Kristen Joyce

Kristen Joyce specializes in qualitative research and evaluating the implementation of public assistance and employment and training programs aimed at helping families improve their economic security.   

Joyce leads the implementation evaluation data collection and evaluation technical assistance and monitoring of one site for a random assignment evaluation of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Employment and Training pilot programs. She also works on an impact evaluation of coaching interventions aimed at helping Temporary Assistance for Needy Families recipients and others reach their employment and economic security goals. Her roles include recruiting for sites, designing qualitative data collection instruments, performing technical assistance and monitoring, and collecting implementation evaluation data. She recently completed work on an evaluation of a self-employment intervention to help unemployed and underemployed people start their own businesses, in which she conducted implementation evaluation data collection, led the analysis and reporting of the qualitative data, and provided technical assistance and monitoring as a lead site liaison. 

Before joining Mathematica in 2014, Joyce worked as a SNAP assistant director for the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance and as a social science analyst and Presidential Management Fellow in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She holds a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University.