Since joining MDRC in 1996, Verma has been involved with the design, analysis, and management of a wide range of evaluation projects. She currently oversees the evaluation of the Chicago New Communities Program, a multi-method assessment of a complex community development initiative underway in 16 communities. In addition, she is involved with Opportunity NYC, a test of conditional cash transfers, leading the project’s survey effort. She co-authored the final evaluation report of the Jobs-Plus Demonstration, an initiative testing the effectiveness of an employment-focused neighborhood saturation strategy on transforming public housing neighborhoods. She also served as a co-principal investigator on the neighborhood indicators component of MDRC’s Project on Devolution and Urban Change, a study that examined the effects of welfare reform on large urban areas. Her expertise in welfare policy and neighborhood research has benefited from her years of study and work at Case Western Reserve University, where, prior to joining MDRC, she worked at the Center for Urban Poverty and Social Change investigating the implications of changes in welfare policy and community impacts. Verma maintains an active schedule of publications for research and policy audiences. She holds a Ph.D. in social welfare from Case Western Reserve University.
