Staff

Director

Michael McQuarrie is a sociologist at Arizona State University where he directs the Center for Work and Democracy and acts as an Associate Professor in the School of Social Transformation. The main purpose of his work at the Center for Work and Democracy is to address the exclusion of working…

  michael.mcquarrie@asu.edu

Associate Director

Benjamin Y. Fong is the Associate Director at the Center for Work & Democracy, and also an Honors Faculty Fellow at Barrett, the Honors College at Arizona State University. With Craig Calhoun, he is the co-editor of …

  byfong@asu.edu

Assistant Director

Carolyn Forbes joined the Center for Work and Democracy in February 2023. Prior to that, she was assistant director of the ASU Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict, where she facilitated research development and coordination of cross-disciplinary research projects across a broad range…

  Carolyn.Forbes@asu.edu

Research Assistant Professor

Benjamin S. Case is the project lead on the Center for Work and Democracy’s Ballot Initiatives Project, where he studies the use of ballot initiatives as tools to redistribute wealth and decision-making power, as well as the mounting attacks in the initiative process from legislators and…

  benjamin.case.1@asu.edu

Project Coordinator

Originally from Virginia, Maria received a bachelor’s degree in International and Global Studies as well as in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2021. She also holds a master’s degree in Justice Studies from Arizona State University,…

  mcesch@asu.edu

Research and Events Aide

Kayla Le is obtaining her Bachelor’s degree in Public Service and Public Policy focusing on Sustainability, as well as her Master’s Degree in Public Policy through the 4+1 program. She is deeply interested in environmental policy and law; specifically through an environmental justice perspective…

  kaylale@asu.edu

Research and Communications Aide

Lorenzo is a master's student at ASU's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. He is originally from Albuquerque, N.M. but has been living in Arizona for 6 years. Before ASU, he earned a bachelor's degree in Political Science and Psychology from Northern Arizona University.…

  lrgomez3@asu.edu