Dr. Laura Harris joined the faculty of the Division of Public and Nonprofit Administration in 2005.  From 1999 to 2005, she was a Research Associate at The Urban Institute in the Metropolitan Housing and Communities Policy Center.  At The Urban Institute, Dr. Harris’ research included research projects tracking outcomes for residents at several public housing HOPE VI sites, studies of participants in the Moving to Opportunity Demonstration Program, and a range of other projects related to economic self-sufficiency among public housing residents. 

In 2004-2005, Dr. Harris organized a series of workshops around the country that included housing authority staff and local evaluators to discuss issues of chronic health problems and economic self-sufficiency for residents at HOPE VI sites.  Her research on issues of self-sufficiency outcomes has resulted in a wide range of publications, including reports to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, policy briefs, and peer-review journal articles for housing policy researchers, sociologists, and the public health community.

Dr. Harris’ current research focuses on issues of planning and implementing mixed-income communities where public housing has been demolished.  These mixed-income projects represent unprecedented cooperation among local housing agencies, city offices, private developers, community groups and social service providers.  Her research interests lie in understanding the roles of the actors in developing and implementing neighborhood development plans, as well as evaluations of outcomes for the former public housing residents in the revitalized communities.  Similarly, Dr. Harris’ teaching interests are in Policy Evaluation and Policy Analysis, for federal, state, local, and nonprofit agencies.