Kiersten Vaughan is a training and technical assistance specialist in the Research to Action Lab at the Urban Institute, where she plans and delivers trainings for organizations to deliver high-quality programming and tools to their selected populations.

Before joining Urban, Vaughan worked in economic mobility and workforce development in Oklahoma City, where she supported internal programs providing facilitation and training tools for educators working with recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families benefits. She also worked with federal programs to ensure quality of training programs and data collection. Before that, Vaughan worked as a second-grade teacher in an Oklahoma City independent school district through Teach for America. She holds a BA in foreign affairs from the University of Virginia and an MPSA and MPP in public policy analysis from Texas A&M University, where she focused on education policy and food security.