K-12 Advocacy: Meet the Team
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Sekou Biddle
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Meredith Anderson, Ph.D.
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Askale Davis
Meredith Anderson, Ph.D.
Senior Research Associate
Meredith.Anderson@uncf.org
Meredith Anderson, Ph.D. is a Senior Research Associate in the K-12 Advocacy Department and Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute at UNCF, where she leads and designs empirical research related to K-12 education reform for African American students. Dr. Anderson has over 10 years of extensive research experience, including survey design and management, quantitative and qualitative analysis, and program evaluation.
Anderson's publications have focused on race, educational inequities, African American community voice in education, and the influence of representation on grouping and tracking outcomes for African American male students. Meredith's most recent publications for UNCF are: A Seat at the Table: African American Youth's Perceptions of K-12 Education; Lift Every Voice and Lead: African American Leaders Perspectives of K-12 Education Reform; The Lift Every Voice and Lead Toolkit: A Community Leader's Advocacy Resource for K-12 Education; Building Better Narratives in Black Education; and The Condition of College and Career Readiness 2015: African American Students.
Prior to her work at UNCF, Anderson was program evaluator for Baltimore City Public Schools, where she contributed to the development and management of the teacher and principal evaluation system, conducted statistical analyses to inform decision-making and led the evaluation survey for principals. Anderson also contributed to the Maryland Longitudinal Data System development at the Maryland State Department of Education. Additionally, Dr. Anderson was a postdoctoral fellow in the School of Public Affairs at American University. She has also taught in the Department of African American Studies at Georgetown University and is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Public Administration and Policy at American University where she teaches courses on race and public policy. She is also on the board for the Wayfinder Foundation and The Center for Postsecondary Readiness and Success.
Prior to her work in Washington D.C., Meredith was a Research Associate for the Project for Equity, Representation and Governance (PERG) at Texas A&M University. Meredith earned both her B.A. and doctorate in Political Science from Texas A&M University.
Askale Davis
Askale Davis joined the K-12 Advocacy team in March 2020 as Community Engagement Manager. She is primarily responsible for implementing UNCF’s K-12 strategy by building and managing strong community relationships and impacting the local education environment in the Washington, DC Area and Indianapolis, IN. For the last 12 years, Askale has devoted her career to urban education and workforce readiness in the Washington, DC area. Prior to joining UNCF, Askale managed a program that focused on school-wide restorative justice and community restitution practices, as well as provided wrap-around student support services for at-risk youth. Askale’s passion for urban education and advocacy began when she started her career as a secondary school tutor for DC Public Charter Schools during her senior year of college.
Askale is a proud graduate of Howard University. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and Chemistry.