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Meet Our Team
Rhonda Vonshay Sharpe is an economist and mathematician who analyzes large datasets to find the stories hidden in the aggregate. Her research shows that we can identify the nuances in outcomes that can improve economic well-being by disaggregating data. Rhonda is the President and Founder of the Women’s Institute for Science, Equity and Race.
She is the co-editor of the Review of Black Political Economy and has served as President of the National Economic Association (2017). She was named a Black Scholar You Should Know by TheBestSchools.org and BlackEnterprise.com
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Jerry Pender Jr. is the Research Director for the Women’s Institute of Science, Equity, and Race (WISER) a nonprofit, nonpartisan research institute that strives to expand women-focused policy research to include the social, economic, cultural, and political well-being of Asian, Black, Hispanic, Indigenous American and Multiracial women.
At WISER, Jerry is a logistics expert who analyzes data to improve processes for programs that impact disenfranchised communities. He uses his expertise in logistics and business intelligence to recommend policy improvements for childcare, prison transition programs, and veteran transition programs. He leads webinars focusing on changing the narrative around the childcare, prison reentry, and veteran transition landscapes and is also a monthly contributor to WISER’s newsletter, WISER Wednesdays.
![Image](https://www.wiserpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Screenshot-2023-03-01-at-3.56.17-PM.jpg)
At WISER, Himaja has studied Asian American populations with the goal of providing a more accurate view of the populations' social and economic status through disaggregating by region of national origin. Additionally, she is interested in matters of data protection and digital privacy that affect women across race, age, and geographic location within the United States.
Himaja also serves as Associate Director of the Inclusive, Peer, Onsite, Distance (IPOD) Mentoring Program, whose mission is to diversify the economics profession by providing mentorship support and resources to graduates of the AEA Summer Training Program. The program is in its second year and now has over 80 participants, including both mentors and mentees.
![Image](https://www.wiserpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Screenshot-2023-03-13-at-4.02.02-PM.jpg)