Dialogo | UChicago Social Sciences

Tara Schwegler (AB'93, AM'94 MAPSS, PhD'04 Anthropology)

Tara Schwegler is a corporate anthropologist and consultant specializing in research-driven leadership development. She has held previous positions as a leader and director of user experience (UX) and customer experience (CX) at Meta, RedSquared Consulting, USAA, and Bestica, Inc., while also teaching at the University of Texas at San Antonio as a Senior Lecturer. Prior to her shift to private industry, Schwegler was a Collegiate Assistant Professor and Harper Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Chicago.  Schegler earned her PhD from the Department of Anthropology in 2004, her MA from MAPSS in 1994, and her BA from The College in 1993. Alumni of the Division of the Social Sciences are characterized by Chicago’s deep commitment to scientific analysis, methodological innovation, and the use of theory to extend the explanatory and predictive power of social research. Whether an MA or PhD graduate (or both), each takes those values into careers in the academy and in a broad range of sectors including banking and finance, technology, and social technology, consulting and market research, health fields, and government/policymaking, among others.  SSD’s Dialogo podcast brings alumni into conversation with Paul Poast [https://www.paulpoast.com/], Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science and Deputy Dean for Doctoral Education, and Kelly Pollock [https://socialsciences.uchicago.edu/directory/kelly-therese-pollock], Dean of Students. Each season will feature alumni with careers in a particular field or industry.

Sarah Jones Weicksel (AM'09, PhD'17 History) and Julia Brookins (AM'03, PhD'13 History)

Sarah Jones Weicksel is the Executive Director of the American Historical Association, the largest membership association of historians in the world. She has previously worked as the Association's director of research and publications, and as a project historian at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. She also serves on the National Archives Federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Advisory Committee.  Weicksel earned her BA from Yale, MA in American material culture from the University of Delaware, MA in history from the University of Chicago in 2009, and PhD in history from the University of Chicago in 2017. Julia Brookins is Senior Program Analyst, Teaching and Learning as well as TPS Program Analyst for the American Historical Association. Her team develops initiatives to advance history in education and public life, designing and implementing professional development and networking programs that bring together history teachers and faculty across institutions. Brookins earned her undergraduate degree from Harvard, her MA in history from the University of Chicago in 2003, and her PhD in History from the University of Chicago in 2013.  Alumni of the Division of the Social Sciences are characterized by Chicago’s deep commitment to scientific analysis, methodological innovation, and the use of theory to extend the explanatory and predictive power of social research. Whether an MA or PhD graduate (or both), each takes those values into careers in the academy and in a broad range of sectors including banking and finance, technology, and social technology, consulting and market research, health fields, and government/policymaking, among others.  SSD’s Dialogo podcast brings alumni into conversation with Paul Poast [https://www.paulpoast.com/], Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science and Deputy Dean for Doctoral Education, and Kelly Pollock [https://socialsciences.uchicago.edu/directory/kelly-therese-pollock], Dean of Students. Each season will feature alumni with careers in a particular field or industry.

Marc Hernandez (AB'00, MA'02 MAPSS, PhD'09 Psychology)

Marc Hernandez is Associate Director of The Bridge at NORC, a program that connects NORC researchers with those at top-tier schools and serves as a bridge between researchers and on-the-ground practitioners. An applied developmental psychologist, Hernandez has expertise in cognitive development and early childhood and elementary education. He is a member of the Getting on Track Early for School Success project, leads the Kindergatrten Readiness Indicator (KRI) project, co-principal investigator of NORC's independent evaluation of the Oakland Promise, and works closely with foundations such as the Kenneth Rainin Foundation in Oakland, CA.  Hernandez earned his PhD from the Department of Psychology in 2009, his MA from MAPSS in 2002, and his BA from The College in 2000.  Alumni of the Division of the Social Sciences are characterized by Chicago’s deep commitment to scientific analysis, methodological innovation, and the use of theory to extend the explanatory and predictive power of social research. Whether an MA or PhD graduate (or both), each takes those values into careers in the academy and in a broad range of sectors including banking and finance, technology, and social technology, consulting and market research, health fields, and government/policymaking, among others.  SSD’s Dialogo podcast brings alumni into conversation with Paul Poast [https://www.paulpoast.com/], Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science and Deputy Dean for Doctoral Education, and Kelly Pollock [https://socialsciences.uchicago.edu/directory/kelly-therese-pollock], Dean of Students. Each season will feature alumni with careers in a particular field or industry.

Wendy Edelberg (PhD'03 Economics, MBA'97)

Wendy Edelberg is a Senior Fellow in Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution, where she also served as director of The Hamilton Project from 2020 to March 2025. Prior to joining Brookings, Edelberg served as Chief Economist at the Congressional Budget Office, Executive Director of the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, on both President Obama and President Bush's Council of Economic Advisers, and the Federal Reserve Board. In 2022, she was appointed as co-chair of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's Climate and Macroeconomics Roundtable. A macroeconomist, Edelburg's research has spanned from household spending and saving decisions to the economic effects of fiscal policy, to systemic risks in the financial system. Edelburg earned her PhD from the Department of Economics in 2003 and her MBA in 1997 from the Booth School of Business. She received her BA in Economics from Columbia University in 1993.   Alumni of the Division of the Social Sciences are characterized by Chicago’s deep commitment to scientific analysis, methodological innovation, and the use of theory to extend the explanatory and predictive power of social research. Whether an MA or PhD graduate (or both), each takes those values into careers in the academy and in a broad range of sectors including banking and finance, technology, and social technology, consulting and market research, health fields, and government/policymaking, among others.  SSD’s Dialogo podcast brings alumni into conversation with Paul Poast [https://www.paulpoast.com/], Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science and Deputy Dean for Doctoral Education, and Kelly Pollock [https://socialsciences.uchicago.edu/directory/kelly-therese-pollock], Dean of Students. Each season will feature alumni with careers in a particular field or industry.

Ben Storey (PhD'05 Social Thought) and Jenna Silber Storey (PhD'10 Social Thought)

Ben Storey and Jenna Silber Storey serve as Senior Fellows at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), specializing in research surrounding liberal education, civic thought, and the university's relationship to society. Prior to joining AEI, Ben served as the Jane Gage Hipp Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Furman University, and Jenna served as an Assistant Professor in Politics and International Affairs at the Furman University. They are co-authors of Why We Are Restless: On the Modern Quest for Contentment (Princeton University Press, 2021), and are working on their next book project, The Art of Choosing: How Liberal Education Should Prepare You for Life. Ben Storey earned his PhD from the John U. Nef Committee on Social Thought in 2005. He received his BA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Jenna Silber Storey earned her PhD from the Committee on Social Thought in 2010, having previously received her BA from Boston University.   Alumni of the Division of the Social Sciences are characterized by Chicago’s deep commitment to scientific analysis, methodological innovation, and the use of theory to extend the explanatory and predictive power of social research. Whether an MA or PhD graduate (or both), each takes those values into careers in the academy and in a broad range of sectors including banking and finance, technology, and social technology, consulting and market research, health fields, and government/policymaking, among others.  SSD’s Dialogo podcast brings alumni into conversation with Paul Poast [https://www.paulpoast.com/], Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science and Deputy Dean for Doctoral Education, and Kelly Pollock [https://socialsciences.uchicago.edu/directory/kelly-therese-pollock], Dean of Students. Each season will feature alumni with careers in a particular field or industry.