Meet the Noncredit Student Perspectives Project Team
Michelle Van Noy, Principle Investigator, is the Director of the Education and Employment Research Center at the School of Management and Labor Relations at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. She has more than 20 years of experience conducting research on education and the workforce focused on credentials, community colleges, and connections between higher education and the labor market. She is currently leading studies on technician education and economic development, state noncredit education data, non-degree credential quality, and student decision making about programs and careers.
Before joining EERC, Dr. Van Noy conducted research at the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers, the Community College Research Center at Teachers College, Columbia University, and Mathematica Policy Research. She holds a Ph.D. in sociology and education from Columbia University, a M.S. in public policy from Rutgers, and a B.A. in psychology and Spanish from Rutgers.
Katherine Hughes is a nationally-known education researcher and writer and is the principal of EdWordian, LLC. She was previously a principal researcher with the American Institutes for Research; Executive Director, Community College and Higher Education Initiatives, at the College Board; and the Assistant Director for Work and Education Reform Research at the Community College Research Center, the leading independent authority on the nation’s two-year colleges.
Hughes’ research and publications have addressed college readiness and the high school to college transition, dual enrollment, career and technical education (CTE), and community college reforms, among other areas. She directed the CTE Research Network, a five-year initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Education, which expanded the causal evidence base on CTE.
Hughes has published results from her work in a range of periodicals including Journal of College Student Retention, Community College Review, Teachers College Record, Techniques, and Phi Delta Kappan, and she co-authored the book Working Knowledge: Work-Based Learning and Education Reform. Hughes received her Ph.D. in sociology from Columbia University.
Maria Espino earned her PhD in the Higher Education Administration Program from Iowa State University. Her dissertation explored how Latin* first-generation, low-income early college high school graduates are transitioning to a four-year institution. She obtained her Master’s degree in Educational Policy and Leadership at Marquette University and her Bachelor’s degree at the University of Wisconsin – Madison with a double major in Community and Nonprofit Leadership and Gender and Women studies. As a qualitative researcher, she explores (in)equities in higher education particularly focusing on the experiences of marginalized students. As a scholar and a student advocate, she believes that it is important to not only conduct research, it is crucial to humanize, empower, and support the community.
Nicole Boyd is a researcher with the Education and Employment Research Center. Nikki’s research focuses on the intersection between education and workforce development, with a particular interest in how lifelong learning, stackable credentials, and accessible pathways to education influence employment, earnings, and quality of life. Nikki specializes in quantitative research methods, including econometric analysis and program evaluation, and has experience conducting qualitative methods as well. Before joining the Rutgers community, Nikki served as the executive director of Focus NJ-The Center for Economic Research and Workforce Solutions and the director of economic policy research at the New Jersey Business & Industry Association. Nikki is expected to complete her Ph.D. in May 2026. She most recently earned an MA in Education Policy from Rutgers University-New Brunswick. She also holds an MA in Public Policy and BA in Political Science from Monmouth University.
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