Dr. Amber Northern Vice President for Research, Thomas B. Fordham Institute

Dr. Northern (formerly Winkler) helps develop new research initiatives and manages Fordham's research studies. She has over 15 years of experience in educational evaluation, education policy, and secondary education.She has published in the areas of educational accountability, standardized testing, teacher quality, and educational technology, among others. 

Prior to joining Fordham, Dr. Northern served as Senior Study Director at Westat. In that role, she provided evaluation services for various federal, state, and local education agencies, as well as oversaw multiple research studies involving reading instruction, math and science educational partnerships, performance-based pay, drug prevention curricula, and more. 

Dr. Northern holds a PhD in education policy and evaluation from the University of Virginia and serves as an adjunct faculty member at UVA's Northern Virginia campus. She started her career as a high school classroom teacher.