“Dr. Modestino is a natural leader in bridging academic rigor with pressing public policy challenges. She possesses a rare ability to communicate complex data and quantitative analysis in an accessible and compelling way. Since her appointment by Governor Baker to the board of directors of the Massachusetts Housing Partnership (MHP) in 2015, I have had the privilege of working closely with her. As MHP’s recently elected board chair, she played a key role in guiding the adoption of a new strategic plan in December aimed at addressing the Commonwealth’s housing crisis through research-driven best practices. Her success in launching Northeastern’s Community to Community (C2C) impact accelerator reflects the same approach she helped us develop at MHP: producing actionable, evidence-based tools and policy briefs tailored to the needs of policymakers and practitioners. Dr. Modestino’s scholarship and leadership have had a profound impact not only on MHP but on housing policy statewide.” Clark Ziegler, Executive Director, Massachusetts Housing Partnership [Read More]
“As a senior leader within the Cabinet, I have had the honor of collaborating closely with Dr. Modestino over the years. Her passion for leveraging data and research to change the lives of young people is truly inspirational, and her commitment to authentic partnership is unparalleled. I have seen firsthand the powerful and lasting impact of her research on youth employment policy and workforce development in our city. Dr. Modestino's work on summer youth employment has had a transformative effect on local policy. Through her rigorous, community-engaged research, she has equipped the city with vital data and insights that have led to the expansion and enhancement of the Boston Summer Jobs Program. This body of research has not only shaped Boston's approach to youth employment but has also influenced other municipalities and national conversations on youth workforce development. Dr. Modestino seamlessly integrates rigor and relevance, benefiting both the University's academic mission and the broader Boston community we serve.” Rashad O. Cope, Deputy Chief of the Worker Empowerment Cabinet, City of Boston [Read More]
“At the PIC, I am fortunate to have worked with Dr. Modestino over these past several years and have seen first-hand how the youth employment field has benefitted considerably from her commitment to researching the impact of summer jobs and internships. Her work has helped engage multiple stakeholders, youth, employers, intermediaries, funders, and government in data-driven policy and programmatic decisions to improve our initiatives and expand what’s working in the youth employment field. At the policy level, Dr. Modestino’s research and leadership were instrumental in preserving Boston’s summer youth employment program during 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in some cities cutting summer youth employment programs (SYEPs) at a time when youth unemployment was skyrocketing. She leveraged her partnership with the City of Boston to develop alternative options that could help preserve the City’s summer jobs program. Her efforts alongside her policy partners succeeded in persuading then Mayor Walsh to commit an additional $4.1 in Cares Act funding to provide four new alternative tracks to ensure meaningful experiences that would employ the same number of youth at the same rate of pay while developing a similar set of skills and behaviors that had led to the improvements in longer-term outcomes.” Neil Sullivan, Executive Director, Boston Private Industry Council [Read More]
“Dr. Modestino’s work has had a significant and lasting impact on the workforce development landscape in Greater Boston, from my lens through her collaboration with Jewish Vocational Service (JVS). She led an important research project evaluating the effectiveness of our job quality coaching services and evaluation of a tool we created in the early childhood education sector. Her evaluation did more than just measure outcomes—it fundamentally shaped how we and others in the field understand the broader implications of job quality interventions for this critical and often undervalued workforce and its employers. What makes Dr. Modestino such a valued partner is the visible and tangible impact of her work in underserved communities. By highlighting the potential of the early education workforce—a hidden talent pool too often overlooked—her research has helped expand access to better jobs and influenced strategies at both the organizational and policy level. In short, Dr. Modestino is a rare academic who brings together intellectual rigor, policy relevance, and a deep commitment to community impact. Her work has made Northeastern University a recognized leader in community-engaged research.” Mandy Townsend, Senior Vice President of Employer Engagement, Jewish Vocational Service (JVS) Boston [Read More]
