Briellen leads a coordinated strategy for community partnership and engagement across Wilder Research. Her work is focused on building capacity for partnership; deepening relationships; and centering community voice, knowledge, and experience in evaluation and research. She joined Wilder in 2021.

Brie is an experienced researcher in education, community well-being, capacity building, and systems change. All of her research, evaluation, teaching, and scholarship center deep examination of social inequalities and lived experiences of people across the life span. She pursues partnerships that explore collective impact and maximize the potential of collaboration for social change. Brie has the privilege of supporting Whole Family/2-Gen evaluation work across Wilder programs and leads data and evaluation for Saint Paul Promise as part of that effort. She is an evaluation partner with several cradle-to-career initiatives in Minnesota, including Northside Achievement Zone and Children First, and she co-leads backbone support for Minnesota Full-Service Community Schools Network with Ananya Matewos.

Briellen has a doctoral degree in cultural and educational policy studies from Loyola University Chicago, and she served as a faculty member and researcher of education and social policy in higher education before coming to Wilder. Briellen was also a school social worker in North Minneapolis and holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Minnesota, as well as a bachelor’s degree in English. Brie is a proud graduate of Saint Paul’s Central High School and currently serves on the board of the Youth Leadership Initiative.