Graduate School
Harvard Kennedy School

Undergraduate School
University of Massachusetts – Amherst

Mentor
Joan Wallace Benjamin, Executive Director, The Home for Little Wanderers and Rappaport Institute Advisory Board Member

Agency
City of Boston, Mayor’s Office

Supervisor
Chris Osgood, Special Advisor to the Mayor

Description of Fellowship
As a fellow in the Office of Mayor Thomas M. Menino, Kristen worked with the Boston Earned Income Tax Credit Coalition to analyze the tax preparation process at the two busiest free tax sites located in Roxbury and Dorchester. Her main research question was how these sites can provide increased asset development support services while helping the maximum amount of taxpayers. To find her answer, Kristen spent time at both sites interviewing the site directors and experiencing the processes first hand. She also conducted a best practices search by contacting site coordinators from across the country and learning about their operations. In the end, Kristen recommended an improved intake process and benefit screening program that should both increase participation at the sites and the quality and quantity of asset development.