Danielle J. Allen, Ph.D. is a Research Assistant Professor of Public Policy at UNC Chapel Hill, a Project Director with the Equity Research Action Coalition (ERAC), and a qualitative researcher at the Education Policy Initiative at Carolina (EPIC). Her primary research interests examine the role of Black faith communities in advocating for and providing high quality educational opportunities for students and families as well as the broader role Black churches play in advocating for social, political, and economic justice for Black families and communities. At the Coalition, she is currently leading research initiatives on racial identity formation in young children and African-centered education in early childhood education settings. At EPIC, Dr. Allen conducts high quality program evaluation on initiatives related to school improvement and educator preparation. She has previously secured funding from organizations such as the American Educational Research Association and MDC, Inc. to support her research and scholarship.

She has a B.A. in English and African-American Studies and a Ph.D. in Education Policy, Leadership, and School Improvement from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Masters in Teaching from Georgia State University.