Dr. Deborah Moroney is a principal researcher at AIR, and director of the social and emotional learning and school climate practice area. Her research and practice experience is in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), social and emotional learning, and youth development in afterschool and expanded learning settings. Dr. Moroney is the architect of a collaborative method for the design of dual purpose (improvement and demonstration) evaluation frameworks for national multi-site programs including the Achievement Gap programs at the YMCA of the USA and for Every Hour Counts. Additionally, Dr. Moroney has led several statewide and districtwide afterschool needs assessments and evaluations. Presently, Dr. Moroney serves as the principal investigator of the implementation and outcome study for School's Out New York City and she is the co-principal investigator of the STEM Interest and Engagement study, funded by the National Science Foundation.
Dr. Moroney’s work demonstrates a value in bridging research and practice. She has authored practitioner and organizational guides using both research findings and practitioner input. Recently, Dr. Moroney was the STEM content-area expert for the STEM Lessons Learned Guide funded by the U.S. Department of Education and a co-author of the fourth edition of the seminal afterschool resource, Beyond the Bell®: A Toolkit for Creating High-Quality Afterschool and Expanded Learning Programs. Prior to joining AIR, Dr. Moroney was a clinical faculty member in educational psychology at the University of Illinois at Chicago in the Youth Development Graduate Program, and worked as an organizational development consultant to agencies and youth-serving organizations.