Dr. Josh Shapiro is the Director of Institutional Research and the Executive Director of the Center for Research and Evaluation at UC San Diego Extension. His current evaluation projects cover a wide range of topics from healthcare, advanced manufacturing, STEM education, to the role of philanthropy in economic development. He has worked on a number of labor market and innovation reports including a grant from the National Science Foundation on the role social and cultural dynamics play in regional economic development. Dr. Shapiro was one of the core evaluators on the effectiveness of the Department of Labor’s $500 million WIRED initiative, which involved 15 regions across the United States. Additionally, he has conducted a number of community based research projects building indicators and dashboards to measure collective impact as well as working with non-profits throughout San Diego to demonstrate social change. From this work Dr. Shapiro created a specialized certificate in Community Research and Program Evaluation which allows working professionals from a variety of disciplines to develop baseline training in data collection, analysis and program evaluation. Dr. Shapiro also leads Extension’s market research team, which focuses on assisting departments gather labor market intelligence for new educational and training programs. He has taught classes on Research Methodology for UC San Diego and is trained in both Qualitative and Quantitative methodologies with a specialization in survey design. Before attending graduate school Dr. Shapiro worked in the Conflict Resolution field in Washington D.C., was a public school teacher in South Carolina, and built homes with Habitat for Humanity in Louisiana. Dr. Shapiro holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Sociology from the University of California, San Diego and a B.A. in Social Thought and Analysis from Washington University in St. Louis.