Frances Steele is a Summer Research Assistant at The Lab @ DC. She is also a current Master of Public Affairs candidate at Princeton University with a focus on domestic policy and anti-poverty government programs. Frances is passionate about improving service delivery of public benefits programs through human-centered design and improved communications. During the academic year, Frances is a Social Impact Fellow at Ideas42, a behavioral science consulting organization. She works with state and local courts to reduce FTA rates and reducing warrants through pre-trail reminders.
Before joining the lab, Frances helped Arch City Defenders in St. Louis reform the city’s cash bail system, led community outreach, qualitative research, and policy communications at Decriminalize Sex Work, and was a Social Impact Communications and Marketing specialist at Nespresso USA. Frances also volunteered as the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault crisis advocate in emergency rooms across NYC and worked on a qualitative research project for Propel Inc. to increase the flexibility of EBT payments for participating recipients.
Outside of work Frances puts a lot of time into her number one hobby: chit-chatting with friends (on walks, in restaurants, on the floor of her apartment, you name it). She is an avid runner and has recently taken up lifting, though she feels unsure of whether it will stick. She also enjoys reading, creative writing, cooking for friends and family and hiking her way around the world. She lives in Ward 5 with her beloved roommate.