Emily Giel

Assistant Director of Policy and Scale

Why LEO?

"I have long believed that the most impactful policy is directly informed by rigorous research and the lived experiences of the people closest to the problem the policy seeks to solve. When I read LEO’s core values of dignity, rigor, partnership, and hope, I felt like I was seeing my own core values reflected back at me. What an honor to work alongside so many brilliant researchers, nonprofit partners, and policymakers as we test, implement, and replicate projects that make a meaningful difference in the lives of low-income communities."

Bio

As the Assistant Director of Policy and Scale, Emily leads LEO's replication and state policy efforts. Her team supports broader replication and scale of LEO's proven programs and works alongside state and local policymakers to adopt evidence-based approaches to fighting poverty. Before LEO, Emily served as a Housing Justice Attorney at South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center through a fellowship with Equal Justice Works and as an Assistant Public Defender at the Richland County Public Defender’s Office. Emily obtained her J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law and B.S. in Language and International Health from Clemson University.