WestEd

Alexandria M. Wright Ph.D. is a Senior Research Associate for Economic, Labor Market & Educational Data at WestEd's Center for Economic Mobility. Dr. Wright has been engaged in the field of regional economic development and labor economics for 17 years, emphasizing resilient communities and workforce development in rural and Tribal communities. She has served as director for economic and workforce development divisions at three community college districts, where she lead efforts to engage industry and community partnerships, produced regional economic profiles and labor demand analysis, designed high-impact adult education IET and IELCE programming using pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship models to increase access for underserved populations, and expanded entrepreneurial education through the Small Business Development Centers. She specializes in strategic planning to support economic mobility and build strong economies in rural America and American Indian Nations, applying modern learning modalities that use human-centered design and key performance indicators across economic, social, and environmental dimensions of a community. Dr. Wright also specializes in economic impact analysis using IMPLAN modeling. Dr. Wright publishes in the field of regional sciences and serves as adjunct faculty in economics at Cal Lutheran University and Northern Arizona University. She holds an extended BS in economics, an MA in public policy and a PhD from the School of Politics & International Affairs at Northern Arizona University.