Drew Gadaire

Education

• Ph.D., M.A. University of North Carolina at Charlotte
• B.S. Davidson College

Areas of Expertise

• Community Psychology
• Program Evaluation
• Quantitative Research Methods
• Early Childhood Education
• Community-Based Interventions

I graduated from Davidson in 2012 and received my Ph.D. in Health Psychology (with a concentration in community psychology) from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 2021.

During my doctoral studies, I conducted applied research and evaluation that sought to enhance the systems and organizations that influence the well-being and development of children and families experiencing marginalization. A few examples of prior projects include:

• Conducting focus groups with unaccompanied immigrant youth from Central America to understand their experiences and inform the services of a dropout prevention program (Communities In Schools: Charlotte)
• Conducting interviews and focus groups in Guatemala to understand the strengths and challenges of the Wakami business incubation model, which connects women with life changing income to promote economic development and enhance health and education outcomes in their communities.
• Collecting and summarizing qualitative and quantitative data to inform the efforts of Leading on Opportunity to increase economic mobility for young parents experiencing marginalization related to their age, race, language, and income.
• Supporting the implementation and evaluation of early childhood interventions aiming to enhance social-emotional instruction in public pre-k and improve the professional support provided to teachers.

Prior to starting at Davidson in 2022, I directed research and evaluation at Charlotte Bilingual Preschool, where I collected and analyzed student and family data to inform and evaluate Charlotte Bilingual Preschool’s programs. In this position, much of my work focused on understanding and enhancing the preschool’s culturally responsive, two-generation approach to supporting Latinx children and their families.

My current research focuses on how innovative family-focused and community-focused programs promote social capital, economic opportunity, and ultimately, more equitable outcomes for children and families.