Vanessa Harbin Sacks works in the Youth Development research area. Vanessa’s work at Child Trends spans a wide range of quantitative analyses and youth development issues. She has conducted numerous studies, from quasi-experimental evaluations of youth program outcomes, to analyses of state policy using large national data sets, to performance management projects. Prior to Child Trends, Vanessa worked in nonprofit fundraising for many years and has extensive project management and communications experience. Her primary research interests are around the social and health barriers that low-income youth face in their path to economic self-sufficiency and evaluating intervention programs aimed at this population.