Alex Baptiste
Business Insights Manager
Alex Baptiste is thrilled to continue advancing educational opportunities for marginalized communities as the Data Insights Manager at Merit America. After graduating from Princeton University with degrees in Politics and African-American Studies, Alex spent five years advocating for students at Advance Illinois, a statewide, education policy think tank based in Chicago. Alex found her niche as the organization’s lead data manager/visualization developer. In this role, she managed the metrics, data, and analysis for the organization’s biennial report on the health of the state’s education system from pre-K through postsecondary; modeled a new equitable, K-12 funding formula for Illinois; and built an interactive, public-facing “Data Desk” with data visuals on school funding, teacher retention, postsecondary enrollment, and student growth. Alex left Advance Illinois to start her own data visualization consulting group, where she continued to promote educational equity through analytical storytelling. Alex worked with clients including Advance Illinois, the Partnership for College Completion, and the Illinois Board of Higher Education to convert data into impactful insights through accessible, interactive graphics. In her spare time, Alex serves as the Diversity and Inclusion Chair for her Princeton class and as a Board Member/Committee Chair of the Association of Black Princeton Alumni. Alex is also a documentary filmmaker and avid outdoorswoman, who has thru-hiked sections of the Appalachian Trail and Pacific Crest Trail.
