STEPHEN SILLS
Research Design Consultant
Dr. Stephen J. Sills is a sociologist and researcher whose academic and professional career has focused on globalization, migration, housing policy, economic development, public health, and behavioral health. He earned his Ph.D. in Sociology from Arizona State University in 2004, with a dissertation on marginalized Filipino labor migrants in Taiwan. Dr. Sills also holds a Master of Arts in Sociology from Arizona State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish from the University of North Carolina Greensboro.
He has extensive experience as a principal investigator, co-principal investigator, evaluator, and methodological consultant, having been involved in over 150 applied and community-engaged projects. He has contributed to numerous journal articles, white papers, and book chapters, discussing topics such as housing, racialized planning, environmental justice, and health. He is also a sought-after consultant, working with organizations such as the National League of Cities, Housing FIRST Alliance of East Baton Rouge, United Way of Greater Greensboro, Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro, East Greensboro Now, the Piedmont Triad Regional Council, City of Wilmington, the Mariners Inn Alumni House Homeless Services, and the Hinton Rural Life Center, among others.
Dr. Sills uses a mixed method approach in his research, incorporating statistical and geospatial data, and often engages communities in Community-Based Participatory Research frameworks such as Asset Based Community Development, Participant Action Research, and methods such as PhotoVoice, Community Asset Mapping, and Community Action Planning. Throughout his career, Dr. Sills has been involved in various evaluation research and community-engaged scholarship projects, including studies on housing needs, workforce development, and health equity. In recognition of his expertise, Dr. Sills was selected as a Policy Scholar for the E Pluribus Unum Fund and as a Fellow with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Interdisciplinary Research Leaders Program.