Gretchen Ruth Cusick is a Senior Researcher at Chapin Hall. Her research interests include the transition to adulthood, the involvement of youth and the engagement of their families in the juvenile justice system, and quantitative research methods. Dr. Cusick’s recent projects include an examination of the multiple systems involvement of youth reentering the community from correctional institutions and a study of the offending patterns among youth aging out of the child welfare system. She is currently leading two local evaluation efforts for the Chicago Public Schools, including an evaluation of the Safe Schools Healthy Students initiative, which is designed to reduce violence and substance use among students and create safer school and community environments. Dr. Cusick earned a Ph.D. in Sociology with an emphasis in crime, law, and justice from Pennsylvania State University, where she also received departmental certification in Quantitative Methods.