Overview
As Director of Data and Cloud Technology Solutions for WestEd and the Data Integration Support Center, Jessica Cunningham supports state and local integrated data efforts to drive actionable insights for the public good. Her areas of expertise include cross-agency and cross-state data sharing, linking efforts, governance, architecture, and data use. She has nearly 2 decades of experience in leading state and local data-driven efforts in early childhood, K–12, postsecondary, health and human services, corrections, and workforce. Prior to joining WestEd, she directed multistate and cross-agency data collaborative efforts within the Administrative Data Research Facility as Vice President of State Programs at the Coleridge Initiative.
Before joining WestEd, Cunningham was Vice President of State Programs at the Coleridge Initiative, leading innovative, multistate data integration and applied analytics work for evidence-based policymaking. Cunningham led major statewide initiatives while serving as Executive Director and Labor Market Information Director at the Kentucky Center for Statistics (KYSTATS). These initiatives range from the development and publication in 2015 of their first interactive, public-facing report to over 50 public-facing reports, which resulted in a nationally recognized status. During her tenure in Kentucky, she led the statewide stakeholder input and implementation of three biannual strategic agendas.
Cunningham spearheaded the development of the first-in-field, multistate education and workforce outcomes report, which was powered by data sharing across state lines in the Administrative Data Research Facility. She is committed to supporting state and local data integration efforts to provide actionable information for policymakers, practitioners, and the public.
Education
- PhD in educational policy studies and evaluation, University of Kentucky
- MS in mathematics, University of Kentucky
- BS in mathematics, Georgetown College
Select Publications
Cunningham, J., Hui, A., Lane, J., & Putnam, G. (2022). A value-driven approach to building data infrastructures: The example of the MidWest Collaborative. Harvard Data Science Review, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.1162/99608f92.f9fc894c.
Bradley, K. D., Worley, L., Cunningham, J. D., & Bieber, J. (2014). Measuring perceptions of new faculty towards research, service, and teaching in higher education. In S. Mukerji & P. Tripathi (Eds.), Handbook of research on transnational higher education management (pp. 247–257). IGI Global.
Bradley, K. D., Royal, K. D., Cunningham, J. D., Weber, J. A., & Eli, J. A. (2008). What constitutes good educational research? A consideration of ethics, methods, and theory. Mid-Western Educational Researcher, 21(1), 26–35.
Cunningham, J. D., Bradley, K. D., & Osborn, J. (2008). Assessing the impact of Newton’s universe: Preliminary findings associated with rural middle school students’ and teachers’ outcomes linked to inquiry based physical science. ERS Spectrum, 26(1), 39–44.
Bradley, K. D., Sampson, S. O., Ma, L., & Cunningham, J. D. (2006). Where are the teaching opportunities? A longitudinal study of educator supply and demand. Teachers College Record.
Honors, Awards, and Affiliations
Optimizing the Kentucky Longitudinal Data System to inform equity issues in education and employment barriers, Institute for Education Sciences (IES) State Longitudinal Data System Grant (2019) ($3,500,000)
Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Preschool Development Grant Birth Through Five Subrecipient (2018), Commonwealth of Kentucky Preschool Development Grant ($1,100,000)
Expanding Kentucky’s SNAP E&T Program Evaluation and Developing Key Metrics and Feedback Reports by Integrating Data in the Kentucky Longitudinal Data System (KLDS) – CFDA# 10.561 ($1,000,000)
Workforce Data Quality Initiative – WDQI ROUND VI # MI-30762-17-60-A-21 ($550,000)
Expanding Access to and Alignment of Education and Workforce Data to Inform Policy and Practice, 2015 State Longitudinal Data System Grant CFDA 84.372A ($6,345,610)
NSF DR K-12 #1119328; Co-PI/PD; Using the Geodome Immersive Visualization Environment to Develop Conceptual Understanding in Earth and Space Science (Project GIVE) ($2,396,470)
NC QUEST Cycle IX Competitive Grants; Co-PI for Project Evaluation (2011–2012); Responsiveness to Instruction (RtT) Professional Teams: A Model for Increasing Student Engagement and Achievement Through Formative Assessment, Targeted Interventions, and Professional Development ($299,447)
Expert Advisor for the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association Basic Needs Academy, Chair of the Southern Regional Data Collaborative for the National Association of Workforce Agencies, Workforce Information Technology Support Center Steering Committee, DEI Advisory Committee for the Kentucky Chamber, Commonwealth Education Continuum Data Advisory Committee Chair
Seven-time Supervisor for Harvard Strategic Data Project (SDP) Agency and Data Fellows