Stephanie Straus

Stephanie Straus is a Policy Fellow at the Massive Data Institute (MDI) within Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy.14 She holds an M.Ed. in education policy from Harvard University and a B.S. in biology from Tufts University.3 Straus has been working at MDI since May 2020, focusing on improving secure and responsible data access and linkages across national, state, and local government agencies.14

Her work primarily involves:

1. Facilitating the linking of previously unlinked datasets to inform pressing policy issues.2
2. Implementing privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) in education agencies.1
3. Working on projects related to the Civil Justice Data Commons (CJDC).1

Straus is currently collaborating with Professor O'Hara on a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant to help education agencies implement PETs.1 By the end of 2025, she aims to have three pilot programs active, focusing on how education agencies can use longitudinal data systems to analyze and improve student outcomes.1

In addition to her work in education, Straus has also been involved in projects with the IRS involving tax and earnings data.1 She has presented at several conferences and is establishing herself as an expert in PETs, particularly within government, public institutions, and nonprofits.1

Straus describes her work as mission-driven, aiming to make students' lives better and the education system more equitable through improved data utilization and privacy practices.1