Core Team — The Policy Academies

Lynette Rawlings, PhD

Policy Analysis and Research at the Urban Institute – the pilot program that served as the underpinnings of The Policy Academies. In addition to running The Policy Academies, Dr. Rawlings is also a member of the National Academy of Social Insurance. She has been a Senior Consultant with the Urban Institute and a Non-Resident Fellow in the Brookings Institution's Metropolitan Policy Program. An accomplished researcher and analyst, she has over 20 years of experience exploring issues of equity, inclusion, and economic opportunity at leading policy research institutions.
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Ashley Williams Clark

Director of Outreach and Strategic Initiatives at UNC Charlotte Urban Institute. Prior to this, Williams Clarke was the Assistant Director at the Institute for Social Capital at the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute. She has experience in applied policy research and data analysis, affordable housing, integrated data systems, community development, and community engagement. Williams Clarke has her Masters in City and Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She was also the Director of Operations for the Academy for Public Policy Analysis and Research at the Urban Institute.

Alex Maza

He is currently the Vice President of Strategic Engagement & Learning at The Policy Academies, an organization dedicated to training the next generation of policy leaders. He leads their partnership development and program evaluation efforts to build a diverse talent pipeline that will strengthen policy organizations and governmental institutions.
Alex received a Master in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and has extensive experience in strategy, data analysis, and continuous improvement.

Marlene Castro

Because of the programs she benefitted from as a student and as a first-generation professional, she was able to start her career in education program development. First, as a K-12 classroom teacher in Oakland, CA with Teach for America, then into start-up and nonprofit management, and most recently at Meta to build programs at the intersection of technology and learning. Marlene has driven local community initiatives and global program solutions that create pathways of access to funding, training & development, and resources, positively impacting key social issues like digital literacy rates and entrepreneurship development for BIPOC & historically underrepresented communities.
Marlene received her Bachelor's degree from UC Berkeley in Political Science and Rhetoric, and a teaching credential and Masters in Urban Education Policy and Public Administration from Loyola Marymount University.She is also a TPA Legacy Alumna from the 2011 Cohort.

Meet the Team