Dr. Keisha Griffin, Ed.D.
Higher education executive, applied researcher, and public-policy practitioner. Twenty years directing policy research, community engagement, and a $4.5M portfolio of federal, state, and philanthropic grants — most of it inside the institutions and agencies the work is meant to serve.
- Senior Operations Manager, External Affairs & the John S. Watson Institute for Urban Policy and Research, Kean University
- Founder & Principal Consultant, Steele Consulting Services
- Editor, Urban Mayors Press — New Jersey Urban Mayors Association
- NJUMA Representative, Countywide Shared Services Partnership Initiative, Office of the Governor
- Sponsored portfolio
- $4.5MFederal, state, and philanthropic funding developed, led, and administered.
- Years of practice
- 20+Higher education, government, nonprofit leadership, and community health.
- Countries studied
- 16Comparative research on AI governance and institutional capture risk.
- Educational Leadership
- Ed.D.Saint Peter’s University, 2024. MPA in Nonprofit Management.
Selected work
A portfolio of roughly $4.5 million in federal, state, and philanthropic funding, plus applied research and editorial leadership across New Jersey’s urban policy landscape.
Coalport Neighborhood Revitalization and Facility Redevelopment
Contributing writer and research administrator on an Economic Development Initiative–Community Project Funding award, FY 2026. Congressional sponsor: Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman.
AI Governance and Systemic Capture Risk
Mixed-methods research applying the AI Capture Diagnostic Framework to assess institutional resilience, governance structures, transparency, accountability, and capture vulnerability. Presented at the IPSA RC20 Biennial Meeting in Lisbon.
MCH Project — Maternal and Infant Health
Co-investigator and project manager. Research administration, fiscal oversight, compliance, partner coordination, and reporting across all three phases of an equity-focused maternal and infant health initiative.
Explaining the Impact of Harmful Policies on Vulnerable Communities
Contributed to proposal development and led research administration, implementation oversight, partner coordination, fiscal monitoring, and grant reporting for a capacity-building initiative with New Jersey community organizations.
Urban Mayors Press
Editorial vision and strategic direction for the official publication of NJUMA, commissioning and editing policy commentary, executive interviews, and municipal profiles with elected officials and policy experts.
Countywide Shared Services Partnership Initiative
Represents NJUMA and the Watson Institute in a statewide initiative advancing intergovernmental collaboration, municipal capacity, and efficient public-service delivery.
The complete grant portfolio, research record, and publication list is on the About page.
Bring her in on the work
Twenty years of doing this inside institutions rather than advising from outside them. Engagements run through Steele Consulting Services, scoped to what an organization actually needs — a single assessment, one funding cycle, or a sustained partnership.
- Organizational Capacity & InfrastructureGovernance, planning, and the operational backbone underneath the mission.
- Grant ServicesFull lifecycle, from readiness through post-award closeout.
- Research, Strategic Analysis & WritingEvidence a funder accepts and a team can actually use.
Reach Dr. Griffin
For a speaking invitation, a research collaboration, a board conversation, or a first word about consulting. The more specific you are, the more useful the reply will be.
- What happens next
- Dr. Griffin reads every message personally and responds within two business days.
- Looking to hire the firm?
- Consulting engagements are scoped and delivered through Steele Consulting Services, which has its own intake form built for that purpose. This one reaches her directly — useful for a speaking invitation, a collaboration, or a first conversation. Go to the Steele intake form