Samannita Halder joined PRiME as a Student Worker in December 2023. A freshman in Computer Engineering, she is dedicated to designing sleek, engaging infographics and managing PRiME’s website to ensure everything looks polished and accessible. With a passion for design and a love for aviation, you’ll often find her exploring coding challenges or geeking out over Top Gun: Maverick references in her free time.

Natalie Lo joined the PRiME Center in February 2025. She is majoring in education with a concentration in elementary education. Natalie is passionate about understanding the education system and making it accessible and equitable for all. Besides education, Natalie loves gymnastics, bunnies, and her home state, California.

Jennifer Ash is a Visiting Fellow at the PRiME Center, joining Saint Louis University in 2025. Prior to joining SLU, she directed the National Center for Rural Education Research Networks at Harvard University’s Center for Education Policy Research, where she supported over 100 districts in using data and evidence to improve student outcomes. She has also conducted research at Abt Global and served as Managing Director of the Office for Education Policy at the University of Arkansas. She earned her Ph.D. in Education Policy from the University of Arkansas and began her career as a middle school Language Arts teacher in Miami-Dade Public Schools. In her free time, she enjoys attending theatre and comedy shows.

She is a highly accomplished, results-oriented nonprofit leader with a 20+ year track record of success. She a knack for crafting and successfully executing strategies that achieve impact and growth. She brings out the best in them – and is particularly adept at assembling high performance teams. 

Candice Johnson is a Ph.D. candidate in Higher Education Administration at Saint Louis University. She holds a master’s degree in Biology and a master’s degree in Education from SIUE. Candice is passionate about advancing educational equity and enjoys working to provide resources that support improved learning outcomes for all students. Outside of her academic and professional pursuits, she loves spending time in nature with her pets, two sons, and husband.

Deanna earned a PhD in Sociology from the University of Notre Dame, where she was housed in the Center for Research on Educational Opportunity (CREO). Her dissertation examined job search strategies utilized by people with criminal records. Her master’s thesis identified early childhood predictors of academic success and high school completion and the role that school engagement plays in this process. Deanna is an alumna of the Strategic Data Project (SDP) Agency Fellowship with Harvard’s Center for Education Policy Research (CEPR). She is a first-generation college student and is passionate about supporting historically disadvantaged students and working toward educational equity.

Amy is a Research Fellow and Adjunct Professor of Education Policy at Saint Louis University, where she previously earned her Ph.D. in Education Policy and Equity. She formerly taught 5th grade in Tulsa, OK through Teach for America, helped coordinate a citywide early literacy intervention summer program, and served as an elected member of the Tulsa Public Schools Board of Education. Her current research and teaching focuses on the relationship between neighborhood and school segregation, the impact of school choice programs on integration, and the recent rise in non-public schooling in Missouri. Her dissertation examined the relationship between charter school type, neighborhood type, and student sorting across schools.

Courtney Vahle has been at the PRiME Center since October 2023. She has her doctorate degree from Mizzou in Learning, Teaching, and Curriculum with an emphasis in Math Education. She also serves as an Adjunct Professor and Field Supervisor in Saint Louis University’s School of Education. Her favorite part of her job is creating research products that make complicated education topics easy to understand. In her free time, she loves walking her dog, playing board games, and spending time with her husband and young son.

Abigail is a St. Louis native and a research associate at PRiME, working since June 2023 and in partnership with St. Louis Public Schools (SLPS). She has her Master's in Public Administration from the University of Dayton in Ohio, and her favorite part of working for PRiME is the opportunity to learn more about education/ed. policy and its impacts on her community. When she's not at SLU, Abigail enjoys getting brunch, seeing movies, and spending time with her family and friends.

Kathryn Coleman, Ph.D. Candidate in Education Policy and Equity, has been contributing to the PRiME center since July 2022, initially as a Research Associate and currently as the Director of Research Practice Partnerships since November 2023. She thrives on collaborating with local education agencies, cherishing the opportunity to make a tangible impact in the field. Beyond her professional pursuits, Kathryn finds joy in spending quality time with her family and sharing her passion for track and field as a coach in her free time.

Collin Hitt is Executive Director of the PRiME Center. Prior to joining Saint Louis University in 2023, he served on the faculty of Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. He earned his PhD in Education Policy in 2016 from the University of Arkansas, where he co-founded Charassein: The Character Assessment Initiative. He has published research in education policy, school finance, survey methods, non-cognitive skills, economics, and academic medicine. He is a Springfield, Illinois native with deep Missouri roots, a husband and father of two young sons.