Center for Equity and Postsecondary Attainment
Dr. Laura Owen
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Dr. Laura Owen, Executive Director of the Center for Equity and Postsecondary Attainment, spearheads national efforts to strengthen school counseling and advance data-driven college and career advising. She directs the National School Counselor Fellows Program, which empowers counselors to address systemic barriers to postsecondary success. A former urban school counselor and district supervisor, her research bridges K–12 and higher education, evaluating programs that close equity and access gaps. She is co-author of The State of School Counseling: Revisiting the Path Forward and Equity-Based Career Development and Postsecondary Transitions.
Cathy Longstreet
GRADUATE STUDENT
Cathy Longstreet is a PhD student enrolled in a joint Education program between San Diego State University and Claremont Graduate University. Cathy was a public school counselor in West Michigan for 25 years. She worked with students in all grades K-12, serving most of her time as a district school counseling department chair and working with high school students as they created their post-secondary plans. She was appointed to Governor Whitmer’s Educator Advisory Council, chosen to work on multiple college and industry advisory boards, earned a College Board National Fellowship, and a Michigan College Access Network School Counselor Fellowship throughout her tenure as a school counselor.
Research, Data, and Evaluation
Tricia Hodge
Tricia Hodge is an evaluation and data strategy consultant with more than 20 years of experience leading large-scale, grant-funded research and evaluation initiatives across K-12, higher education, and nonprofit sectors. She has directed multi-million-dollar state, federal, and philanthropic evaluation projects, built custom data systems tracking 20+ key performance indicators, and developed equity-centered evaluation frameworks improved the developmental and educational outcomes for youth, families, and communities. Tricia’s expertise spans organizationally responsive mixed-method designs, data capacity building, and translating complex analyses into actionable strategies.
As the former CEPA Director of Research and Evaluation, Tricia delivered real-time data solutions by designing evaluation strategies that demonstrated measurable impact. Her leadership contributed to CEPA’s nationally recognized research on postsecondary pathways and informed innovative, data-driven approaches now integrated within the Center’s School Counselor Fellowship. Building on this foundation, Tricia launched Hodge Consulting to extend her impact, partnering with organizations nationwide to create data systems, evaluation frameworks, and strategic insights that turn evidence into action.
Raeal Moore Ph.D
Raeal Moore Ph.D. is Executive Director of Evaluation Data Solutions, LLC, a woman-owned, evaluation firm. With 20 years of experience in program evaluation and research, Dr. Moore has served as an independent evaluator or statistical consultant on multiple state and federally funded projects, including: Teacher Quality partnership, Advanced Technological Education, Replication and Expansion of High-Quality Charter Schools, Statewide Family Engagement Centers, 21st Century Community Learning Centers, Community Health Workers for COVID, National Professional Development, Mathematics and Science Partnerships, Teen Pregnancy Prevention, National Institute of Corrections, and Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy Program. For 11 years, Dr. Moore was a principal research scientist at ACT, specializing in survey research with a focus on elevating student voices, equity, and policy development. Dr. Moore teaches graduate-level statistics and research design courses and holds an MA and PhD in Quantitative Research, Evaluation and Measurement from The Ohio State University.