Nicole Rodriguez is the Research Director for New Jersey Policy Perspective (NJPP), a nonpartisan think tank that drives policy change to advance economic, social, and racial justice through evidence-based, independent research, analysis, and strategic communications.
Nicole is an experienced public policy researcher and advocate for state policy solutions that center communities’ needs with racial, social, and economic justice. She is skilled in policy analysis, research, writing, communication, and nonprofit organization and management. Her research interests include labor and economic policy at the intersection of work and family.
Before joining New Jersey Policy Perspective, Nicole was a Senior Researcher at Community Labor United (CLU). CLU brings community and labor partners together to speak in one voice on issues that impact working-class families throughout Greater Boston. There, Nicole drove strategic campaigns forward with rigorous research and leadership that stabilized and strengthened low-income families and communities of color. Before that, Nicole worked as a Senior Policy Analyst for Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center - an independent research organization that produces non-partisan policy research, analysis, and data-driven recommendations to improve the lives of low- and middle-income residents while strengthening the state’s economy. Nicole authored numerous reports focusing on family economic security and the state budget.
She has also worked for foundations, non-profits, and state and local governments in Massachusetts. She holds a Masters in Public Policy from the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Villanova University.
