Donna Wharton-Fields is a senior fellow at MDRC, where she focuses on strengthening the use of evidence to improve programs and systems that support economic mobility. She leads technical assistance and applied research efforts that help nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and funders translate research into effective, scalable practice. At MDRC, Wharton-Fields has held leadership roles across major workforce and community-based initiatives, providing hands-on support to sites to strengthen implementation, refine program models, and use data for continuous improvement.