Megan Russo is a project associate in the Justice Policy Center at the Urban Institute, where she provides research and operational support for various projects. Before joining Urban, she was a resident in social enterprise fellow at New Sector Alliance, a program that provides training and mentorship for early career professionals committed to working in the social sector long term.

Russo earned her BA in sociology from the University of Pennsylvania, graduating summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. She also graduated with distinction, writing an honors thesis titled, Silence, Friends, and Mentorship: How low-income students mitigate the effects of social isolation in an elite institutional context.