Mark McDaniel is a Policy Fellow at Chapin Hall. He partners with public and private decision makers to enhance and align policies, programs, and practices; inform systems innovations and reforms; improve the capacity of public systems and private providers to operationalize and evaluate outcomes; and address barriers to child and family well-being. McDaniel has experience designing and implementing comprehensive community change, education, and service systems reforms, as well as economic development initiatives to improve the socio-economic outcomes of low- and moderate-income residents.

As a Senior Research Associate at UNC-Chapel Hill, he led numerous focused on boys and young men of color.  McDaniel managed Bridges2Success (B2S) an early childhood-to-career research and demonstration collaborative focused on helping males of color achieve academic and life success. He coordinated the B2S Scholars Panel, an interdisciplinary team of experts in child and youth development and education reform that serve as the strategy development arm for B2S delivering professional development training for teachers, administrators, mentors and coaches.  Several other initiatives emerged from B2S, including cohort learning projects with the university and community college systems aimed at examining challenges related to improving retention and graduation rates.  These efforts also included direct services work with students of the Global Scholars Academy in Durham, NC.  This work also included a Saturday college preparatory academy with students from area high schools.  McDaniel’s experience reflects his deep commitment to education equity in North Carolina.

McDaniel has also managed and coordinated community economic development initiatives among a range of constituencies, including government regulators, foundations, financial institutions, and community development intermediaries. McDaniel previously served as a Program Associate at the Annie E. Casey Foundation and as a Program Officer at the Polk Bros. Foundation.  He has served on various boards and committees related to education, youth development and community development over a 30-year timespan.

McDaniel has a Master’s degree in City and Regional Planning from Morgan State University and a Bachelor’s degree in Geography from the University of North Carolina.