As a directly-impacted researcher, actionist, and leader, Dr. Alexandria Pech’s research is accountable to children, youth, and families impacted by the criminal legal system. Her work studies the developmental trajectories of youth impacted by parental incarceration and child welfare systems. Using critical qualitative and participatory methods, such as counterstorytelling, she examines pathways to youth well-being in school, family, and community settings.
Dr. Pech’s community-engaged ethos is central to her scholarship. She partners with organizations like We Got Us Now, Essie Justice Group, and Developing Despite Distance to co-create knowledge and drive change. Through these collaborations, she translates research into action by co-authoring policy reports, facilitating healing-to-advocacy programs, providing legislative testimony, and securing grants for community-based services.
This action-oriented approach is grounded in her training as a developmental scientist. Her dissertation centered the intersectional identity development of adolescent Girls of Color with incarcerated family members. Dr. Pech received her PhD in Family Studies and Human Development from the University of Arizona in 2022.