaugh is a doctoral candidate in the Human Development & Social Policy program in the School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University. She received a bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, from DePaul University in music in 1994. Her research thus far has centered on the intersection of personal faith and political ideology. She has collaborated with Professor Dan McAdams, using his narrative theory of personality and associated methodologies to study how committed Christians, politically liberal and conservative, differ from each other. Her interests include religious identity, religious trends in American society and culture, charismatic/transformational leadership, leadership in religious organizations, qualitative and narrative methods, and a variety of quantitative methods.

Molly received her bachelor's degree in Women’s Studies from Carleton College.  After graduating, she spent several years working in social services in Chicago.  Molly also spent two years as a research assistant on a randomized, Head Start-based intervention conducted by Cybele Raver at the University of Chicago.  Her advisor at Northwestern is Dan Lewis and she has also worked with David Figlio and Greg Duncan. 

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. is currently the Associate Director of the Asset-Based Community Development Institute at Northwestern University, a member of the research faculty at Northwestern, and a member of the adjunct faculty at the University of Chicago. She is also operates her own research and consulting firm specializing in the areas of asset-based community development, community based participatory research, program evaluation, and social justice strategies for philanthropic and nonprofit organizations. All of her work emphasizes strengthening neighborhood, nonprofit, philanthropic, and other organizations through the design and implementation of asset-oriented strategies.

Deborah teaches university courses in several topic areas, including the family in a changing society, US social welfare policy, asset-based community development, and gender and the life course. Her research and writing emphasize themes related to community, gender, social justice, and social policy.

Deborah has been working with John McKnight and Jody Kretzmann at the Asset-Based Community Development Institute for almost 20 years, first as a graduate research fellow, then Director of Research and Publications, and now Associate Director. In addition to authoring many of the institute’s publications, Dr. Puntenney has extensive experience working directly with community groups designing community-based participatory research projects, and partnering with them on the implementation of those efforts. Deborah's work with ABCD has taken her in a variety of directions, including exploring the application of asset-based community development principles to nonprofit settings. Her work with the Chicago Foundation for Women was published in the ABCD workbook series in a volume titled Building Sustainable Organizations from the Inside Out. Recently, she and Jody Kretzmann co-authored a chapter in an edited volume by Gary Paul Green, titled Mobilizing Communities: Asset Building as a Community Development Strategy (forthcoming 2009).

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. is the president of a consulting firm specializing in community and social change research, and evaluation.  Her work emphasizes strengthening nonprofit, philanthropic, and neighborhood organizations through the design and implementation of asset-oriented strategies.  Her research and writing emphasize themes related to community, gender, and social policy.

Jennifer Stephan is a doctoral candidate in Human Development and Social Policy. She earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Vassar College and a master’s degree in economics from Princeton University. Before coming to Northwestern, Jennifer worked as a research analyst, most recently at a business consulting firm. There, she managed survey-based research design and the application, evaluation, and interpretation of statistical procedures. Her primary research interest is to understand adolescents’ decisions about postsecondary education and work, and the influence of social contexts—including families, schools, and peers—on those decisions. Through this work, she seeks ways to improve the information, guidance, and incentives schools and policymakers provide students to help them formulate and implement educational and occupational plans. Jennifer currently works with Professor Jim Rosenbaum studying the transition from high school to college. 

I am a 5th year doctoral student in Human Development and Social Policy. I earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from North Carolina State University. My advisor is Jelani Mandara. My primary interests include the roles of family functioning and culture on academic achievement. Currently I am studying how parental beliefs and expectations influence African American adolescents' academic achievement.