Shana McClain
Research Manager
(She/Her)
Shana is a research manager at the Colorado Fiscal Institute. She has been working in the research and policy arena for over eight years. Shana is originally from North Carolina where she received her undergraduate degree and master’s in social work from Western Carolina University. She is currently completing her doctorate from the University of Denver during which she has received two national fellowships from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Health Policy Research Scholar (HPRS) program and the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Minority Fellowship Program (MFP).
Shana taught as an adjunct professor for four years at the Graduate School of Social Work at DU prior to starting in her new role at CFI. After obtaining her MSW, she worked as a research project manager at the Institute on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault at UT Austin. Shana also has prior experience in direct practice as a university therapist and a victim advocate at a rural domestic violence shelter. She now uses her diverse experiences and lifelong learning to support ethical and rigorous research practices that contribute to advancing people-centered policies in the state of Colorado.
Outside of work—from dissertatin’ to dragon slayin’—Shana manages to balance it all (for the most part) with nature hikes, pup cuddles, and a (very) active Crunchyroll subscription.
Shana taught as an adjunct professor for four years at the Graduate School of Social Work at DU prior to starting in her new role at CFI. After obtaining her MSW, she worked as a research project manager at the Institute on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault at UT Austin. Shana also has prior experience in direct practice as a university therapist and a victim advocate at a rural domestic violence shelter. She now uses her diverse experiences and lifelong learning to support ethical and rigorous research practices that contribute to advancing people-centered policies in the state of Colorado.
Outside of work—from dissertatin’ to dragon slayin’—Shana manages to balance it all (for the most part) with nature hikes, pup cuddles, and a (very) active Crunchyroll subscription.