PPIC Research Affiliate

Darriya Starr

PPIC Research Affiliate

Darriya Starr is a research associate at the PPIC Higher Education Center, where she researches K–12 education policy. Her work focuses on the challenges and achievements of California’s education system, as well as opportunities for improving the future for Californians. Prior to joining PPIC, she was a research assistant at the Harvard University Kennedy School Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Foundation, the Harvard University Economics Department, and the Harvard University Institute of Politics. Her past research has focused on students’ access to...

Tess Thorman

PPIC Research Affiliate

Tess Thorman is a research associate at the Public Policy Institute of California, where she studies poverty, inequality, and the social safety net. Recent projects have also focused on California’s stake in the 2020 Census. Before joining PPIC, she worked as a consultant with the Center for Migration Studies of New York, where she researched capacity for implementing a large-scale legalization program for undocumented immigrants. She holds an MPP from the University of Southern California and a BA with majors in English and musical studies from Oberlin College.