Wendy Viola oversees field building and research for the Institute, where she develops and leads efforts to deepen and spread understanding of the foundations and evidence of neighborhood-based cradle-to-career strategies across and beyond the field. In this role, Wendy serves as the connective tissue for the organization, ensuring the core ethos of WJWI’s mission and approach are infused into every aspect of its field-building work, codifying and articulating the evidence base for the field, upholding high standards and reflecting consistent messaging about the power and promise of locally-led approaches. A community psychologist by training, she has 16 years of experience in the field of research and evaluation in academic and applied settings, including the New York City Mayor’s Office of ThriveNYC and the Harlem Children’s Zone’s Research and Evaluation team. Wendy earned her bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and Masters and PhD in Applied Psychology from Portland State University.