Dr. Kendra Winner is the Research and Evaluation Coordinator in the Office of Planning and Research (OPR) at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). In this role, Kendra manages DESE’s research team, develops and directs large scale evaluations (e.g., Race to the Top and ESSER), and oversees external evaluations on department initiatives which currently include diversifying the Massachusetts superintendency, educational services for students with disabilities in institutional settings, and educational services for students with limited or interrupted formal education. Kendra serves on DESE’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Steering Committee and is a longtime member of the Governing Board member for the Regional Educational Laboratory for the Northeast and Islands. Kendra holds a Master’s in Early Childhood Education from Tufts University and a Doctor of Education in Human Development and Psychology from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.