PAR appoints new Research Project Director
Posted: 11/19/2014
The Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana announces the new hire of Criketa Matlock as Research Project Director.
Criketa has joined the organization to further develop the growing portfolio of PAR’s policy and research agenda. In her role at PAR, Criketa will bring her policy research, analysis and management experience to advance the non-profit organization’s mission to prepare and publicize quality, independent research and policy recommendations, educate the public and engage members and stakeholders in our work.
Criketa comes to PAR from the Orleans Public Education Network (OPEN), a New Orleans-based nonprofit, where she served as the Policy and Research Analyst. In that role she was responsible for providing strategic leadership in guiding and crafting OPEN’s policy agenda and conducting research and analysis on educational issues, local, state and federal laws, and the state’s Board of Elementary and Secondary Education policies to develop proposed legislation impacting education.
She brings several years of experience in public policy, external relations and research with the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana as a policy intern and the Girl Scouts of the USA Public Policy and Advocacy office in Washington, D.C. Other employers include Professional Insurance Agents of Louisiana as a Government Affairs Specialist/Administrative Assistant and Applied Literacy and Learning, host of the 21st Century Community Learning Center Program, as a Site Coordinator at Capitol Middle School in Baton Rouge.
Criketa is a native of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Her family moved to Baton Rouge when she was a teen. Criketa holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Southern University A&M College in Baton Rouge. She also holds a Master’s of Public Administration in public policy from Louisiana State University. In college she held many leadership positions such as Vice-President for the Public Administration Institute Student Association (PAISA) and President of the Pre-Law Society at Southern University. Criketa’s academic and professional background afforded her much experience in community outreach and organizing; policy research and analysis; economic development; and program evaluation.
Criketa comments, “I am excited to start a new challenge within PAR and look forward to working with the team to further develop their already extensive policy and research agenda. I am fortunate to be joining such a respected organization that prides itself on serving the state as a strong voice for open and accountable government.”
The Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana is a private, nonprofit, non-partisan public policy research organization focused on pointing the way toward a more efficient, effective, transparent and accountable Louisiana government.