Diamondnia — Policy · Research · Equity
Policy · Research · Equity

Diamondnia

MPP Candidate '25 UChicago Harris Researcher · Builder

A policy researcher at the intersection of equity, economics, and lived experience — building rigorous, community-rooted work in the spaces where systems meet people.

rooted in research. grown in community.

policy · research · equity · community · policy · research · equity · community ·
Diamondnia
Explore

Work, rooted in purpose.

A non-linear journey across research, advocacy, and building — each stop deepening a practice of equity-centered policy with people at the center.

My work spans climate policy, economic inequality, and gender equity — from the UN to Capitol Hill to community nonprofits. At the root of all of it is a commitment to equity-centered, data-driven solutions.

Education

Master of Public Policy candidate at the University of Chicago Harris School, specializing in energy and environment and international development.

  • Master of Public Policy University of Chicago · Harris School of Public Policy · Chicago, IL
    Advanced Micro Economics I & II ● Statistics I & II ● International Climate Policy ● Environmental Science & Policy
    Expected 2027 · Energy & Environment · Municipal Finance
  • Bachelor of Science — Economics University of North Carolina Greensboro · Greensboro, NC · Minor: Anthropology
    Environmental Anthropology ● Economics of Technology ● Business Finance ● Business Statistics ● International Economics
    May 2019
  • American Economic Association Summer Program Howard University · Washington, DC · Economics
    Econometrics ● Microeconomics
    July 2023
  • Study Abroad — International Economics & Spanish Veritas Universidad · San José, Costa Rica July 2018
Economic & Policy Research

From the Congressional Budget Office and Johns Hopkins to the UN — applying econometric, geospatial, and macroeconomic methods to inequality, labor markets, and sustainable development.

  • Economic Affairs Intern United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs · New York, NY December 2025 – May 2026
    • Conducting macroeconomic and structural policy analysis for Chapters 2–4 of the 2026 World Social Report, contributing to global research on inequality, economic growth, and sustainable development.
    • Supporting empirical analysis in R — including literature reviews, data collection, cleaning, and visualization to inform UN policy findings.
  • Research Assistant — International Development & Economics Johns Hopkins University · Baltimore, MD October 2024 – September 2025
    • Supported lead economists studying ethnic and gender-based employment discrimination and socio-economic outcomes for women in Nigeria, contributing to 2 NBER publications on labor market outcomes.
    • Applied geospatial modeling and data visualization in R to quantify gas flare exposure across African regions and assess socio-economic impacts on local populations.
    • Examined female entrepreneurship and skills training impacts on labor market outcomes in Africa through literature reviews and regression analysis, contributing to working papers.
    • Cleaned datasets and conducted summary statistics and linear regression analysis in R.
  • Research Assistant — Summer Intern Congressional Budget Office (CBO) · Washington, DC May 2023 – July 2023
    • Collaborated with senior economists in the Tax Analysis Division to evaluate COVID-era tax policies influencing $500 billion in federal spending decisions.
    • Used STATA to compile and analyze 2022 income tax data to calculate the Gini coefficient, assessing income inequality to strengthen budgetary and policy recommendations.
    • Delivered a comprehensive presentation on statistical and economic methodologies and research findings.
My Code · R Studio

Data storytelling built with R, RMarkdown, and R Shiny — translating rigorous quantitative research into clear, visual narratives for policy and community audiences.

  • Project / Analysis NameTools: R, RMarkdown, ggplot2Year
  • Project / Analysis NameTools: R Shiny, tidyverseYear
Non-Profit

Years of community-centered work at KIPP DC and The Sadie Collective — leading large-scale programming, partnerships, and data-driven initiatives to expand access to education and economic opportunity.

  • Senior Research & Data Consultant Black Child Development Institute DC · Washington, DC January 2025 – March 2026
    • Produced 4 comprehensive policy reports on the socio-economic conditions of children in Washington, DC, presenting findings at DC Council hearings and 5 community town halls.
    • Translated research reports into an interactive digital dashboard to expand public accessibility and policy impact.
  • Senior Associate & Conference Programs Director The Sadie Collective · Washington, DC May 2020 – May 2023
    • Promoted three times — from Fellow to Senior Fellow to Full-Time Associate — assuming expanding leadership responsibilities across programming, partnerships, and strategic growth.
    • Managed a $150,000 Goldman Sachs Foundation grant to design and scale international high school economic education programming across 9 U.S. states and 2 countries, growing institutional partnerships by 1,600%.
    • Supervised an 8-member engagement team delivering 5 monthly economics-focused programs serving 2,700+ participants from high school through early-career.
    • Served as primary institutional liaison to the Federal Reserve Banks of Chicago and New York, the Urban Institute, and the Brookings Institution — coordinating large-scale policy conferences with 1,000+ attendees.
    • Conceived and managed the 2021 Sadie T.M. Alexander Conference for Economics (SACE 2021) — the organization's first virtual global conference — overseeing strategy, budgeting, and full execution for 500+ attendees and 25 economists and policy leaders.
Environmental Justice

Founder & Executive Director of The Brown Moon Project — advancing global climate policy analysis for Black, Brown, and Indigenous women, with a particular focus on the Global South.

  • Founder & Executive Director The Brown Moon Project · Washington, DC December 2024 – Present
    • Founded a research-driven nonprofit examining environmental policy impacts on women in the U.S. and Global South, managing a three-person analytical research team conducting cross-national analysis on climate risk, structural inequality, and socio-economic vulnerability.
    • Developed a 100+ climate policy database spanning the United States, South America, and Africa to support comparative policy analysis, research synthesis, and public-facing knowledge translation.
    • Produced and host Rooted: Women, Earth, and Eco-Justice — a two-season, policy-focused podcast featuring 12+ interviews with eco-creatives, environmental attorneys, climate economists, and policy practitioners, translating technical research into accessible public dialogue.
    • Coordinated institutional partnerships with Black in Environment, BlackOak Collective, The Village DC, the DC Department of Energy and Environment, and Clean City DC — convening panels, policy discussions, and community programs engaging 300+ participants.
    • Built a public educational platform including a climate policy glossary and curated resource library, reaching 1,000+ followers across social media.