Remembering Bright Sarfo

Bright Sarfo, Principal Associate, worked at MEF Associates for eight years, until he passed away unexpectedly on April 2, 2023. Bright was a respected voice in the field – an expert researcher who was deeply invested in building programs and policies that meet the needs of families. He was known best for his work in the fatherhood field, where he was a true pioneer.

Bright grew up in the Bronx, and pursued his undergraduate degree at Stonybrook University. From there, he earned a master’s and doctorate in social work policy and research at Columbia University. Upon graduating, Bright completed a fellowship at the Social Intervention Group and later worked with the Center for Urban Families to develop the “Developing all Dads for Manhood and Parenting” (DAD MAP) curriculum.

During his time at MEF Bright made significant research contributions to federal projects such as the Race Equity for Fatherhood, Relationship, and Marriage Programs (REFRAME) project, the Testing Identified Elements for Success in Fatherhood Program project, the Building Bridges and Bonds (B3) Evaluation, Strengthening the Implementation of Responsible Fatherhood Programs. He also continued his longstanding relationship with The Center for Urban Families, which included evaluating the DAD MAP curriculum and evaluating a model for promoting active fatherhood in Head Start programs nationwide.

During his time at MEF, Bright also helped establish a summer internship program for rising senior undergraduates from traditionally underrepresented groups and led MEF’s volunteer consulting work for ScholarCHIPS, a Washington, DC non-profit focused on post-secondary success for children who have a parent who is incarcerated.

His passion for this work and his empathy always shone through strongly, and he regularly brought his own experiences as a father into how he talked about these issues. This passion and expertise was evident in his most recent publication, which focused on centering the strength of Black voices in programs serving families. Similarly, his remarks at a townhall convened by the National African American Child and Family Research Center this past summer evinces his unique combination of expertise, passion, and insight.

Equally important, Bright was a thoughtful, caring, and dynamic colleague and friend to so many MEF staff. It’s hard to overstate how big of an impact Bright made on colleagues during his time at MEF. He was a voice of kindness, reason, and compassion. He infused joy and levity into the countless relationships he built with colleagues and the wide web of partners with whom he worked. He was an important mentor for so many of our staff. Everyone who encountered him left the interaction better off for the experience.

Additional memorial notes can be found at:

• Remembering and Honoring Dr. Bright Sarfo, shared by Bright’s colleagues at the federal Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children & Families
• MDRC Mourns the Passing of Bright Eli Sarfo, Long-Time Research Collaborator, Colleague, and Friend, shared by Bright’s colleagues at MDRC, a partner research firm