Caroline McCarthy joined HR&A in June 2008 after receiving a master's degree in city and regional planning from the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University, where she was the was the recipient of a research fellowship in community development through the Center for Urban Policy Research (CUPR). Previously, she spent five years working in Washington, DC as a consultant on a range of program management and evaluation projects for private- and public-sector clients, including the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Caroline also holds a bachelor of arts in economics from Wesleyan University.