Veronica Severn is a survey researcher in Mathematica’s Human Services Unit with experience collecting data across areas including education, early childhood education, and nutrition. Her expertise includes developing and administering surveys, drafting interview protocols, conducting qualitative interviews and focus groups, and analyzing qualitative data.
Severn has worked with a range of government and philanthropic clients, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), the U.S. Department of Education, and Lumina Foundation. Severn is an analyst for the Adult Promise evaluation, studying how states design and implement initiatives to engage and support adult students in completing college. She conducts ongoing qualitative data collection, analysis, and reporting on these initiatives across 12 states to assess progress throughout the implementation.
She is also the survey director for the School Meals Operations Study, overseeing annual surveys of state agencies and school food authorities (SFAs) as part of a multiyear study evaluating the operations of FNS’ school-based meals and child nutrition programs. In other projects, she has studied drivers of school district performance, procurement practices for SFAs, and families’ and children’s experiences with Head Start and Early Head Start.
Severn joined Mathematica in 2012. She holds a B.A. in public sociology from the University of North Carolina Wilmington.
A new study conducted for the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) found that in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, federal waivers issued by FNS provided flexibility that enabled child nutrition program operators to feed children amid challenges brought on by the pandemic.
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