Staff
Michael McQuarrie
He/him
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…
Benjamin Y. Fong
He/him
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 …
Carolyn Forbes
She/her
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…
Benjamin Steinhardt Case
He/him
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…
Maria Esch
She/her
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,…
Program Coordinator
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…
Professor of Practice
Anand Gopal, who received his PhD in Sociology from Columbia University, currently works at ASU as an Assistant Research Professor who studies democracy and inequality. His research surrounds the history of democratic experiments and he is affiliated with ASU's Center for the Study of Religion…
Research Assistant
Ian Sherwood is a graduate staff member and research assistant at the Center for Work and Democracy. His research interests include: the American labor movement, direct democracy, education, and the CHIPS Act.
Undergraduate Research Aide
Nia Catania received their Associate’s degree with an emphasis in Sociology from Estrella Mountain Community College in 2025, and now is pursuing their Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Justice Studies at ASU. In addition to their position at CWD, Nia works for Dr. Cadigan's multi-state study…
Undergraduate Research Aide
Abhi Jaiswal is an undergraduate student in Barrett, ASU's Honors College, obtaining their Bachelor's degree in Sociology. Currently, they are working on their honors thesis regarding arts in higher education, exploring art students' challenges and experiences. Their academic interests include,…