Catalina Vasquez
TA-Washington, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy
AI and Data Governance Officer, The University of Texas System
Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership and Policy, University of Texas at Austin, expected 2027
M.P.P. in Public Policy, California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo, 2023
B.A. in Political Science, California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo, 2017
Email: cv23987@my.utexas.edu
Office: SZB
View Curriculum Vitae (pdf)
AI and Data Governance Officer, The University of Texas System
Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership and Policy, University of Texas at Austin, expected 2027
M.P.P. in Public Policy, California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo, 2023
B.A. in Political Science, California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo, 2017
Email: cv23987@my.utexas.edu
Office: SZB
View Curriculum Vitae (pdf)
Catalina Vasquez is a critical pragmatist scholar and Ph.D. candidate in Higher Education Leadership and Policy at The University of Texas at Austin. Her research focuses on expanding educational pathways for lifelong learners and strengthening alignment across education-employment systems. As an ECMC Postsecondary CTE Research Fellow, Catalina advances research on workforce-aligned credentials, and postsecondary pathways that support adult learners.
Catalina's dissertation is a multi-method study examining "high-wage, high-demand" credential pathways for adult learners. Her work uses quantitative and qualitative methods including; geospatial analysis, survey analysis, and interviews to investigate how geography, and lived circumstances shape access in postsecondary education. Before joining UT Austin, Catalina earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Master of Public Policy from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, where the universitys Learn by Doing philosophy helped shape her applied approach to research.
Catalina's work has received support from the Spencer Foundation, EdFunders, the Greater Texas Foundation, and the Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness (SREE). She brings experience applying data and research to system-level policy questions through work with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, the California State University, and The University of Texas System. She is an active member of the academic community serving as Co-Chair of Women in Economics for the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM) and contributes editorial service to the Career and Technical Journal. Her scholarship has been presented at international conferences, including AERA, SREE, APPAM, AEFP, WPSA, and CCSC.
Catalina is a native of Santa Paula, California; which is known as the "Citrus Capital of the World". She is a proud alumni of the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) and TRIO Upward Bound. These experiences continue to inform her commitment to expanding educational opportunity and creating systems that support learners across their life course. Outside of her research, she enjoys hot yoga, sourdough bread baking, and hiking with her Golden Retriever, Ollie, throughout the trails of Austin.
Catalina's dissertation is a multi-method study examining "high-wage, high-demand" credential pathways for adult learners. Her work uses quantitative and qualitative methods including; geospatial analysis, survey analysis, and interviews to investigate how geography, and lived circumstances shape access in postsecondary education. Before joining UT Austin, Catalina earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Master of Public Policy from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, where the universitys Learn by Doing philosophy helped shape her applied approach to research.
Catalina's work has received support from the Spencer Foundation, EdFunders, the Greater Texas Foundation, and the Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness (SREE). She brings experience applying data and research to system-level policy questions through work with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, the California State University, and The University of Texas System. She is an active member of the academic community serving as Co-Chair of Women in Economics for the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM) and contributes editorial service to the Career and Technical Journal. Her scholarship has been presented at international conferences, including AERA, SREE, APPAM, AEFP, WPSA, and CCSC.
Catalina is a native of Santa Paula, California; which is known as the "Citrus Capital of the World". She is a proud alumni of the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) and TRIO Upward Bound. These experiences continue to inform her commitment to expanding educational opportunity and creating systems that support learners across their life course. Outside of her research, she enjoys hot yoga, sourdough bread baking, and hiking with her Golden Retriever, Ollie, throughout the trails of Austin.
