Margaret Cahalan is a Senior Research Fellow at the Pell Institute, part of the Council for Opportunity in Education. She joined COE in 2011 after leading the Secondary-Postsecondary Cross-Cutting (SPCC) Team at the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and co-leading an i-3 grant titled “Using Data to Inform College Access Programming” awarded to COE. Prior to her role at ED, she spent over 20 years as a statistical research contractor at organizations like Westat, Mathematica, and RTI. In that capacity, she directed major surveys and TRIO national evaluations, playing a crucial role in the redesign of annual performance reports (APRs) for various programs.
Currently, Maggie is the Principal Investigator for the NSF-funded iStronG project, which empowers Upward Bound Students with a science curriculum focused on green STEM careers and climate change solutions using systems dynamics modeling tools. She is also the lead author of the Pell Institute and PennAHEAD publication series, “Indicators of Higher Education Equity in the United States Historical Trend Reports,” which tracks progress in higher education equity. Maggie is dedicated to reducing educational inequality, promoting inclusive talent development, and addressing climate change through place-based education and action research. She holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.