The Polis Center at IUPUI has named Kelly Davila Senior Research Analyst. In this role, Davila will manage ongoing research and evaluation projects involving the SAVI digital community information system (savi.org), analyzing data, and explaining research findings and their implications with clear risk recommendations. SAVI helps nonprofits, academia, government, and health organizations assess trends and conditions, identify service gaps, and better target areas of concern based on the social, economic and other demographic realities in more than 2,000 Central Indiana communities.

Davila has a background in public policy research and urban development with specific experience in academic research, applied social science (archaeology, museum curation, and oral history), and transportation planning for city government.  Her major areas of emphasis include spatial analysis, spatial statistics, public policy analysis, and demographically-informed policy research. Prior to joining The Polis Center, Davila worked as a project engineer with the Trapeze Group in Cedar Rapids, IA.

She earned Master’s Degrees in Urban & Regional Planning from the University of Iowa, where she attended as a Dean’s Graduate Research Fellow, and Anthropology from the University of Southern Mississippi. Davila is a native of San Antonio and obtained a BA degree in Anthropology from the University of Texas at Austin.

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