Every fall we host an alumni panel. At the recent 2023 event, three 2020 alumni shared insights into their impactful roles in research, advocacy, and communication within various Chicago non-profit organizations.

• Jane Doyle, MA '20
• Maggi Ibis, MA '20
• Alana Warren, MA, CERT '20

Jane Doyle

• M.A. Urban Affairs, '20
• Policy and Advocacy Associate, Woodstock Institute

The Woodstock Institute engages in research and advocacy on issues of economic justice and racial inequity within financial systems, with a focus on housing policies. Prior to joining Woodstock, Jane worked as a policy strategy intern at Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago. There, she advocated for policies that support and create opportunities for affordable homeownership, particularly for Black and Latinx communities on Chicago’s South and West sides.

Maggi Ibis

• Master of Public Policy, '20
• Senior Communication Manager, Education Lab and Crime Lab, University of Chicago

Both the Education and Crime Labs engage in research with community partners in order to design, test, and scale data-driven innovations. They then focus on translating their findings into applications that could be applied across the nation. Prior to starting at the Education and Crime Labs in 2023, Maggi was a Researcher and Communications Specialist at the American Institutes for Research with a focus on education policy. She started with AIR as an intern while in the MPP program and advanced in their organization to the Researcher position. Maggi has done research or provided communication support in education policy, student re-engagement, early literacy, gun violence, and community violence interventions.

Alana Warren

• Master of Public Policy, '20
• Certifcate in Business Data Analysis, '20
• Senior Research Associate, Civic Federation

The Civic Federation is a non-partisan government research organization with a focus on government finance and cost effectiveness of government services in the City of Chicago and the State of Illinois. In addition to analytical work in her Senior Research position, Alana also engages in writing reports and communicating findings summarizing that research into the current policy arena. Alana did an internship with LUC’s Office of Civic Engagement while in her Master program where she gained experience with stakeholder engagement and community participation. She also pursued a Certificate in Data Analytics to strengthen her financial and analytical skills while completing her MPP degree.