Allie Jaarsma

Allie Jaarsma first joined NCEN in 2021 and is excited to be serving as secretary. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and spent the early part of her career working as a communications specialist and digital project manager for organizations in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors in the San Francisco Bay Area. She fell in love with North Carolina (and program evaluation) after moving to Durham in 2018 to earn her Master of Public Policy from Duke University and has spent the past three years working as a program evaluator and policy analyst, first for the North Carolina General Assembly and now at RTI International. She is particularly interested in K-12 education policy and helping state and local agencies ensure they are effectively serving their stakeholders. In her spare time, she loves to bake, hike, and explore the Triangle food scene. She also serves on the board of Durham Central Park, a five-acre park in the heart of downtown Durham.