Dr. Akilah Swinton Nelson is an Education Research Scientist
for the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), the research and evaluation arm
of the U.S. Department of Education (ED). Within IES, Dr. Nelson serves as the
Program Manager for the ED/IES Small Business Innovation Research program. Akilah
also serves as a Program Officer for the National Center for Special Education
Research and the National Center for Education Research. Her grant portfolio
focuses on postsecondary education, college and career readiness, and education
systems. Dr. Nelson earned her BS in Psychology from Howard University and her
PhD in Developmental Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill.