Mindy Fried, M.S.W., Ph.D.

Mindy Fried, M.S.W., Ph.D. is a sociologist with over twenty years of experience conducting research, teaching and doing policy analysis on work, family and organizational issues (e.g., workplace culture, parental leave, flexible work policies and child care policy).  She has consulted with numerous organizations over this period, designing and conducting evaluation research and policy assessments, as well as providing technical assistance on research design issues.  Dr. Fried received an MA and Ph.D. in Sociology from Brandeis University, and an M.S.W. in Social Policy Planning at Syracuse University.

Dr. Fried has taught participatory evaluation at Tufts University, and social policy focusing on race and gender issues at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT, Department of Urban Studies and Planning/Women’s Studies), Tufts University and Boston University, and has been a guest lecturer at many universities, including Harvard University, Brandeis University, University of Maine/Portland and Boston College.  She is a skilled facilitator and trainer, and has initiated and implemented large-scale community-based participatory research projects.  Dr. Fried was on the faculty of VSA arts, where she taught research methods to teachers who worked in arts-integrated settings, and continues to conduct evaluation research in the arts and in arts education. Dr. Fried was a dancer for nearly 30 years, taught dance to children as a Resident Artist in public schools, worked as a dance therapist in psychiatric settings, and taught dance therapy to social workers, psychiatric nurses and psychologists.

Dr. Fried has presented her research at many professional conferences, including those sponsored by the American Sociological Association, Society for the Study of Social Problems, Sociologists for Women in Society, the Conference Board, American Public Policy and Management, and the Eastern Sociological Society. Her books include: Taking Time: Parental Leave Policy and Corporate Culture (Temple University Press, 1998), Babies and Bargaining: Working Parents Take Action, and How Does Your Community Grow: Planting Seeds for Quality Day Care. She has also written numerous articles on the evaluation of work-life policies and on issues related to measurement, and has given presentations throughout the U.S. on these and related issues. Dr. Fried has also worked in the Massachusetts state legislature as a child and family expert; and she has taught budget analysis and legislative lobbying techniques at the state and federal level on issues affecting women, children and families.

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