Laura Marra, MSSW, Director of Research and Evaluation

“It’s exciting to come to work every day knowing that I am part of a dynamic team that values the work we do.”

Laura Marra, MSSW, is the Director of Research and Evaluation at the Texas Institute for Child & Family Wellbeing (TXICFW). She oversees the design and implementation of research and evaluation projects focused on child wellbeing, child care, family resilience, child welfare, adoption, and permanency. Her work emphasizes rigorous, practical research that helps programs and systems use data to strengthen services and improve outcomes for children and families.

Laura has more than 20 years of research experience and has been with TXICFW since 2012. With a background in social work and applied statistical modeling, she has led research and evaluation projects ranging from large-scale, multi-site, and longitudinal studies to program evaluations and continuous quality improvement initiatives. Her work includes developing fidelity and outcome measures, managing and analyzing complex datasets, and working with programs and organizations to translate research findings to inform practice and decision-making.

laura.marra@austin.utexas.edu