Ph.D. Candidate, Pardee RAND Graduate School, and Assistant Policy Researcher, RAND
Zhan Okuda-Lim is a Ph.D. candidate in the Community-Partnered Policy and Action stream at the Pardee RAND Graduate School and an assistant policy researcher at RAND. His research interests include K-12 education policy and equity; local and state education governance; student, community, and educator voices in decision-making; school finance and funding; and the mobilization of cross-sector resources to support educators, families, and students.
Prior to joining RAND, Okuda-Lim served as the director of policy and government relations at the Clark County Public Education Foundation in Las Vegas, Nevada, and was a resident fellow with the Leadership Institute of Nevada. In these capacities, he collaborated with cross-sector stakeholders to explore policy priorities for Nevada’s students and guided education, nonprofit, business, and government leaders on researching and addressing problems in education policy and practice, including expanding student access to rigorous courses, improving coaching and feedback mechanisms for educators, and recruiting and supporting educators of color. Previously, he held summer policy experiences with the Clark County School District in Nevada and engaged in projects to bolster supports for students with disabilities and students in foster care, address disproportionality in exclusionary school discipline, and implement positive behavior interventions and restorative practices.
Okuda-Lim earned an M.Phil. in policy analysis from the Pardee RAND Graduate School, an M.P.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, an Ed.M. in education policy and management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and an A.B. in public and international affairs from the Princeton University School of Public and International Affairs.
M.Phil. in policy analysis, Pardee RAND Graduate School; M.P.A. in public administration, University of Pennsylvania; Ed.M. in education policy and management, Harvard University; A.B. in public and international affairs, Princeton University
