Joanne Kersh

Joanne Kersh is the Director of Research for the Association of Independent Colleges of Art & Design (AICAD). Since 2013, she has developed and directed strategic research initiatives that support AICAD’s mission to help strengthen its member institutions individually and collectively and to advocate for the value of an education in the arts and design. Her current projects focus on documenting long-term career trajectories of arts and design alumni and on developing ethical frameworks for arts and design research and practice. Prior to joining AICAD in 2013, Joanne was a senior research associate at the University of Massachusetts Boston, where she worked closely with public schools and educational non-profit agencies to develop and evaluate programs that promoted equitable educational opportunities. She has a PhD in Developmental and Educational Psychology from Boston College, a Master’s degree in Educational Research from Northeastern University, and a Bachelor’s degree from New York University.