Kara Young, PhD
Director of Community Engagement & Racial Justice, BHHI
Dr. Kara Young is a mixed-methods social science researcher and educator. She holds a PhD in Sociology with specializations in food security, the sociology of race, the sociology of gender, and qualitative research methods. Prior to joining BHHI, Kara worked as an Assistant Professor at The Ohio State University in a joint faculty position between the Department of Sociology and the Initiative for Food and AgriCultural Transformations (InFact). While at Ohio State, she conducted research on how race and neighborhood affect people’s daily lived experiences of food access in urban cities. She also taught courses on food systems and inequality in the United States and served as the urban food disparities expert on a number of cross-disciplinary projects.
Alongside her academic work, Dr. Young has served as a consultant with organizations across the country on projects requiring racial justice and food systems expertise, short- and long-term project coordination, and qualitative evaluation assistance. She has also taught in high school, prison, transitional living facilities, and drug recovery centers. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Kara holds master's and doctoral degrees in sociology from the University of California, Berkeley, and a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Brown University.
Alongside her academic work, Dr. Young has served as a consultant with organizations across the country on projects requiring racial justice and food systems expertise, short- and long-term project coordination, and qualitative evaluation assistance. She has also taught in high school, prison, transitional living facilities, and drug recovery centers. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Kara holds master's and doctoral degrees in sociology from the University of California, Berkeley, and a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Brown University.