Resume

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Michael Lopez

Data Strategist | Translating Complex Data into Community Action | Civic Tech & Nonprofit

Experience

Director, Data

Child Poverty Action Lab · May 2023 - Present

Leading data strategy, infrastructure, and team operations for a nonprofit focused on reducing child poverty in Dallas.

  • Assumed data team management, vendor relationships, and stakeholder management responsibilities following CDO departure (Dec 2024 - Dec 2025), reporting to CTO
  • Built project management system in Notion adopted org-wide by multiple departments
  • Architecting migration to Databricks, systematizing 35-40 data pipelines to transition from file-based storage to scalable infrastructure
  • Built eviction data pipeline processing 40,000+ Dallas County records annually, used by 12+ partners including Dallas Eviction Advocacy Center, Eviction Lab, and Dallas HHS
  • Designed parcel-level housing tool with 20 active users identifying residents eligible for assistance programs
  • Built data function from the ground up; led hiring for all data roles including organization's first data engineer
  • Managed team of up to 4 (3 analysts + 1 engineer); created onboarding documentation and mentored team in R, SQL, and data visualization
  • Evaluated and selected enterprise tools including Databricks, Claude Enterprise, Lucidchart, and data vendors (MySidewalk, DataAxle)
  • Oversaw development of 30+ R Shiny dashboards informing decisions on housing stability, public safety, and resource allocation

Manager, Data Analytics

Child Poverty Action Lab · May 2022 - May 2023

Transitioned from individual contributor to project leadership, managing cross-functional data initiatives and mentoring junior team members.

  • Led development of R Shiny applications, shifting organization toward interactive data products
  • Contributed to development of northtexasevictions.org, a public-facing eviction data transparency tool
  • Mentored analytics interns; one intern subsequently hired as full-time analyst
  • Managed projects spanning afterschool programming, child care accessibility, and housing stability
  • Established data collection and sharing procedures that became organizational standards

Associate, Analytics

Child Poverty Action Lab · June 2020 - April 2022

Early analytics team member who built foundational data infrastructure and reporting systems.

  • Created initial eviction data pipeline in R, laying groundwork for system now processing 40K+ records annually
  • Developed dashboards and reports in R, QGIS, Tableau, and ArcGIS for internal teams and community partners
  • Automated routine data processes, establishing repeatable frameworks used across the organization
  • Presented findings on housing instability, afterschool programming, and public safety to partner organizations

Research Project Assistant

UT Southwestern Medical Center · Dec 2019 - May 2020

  • Conducted participant interviews and assessments for biomedical research projects
  • Analyzed data and produced reports for internal research findings
  • Performed literature and policy reviews; coordinated project logistics across departments

Health and Social Policy Intern

Children at Risk · June 2019 - August 2019

  • Led policy research on early childhood development and school performance
  • Developed policy briefs on Texas education best practices for senior leadership and state stakeholders

Research Coordinator

University of Texas at Dallas · Aug 2016 - Dec 2018

  • Managed research operations for the Developmental Neurolinguistics Lab
  • Recruited, trained, and supervised 10-15 research assistants each semester
  • Recruited 300+ participants from local schools and youth programs
  • Conducted community outreach, presenting findings to families and local organizations

Research Assistant

Florida International University · May 2013 - May 2015

  • Assessed pre-kindergarten children's spatial abilities and verbal intelligence
  • Trained research assistants on assessment protocols and transcription procedures
  • Recruited participants across Miami-Dade County schools

Education

Master of Public Policy

University of Texas at Dallas · 2021

Bachelor of Arts, Psychology & Anthropology

Florida International University · 2015

Technical Skills

Languages & Analytics: R, SQL, Python, Statistical Modeling, ETL
Data Infrastructure: Databricks, CKAN, Jenkins, Git, CI/CD
Visualization & Apps: R Shiny, Tableau, ggplot2, Quarto
Geospatial: QGIS, ArcGIS, Leaflet, sf
Platforms & Tools: Notion, Lucidchart, Claude Enterprise, PostgreSQL
Domains: Housing, Public Safety, Social Policy, Community Development

Selected Projects

  • Dallas County Eviction Pipeline - Processing 40,000+ records annually, used by 12+ partners for outreach and intervention
  • North Texas Evictions - Public-facing data transparency tool at northtexasevictions.org
  • Parcel Block Walking Tool - Housing assistance eligibility identifier with 20 active users
  • 30+ R Shiny Dashboards - Interactive tools for housing stability, public safety, and resource allocation
  • DigiLab TCG Standings - Shiny dashboard tracking Digimon TCG events in North Texas; built community for collaborative data collection (digilab.cards)
  • atomtemplates - R package for standardized project creation and handling (GitHub)