Michaela Anastasia Austin

Bio

Michaela Anastasia Austin (she/her) is a research fellow with the Human Rights Center. Her work centers on the development, evaluation, and sustainment of community-driven models of care that promote joy, agency, and dignity for systems-involved youth. Most recently, Michaela managed the longitudinal evaluation of an innovative foster care model designed to support San Francisco foster youth who have experienced or are at risk of commercial sexual exploitation. Funded by the California Department of Social Services, the research is informing the development of evidence-based interventions that can be replicated statewide. Prior to her appointment at Berkeley Law, Michaela was Grants Manager at First Place for Youth, the largest provider of housing and comprehensive services for transition-age foster youth in California. Weaving together internal data, external research, and a call for systems change, Michaela secured $6M+ annually in wraparound support service funding for over 500 foster youth. Before First Place for Youth, Michaela served as research assistant for the Global Environmental Justice Project, where she analyzed and reported on human rights violations in prisons with the goal of transforming criminal justice policy and public health protections. Michaela holds a dual bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies and Sociology from the University of California, Santa Barbara.