# Q&A with Megan Lane Conklin, Cohort 9 SDP Fellow Alumna October 08, 2025 - [ Blog ](/news-categories/blog) ![Megan Conklin](/sites/g/files/omnuum4446/files/styles/hwp_1_1__720x720_scale/public/2025-10/Megan%20Conklin%20%283%29.png?itok=rt_F4zrC) Megan Lane Conklin is the Director of Data at Hope Chicago in Chicago, IL. Prior to her role at Hope Chicago, she worked as a Strategic Data Fellow in Chicago Public Schools, opened and ran a charter school, and taught in the U.S., Namibia, and Spain. She holds a PhD in Education Policy from the University of Florida, a Masters in Education Policy from Vanderbilt University, and a B.A. from Flagler College in St. Augustine, FL. **What drew you to the SDP Fellowship? What did you do prior to the SDP Fellowship? How did you get started in the education data/policy field?** The SDP Fellowship was an appealing next step for me in the field of education. I had worked in schools for a long time in various roles and had also gotten my PhD. From these very different viewpoints, I saw a need to bridge policy, practice, and research/data. SDP was an amazing opportunity to bridge the gap between these three in the name of education reform. **What is the most memorable or impactful moment or experience from your time as an SDP Fellow?** I have so many fond memories of my time as a SDP Fellow. At my placement, I remember the moment I got to pitch my capstone to the CEO of CPS. It was so rewarding to get to pitch my idea and have her fully endorse it. In the fellowship, I remember having the honor of delivering a "graduation" speech. As I reflected on our shared experience together, I couldn't help but feel so proud of all that we had accomplished in our time together. **Tell us about your current job.** I am currently working at my dream job. I get the privilege of overseeing the use of data at a non-profit dedicated to improving the lives of young adults in Chicago. We are a small & young company, with a start-up vibe. There is an extreme sense of urgency in the work we do, and that shows up in how we all work together for a greater purpose. I love that there is always a new problem to solve, be it how to define something in data, how to measure something, how to collect the data we need to answer a question, how we use the data we have to improve our programming, or how we make our data systems talk to each other. **What skills did you gain from your time as an SDP Fellow that you find helpful in your current role?** SDP instilled in me valuable skills- both hard and "soft." I specifically remember taking a survey design class in SDP that has forever changed the way I design my surveys. The technical skills around data cleaning and analysis in R and other programming software has also been super helpful in the work I do now. In terms of softer skills, I got tons of practice in SDP learning how to communicate to a variety of audiences and tell stories with data. Using data to influence policy is a significant portion of my work, and many of the skills I built in SDP have greatly improved the work I'm currently doing. **What advice would you give for prospective SDP Fellows? What would you say to encourage prospective applicants to apply?** I'd start by asking where they want to be in 5 years or what kind of work they are interested in doing. I'd then frame SDP as a "gap-building" experience- one that bridges policy, practice, and data- something rare in the world of education. **What is something you enjoy in your free time?** In my free time I love to play tennis. I also watch/follow professional tennis. As a player, my favorite part about tennis is the strategy- I love that you have to play a mental game as much as you have to play a physical one. As a fan, my favorite part is all of the statistics and data used to predict the winner of a match. See also:- [ 2025 - 2027 Alumni Advisory Board ](/tags/2025-2027-alumni-advisory-board) - [ Alumni Advisory Board ](/news/alumni-advisory-board) Share on:- [ Facebook ](#) - [ Twitter ](#) - [ Linkedin ](#)