Lorraine Perales is a Research Associate in MEF Associate’s Seattle office. She has a keen interest in advancing economic and social well-being for underserved and underrepresented communities. Her specialty lies in community-based participatory action research, integrating mixed-method approaches, designing, and implementing randomized control trials.
Some of Lorraine’s current projects at MEF include developing case studies of remote service employment interventions, assisting with the evaluation and technical assistance of fatherhood programs and Tennessee’s local TANF pilot program, , conducting remote engagement activities with HMRF experts on identifying elements of fatherhood programs that promote positive outcomes for fathers, and researching financial capability services integrated in employment services.
Before joining MEF, Lorraine was a graduate student researcher for the Latino Policy and Politics Initiative at UCLA conducting qualitative research on mixed-status families and access to health care in Los Angeles County. In 2019, she interned at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities where she collected and analyzed statewide data on TANF reach, spending, and benefit levels of its core programs in childcare, case assistance, work supports, and employment outcomes. In 2017, Lorraine helped pioneer a Medical-Financial Partnership embedded with a randomized control trial at the Harbor-UCLA Pediatric Clinic, where she implemented a financial coaching program intervention to improve families’ economic stability.
Lorraine earned a dual Master of Public Policy (MPP) and Social Welfare (MSW) from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Luskin School of Public Affairs. She also holds B.A.s in Sociology and French and a minor in International Studies from San Diego State University. Lorraine enjoys running, traveling, and practicing R-programming.