About Us

Ceres works with many types of clients and partners, including executive directors of community-based organizations, directors of government agencies, and philanthropic program officers. We are committed to deconstructing systemic oppression through our work with each of these stakeholders.

  • Ceres Policy Research amplifies social change through research, facilitation, and training.

  • While traditional research methods are often extractive and disruptive, our approach to research is grounded in mutualistic relationships that promote the well-being of and maintain the integrity of our partners and communities and their respective ecosystems. Our commitment to facilitation, research, and educational processes that are collaborative, and iterative is demonstrated through the trust of our long-standing relationships with communities, advocates, systems, and philanthropy alike.

irvine.2019.jpg

Angela Irvine, Ph.D., Founder and Principal Consultant

Dr. Angela Irvine (she/her) has more than 25 years of experience in education and social policy. Raised in Santa Cruz County, CA, Dr. Irvine earned her BA from UC Berkeley in 1988, her secondary teaching credential from St. Mary’s College of California in 1989, and her PhD in sociology from Northwestern University in 2002 while simultaneously serving as a National Science Fellow (NSF) in public policy and program evaluation. Dr. Irvine spent eight years running Ceres Policy Research from 2002 through 2010, four years as research director at the National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD), and two years as a Vice President at Impact Justice. She has studied housing, education, health, and criminal justice policy. Her primary research has focused on youth deincarceration; lesbian, gay, bisexual, questioning, gender nonconforming and transgender (LGBQ/GNCT) young people in the youth justice system; the links between school discipline and justice involvement; the links between the child welfare and youth justice systems; and the impact of the criminalization of immigration on families and communities.  

 
Unknown.jpg

Justin Brown, C.P.A., Finance Manager

Justin Brown (he/him) is responsible for Ceres’s overall financial management and operations. Brown began work with Ceres in 2017 and brings more than 15 years of finance and accounting experience. He has specialized knowledge and skill in managing government and foundation grants as well as helping small business build finance and organizational infrastructure. Brown holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Earlham College and a master’s degree in accounting from the University of Southern California. He is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the state of California. Brown also serves on the board of directors and chairs the Finance Committee for the ACLU of Northern California.

 
farmer.2019.jpg

Crystal Farmer, Senior Researcher

Ms. Crystal Farmer (she/her) graduated from U.C. Santa Cruz in 2019 where she studied Sociology with a minor in Latin American and Latino Studies. She has worked with Ceres Policy Research since September, 2017.  She is a senior researcher, leading data collection, data analysis, and writing for many of our LGBTQ+ youth, juvenile justice, and immigration projects. She has focused content expertise on the intersections of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender identity. She is currently a graduate student at the California Institute of Integral Studies.

 

  • Ms. Aisha Canfield (she/her) has been a community researcher and facilitator for the past twelve years. Her research largely focuses on the disproportionate detention of LGBT/GNC youth, identifying systemic points of disparity, such as contact with child welfare. In addition to her research, Canfield trains juvenile probation departments across the country to implement data collection systems. She also evaluates community-based providers serving system-involved youth. She has served as a facilitator of two racial justice coalitions seeking reparations for the harm caused to Black and Brown communities by county agencies. She is also an expert on the Prison Rape Elimination Act, providing specialized training about the needs of LGBTQ prisoners. Canfield challenges all of these organizations to have an honest dialogue about disproportionality and move towards cultural affirmation.

  • Dr. Kerby Lynch (she/her) is a critical Black studies scholar of human geography, political economy, and intellectual history. She holds a BA in African American Studies with a concentration in Gender and Sexuality and most recently completed her Ph.D. in Geography, both from the University of California at Berkeley. Dr. Lynch currently serves as the Director of Research and Facilitationfor Ceres Policy Research and conducts social science research on community reinvestment, racial equity analysis, and reparations policy implementation. Dr. Lynch is dedicated to capacity building for non-profit organizations to ensure their mission and values align with program outcomes. She seeks to work with organizations and social justice leaders to secure funding and strategically plan for how to build programs that transform society.

  • Dr. Marilyn Jones holds a doctorate in educational leadership. She is the executive director of Because Black is Still Beautiful, which provides direct service to formerly incarcerated Black women and girls. She also provides training and technical assistance to organizations seeking to reverse anti-Blackness.