Kelli Thuli Crane, Ph.D.

Kelli Thuli Crane, Ph.D.

Kelli Thuli Crane is Assistant Research Professor at the Center for Transition and Career Innovation (CTCI), University of Maryland, College Park. She has extensive experience designing and implementing transition-related interventions to improve postschool outcomes for youth with disabilities, and she has served in leadership roles on several highly visible research and model demonstration projects funded by the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Social Security Administration. Prior to joining CTCI, Dr. Crane worked for TranCen, Inc., as Senior Research Associate. In this capacity, she consulted with national, state, and local stakeholders to build their capacity in aligning and delivering evidence-based practices leading to improved education, employment, and financial outcomes for youth with disabilities. Dr. Crane also served as a consultant for the National School-to-Work Office (NSTWO) of the U.S. Departments of Education and Labor, where she collaborated with federal and state government entities to ensure the inclusion of youth with disabilities in high school reform and other programs and services. During her tenure at the NSTWO, Dr. Crane served in an advisory capacity on the youth subcommittee of the Presidential Task Force on the Employment of Adults with Disabilities. She has published journal articles as well as numerous products related to school-to-work transition. Dr. Crane is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor and, early in her career, worked as a job coach and transition specialist for an urban school district.