Rekha Balu
Rekha Balu
Co-Vice President, Race and Equity Division
Colead, Upholding Equity Commitments through Methods, Analytics, and Capacity-Building Practice Area
Director of Federal Equity Initiatives
Race and Equity​ Division
  • Profile
  • Outside Affiliations
  • Rekha Balu is the director of federal equity initiatives and co-vice president of the Race and Equity Division at the Urban Institute, where she leads research and policy programs that deploy analytics and evidence to inform federal agencies on how to advance equity.

    Balu joins Urban from MDRC, where she was a senior fellow and director of the Center for Applied Behavioral Science. She launched a portfolio of studies and designed interventions tackling challenges in human services, K–12 education, and the transition to postsecondary education. She has partnered with federal agencies and grantees around the country to help them base their decisions on data and evidence.

    In 2019, as a fellow with the Office of Evaluation Sciences in the US General Services Administration, she developed trainings, intervention designs, and field trials for federal agencies. She has an undergraduate degree from Northwestern University, a master of education degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a master’s degree in economics from Stanford University. She earned her doctorate in the economics of education from Stanford University. 

    Research and Evidence
    Race and Equity Technology and Data
    Expertise
    Artificial Intelligence
    Tags
    Racial Equity Analytics Lab Community Engagement Resource Center

    Latest Content: Rekha Balu

    Outside Affiliations
    Independent Sector Public Policy Committee (PPC)
    Committee member
    Body

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