About Us
A research-driven nonprofit connecting evidence and community impact.
About Us
A research-driven nonprofit connecting evidence and community impact.
Mission & Purpose
EQ-Lab Foundation, where science meets community, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit advancing bilingual education and applied research to strengthen emotional well-being, financial capability, and evidence-based decision-making in underserved communities.
Our work is grounded in a commitment to generating and applying knowledge that strengthens families and communities, particularly within underserved and bilingual populations.
Our Focus
Bilingual & Culturally Responsive Engagement
We work primarily with underserved communities, including Black and Brown communities, ensuring accessibility, inclusion, and cultural relevance.
Prevention-Oriented Approach
We focus on early, preventive interventions that strengthen long-term outcomes for children and families.
Research-Informed Practice
All programs are grounded in exisiting research and continuously refined through data and real-world insights.
CARE: Our Values in Action
C – Community-Centered
We design solutions that reflect the lived experiences of the communities we serve.
A – Accessible
We ensure that knowledge and programs are available in both English and Spanish and strive to reduce barriers to access for diverse and underserved communities.
R – Research-Driven Integrity
We uphold scientific rigor by grounding our work in evidence-based research and continuously refining our approaches through data and learning.
E – Empowered Development
We equip individuals and families with the emotional, educational, and financial tools needed to achieve long-term well-being and stability.
Our Team
EQ-Lab is led by a multidisciplinary team with experience in research, education, and community-based work.
Our team combines academic rigor with practical implementation, enabling us to design, execute, and evaluate programs in real-world contexts.
ANGELICA SANCHEZ, PhD
(APPLIED ECONOMICS)
Co-Founder & Executive Director
Angelica Sanchez is a bilingual educator and community-based researcher with over a decade of experience leading education and applied research initiatives across the United States, Europe, and Latin America. She has authored over 50 academic publications and was recognized by the American organization Poets & Quants as one of the Best 40 Under 40 Business Professors.
She currently serves at Wake Tech Community College and is the co-founder of EQ-Lab Foundation, where she leads research-driven initiatives that bridge academic knowledge with real-world community impact in collaboration with nonprofits, universities, and community organizations worldwide.
JOHN RODRIGUEZ, PhD (c)
(APPLIED ECONOMICS)
Co-Founder & Research Fellow
John Rodriguez is a researcher and educator specializing in digital economics, and data analysis. He is currently a PhD candidate in Applied Economics, with a focus on applying quantitative methods to address real-world challenges and inform evidence-based decision-making.
He has contributed to academic research and collaborates on initiatives that bridge data, education, and community impact, supporting EQ-Lab’s mission to translate research into practical solutions.
LINDA LOPEZ STONE, MA
(HUMAN DEVELOPMENT)
Strategic Communications Advisor
Linda Lopez Stone is a U.S.-based communications strategist who champions immigrant justice through policy, advocacy, and strategic communications. She brings over a decade of experience elevating the voices and lived experiences of immigrant parents in the policy process.
Throughout her career, Linda has led impactful state and national campaigns, developed bilingual and bicultural strategies, and amplified immigrant voices through media engagement and community organizing to advance meaningful policy change.
JAN H. HÖFFLER, PhD
(ECONOMICS)
Senior Research Fellow & Advisor
Jan H. Höffler is an economist and researcher specializing in empirical methods, replication, and transparency in the social sciences. He is a visiting professor at the Geneva Graduate Institute and the founder of ReplicationWiki, an international initiative launched during his PhD at the University of Göttingen with support from the Institute for New Economic Thinking.
He has taught and presented internationally at leading institutions, including the University of Toronto, Nanjing University, and the United Nations University. His work focuses on improving research reliability and advancing evidence-based practices across disciplines, with publications in outlets such as American Economic Review Papers and Proceedings and other peer-reviewed journals.
OLGA ROA, PhD
(ENGINEERING)
SENIOR RESEARCHER
Olga Roa is a mechanical engineer with a PhD in Engineering and a Master’s degree in Numerical Analysis from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Spain). She has extensive academic experience as a professor of mathematics, statistics, numerical analysis, and research methodology at Universidad Nacional Experimental del Táchira (UNET) in Venezuela, where she also served as Graduate Academic Coordinator from 1993 to 2022.
She has been a researcher at EQ-Lab, CIN-UEES, and the University of Guayaquil in Ecuador. Her work includes numerous academic publications, conference proceedings, books, and book chapters published with recognized academic publishers.
DIANA BENITO-OSORIO, PhD
(STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT)
SENIOR RESEARCHER
Diana Benito-Osorio is a Full Professor of Strategic Management at Rey Juan Carlos University (Madrid, Spain) and a researcher specializing in corporate strategy, sustainability, and long-term institutional development. Her work focuses on how organizations design systems and strategies that create lasting social and organizational impact in complex and changing environments.
Her research combines rigorous empirical analysis with real-world application, with publications in leading international journals including Journal of World Business, International Business Review, and Technological Forecasting and Social Change. Her work has addressed topics such as sustainability, gender, organizational resilience, digital transformation, and evidence-based decision-making.
Diana has participated in numerous research and knowledge-transfer initiatives in collaboration with public institutions, universities, and organizations, contributing research that informs strategy, innovation, and organizational development.
MARCO FAYTONG-HARO, PhD
(SOCIOLOGY & DEMOGRAPHY)
RESEARCH FELLOW
Marco Faytong-Haro is a researcher specializing in social epidemiology, inequality, gender, and development. He holds a PhD in Sociology and Demography from Pennsylvania State University and a Master’s degree in Applied Quantitative Research for the Social Sciences from New York University.
His work focuses on understanding social and health disparities using real-world data and quantitative methods. He has experience across academic and applied research settings and currently serves as a senior researcher at Respiralab Research Center and an affiliated researcher at UEES.
Marco teaches at both Pennsylvania State University and UEES, where he supports students in applying data analysis to real-world social challenges. His work aligns with EQ-Lab’s mission to connect rigorous research with practical, community-based solutions.
FRANCISCO BOLAÑOS, PhD (c)
(COMPUTER ENGINEERING)
RESEARCH FELLOW
Francisco Bolaños is a researcher and educator specializing in Generative AI, with a focus on evaluation, transparency, and explainability in AI systems. He is currently a PhD candidate at The Open University (United Kingdom), where his research explores the automatic generation of literature reviews through transparent and explainable AI models designed to support informed and trustworthy use of AI-generated content.
His work combines AI development with rigorous qualitative evaluation methods and replicable research approaches aimed at improving transparency and trust in Generative AI systems. Francisco also brings extensive experience in education, academic leadership, and technology-focused graduate programs, contributing to initiatives that connect emerging technologies with practical and responsible applications in education and research.
Research & Impact
Our work is grounded in research and strengthened through real-world application.