CLASP Affiliated Scholars and Practitioners
CLASP’s Affiliated Scholars and Practitioners are experts from across disciplines and backgrounds who inform our anti-poverty and racial equity mission, enhance our areas of expertise, and broaden the reach of our work.
These professionals bring their expertise to CLASP while maintaining their own research, consulting, and projects.
◆ Across disciplines
Experts from a wide range of fields, backgrounds, and issue areas.
◆ Rooted in equity
Work that advances our anti-poverty and racial equity mission.
◆ Independent
Members keep their own research, consulting, and projects.
Meet the Scholars and Practitioners
Ruth Friedman
Former Director, Office of Child Care, Administration for Children & Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Dr. Ruth Friedman is the former director of the Office of Child Care at the Administration for Children & Families in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services where she was the architect of a new CCDF rule that lowered family child care costs and achieved overdue reforms on how child care providers participating in CCDF are paid. Appointed during the pandemic, she leveraged more than $50 billion in supplemental child care funding to help keep programs open and lower child care costs for families. She brings more than twenty-five years of experience in child and family policy, including leading the early learning agenda in the U.S. House of Representatives on behalf of Representative George Miller and the House Education & Labor Committee.
CLASP Publications
Kaelin Rapport
Former Policy Analyst, CLASP · Ph.D., Cultural Anthropology, Northwestern University
Dr. Kaelin Rapport is a former Policy Analyst at CLASP who uses ethnographic and qualitative methodologies to empower the voices of marginalized communities in spaces where they have been historically excluded. Kaelin’s research experience has focused on racial health disparities and inequities in criminal justice practice, housing, employment, and health care. Before joining CLASP, Kaelin received his Doctoral degree in Cultural Anthropology from Northwestern University.
During his time in higher education, Kaelin worked with the Educational Opportunity Program at Marquette University and the Ronald E. McNair Program at the University of Maryland, College Park, to support the educational attainment and research endeavors of students from racially minoritized, first-generation, and lower income backgrounds. In addition to serving as part of a team conducting research on the mental health of DACA recipients, Kaelin was a CRTA fellow at the National Cancer Institute, where he worked to facilitate collaboration between stakeholders in providing preventative care and cancer screening opportunities.
Selected CLASP Publications
Recruitment
CLASP is seeking Affiliated Scholars and Practitioners with expertise across disciplines, expertise, and issue areas related to our anti-poverty and racial equity mission. We are particularly interested in welcoming those with narrative, campaign, and movement expertise, as well as quantitative and qualitative research.
CLASP is intentional about racial equity and strongly encourages BIPOC individuals and those with lived experience to reach out to us.
Professionals interested in this program should contact Surjeet Ahluwalia.
Benefits to Scholars
CLASP Affiliated Scholars and Practitioners will be part of the CLASP community, be listed on our website, and have access to our policy teams’ expertise and our office space. Affiliated Scholars and Practitioners will have the opportunity to fundraise with us and become consultants on funded opportunities. Funding will not be provided outside of specific consultant arrangements.