Our Staff

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  David Dyssegaard Kallick (he/him)

  Director

  David Dyssegaard Kallick (he/him)

  Director

  David Dyssegaard Kallick is director of Immigration Research Initiative. He is the author of numerous studies, book chapters, and academic papers on the economic and fiscal aspects of immigration at the national, state, metro area, and local level with a particular focus on the regions of New York State.

  Prior to starting Immigration Research Initiative he was deputy director and director of immigration research at the Fiscal Policy Institute, and before that senior fellow of the Preamble Center and editor of Social Policy magazine. In addition to his work at IRI, Kallick teaches Urban Economics at the Pratt Institute’s Graduate School for City and Regional Planning.

  Kallick’s grandparents were all born in the United States, and his ancestry is mostly Jewish from Eastern Europe. Kallick’s wife is Danish, and his two sons are dual citizens. He speaks Danish, German, and French.

   

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  Cyierra Roldan (she/her)

  Deputy Director

  Cyierra Roldan (she/her)

  Deputy Director

  Cyierra Roldan is Deputy Director of the Immigration Research Initiative where she supports in the management and communications of IRI and works on immigration-related research, which has included research on refugee workers and providing drivers licenses for the undocumented New Yorkers. Cyierra Roldan previously worked at the Fiscal Policy Institute as an immigration policy analyst. She also serves as a commissioner for the Schenectady County Human Rights Commission where she oversees the Jail Oversight Committee.

  Cyierra Roldan has a bachelor’s degree from Colgate University in sociology and a master’s of public administration from the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy at the University at Albany.

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  Anthony Capote (he/they)

  Senior Data and Policy Analyst

  Anthony Capote (he/they)

  Senior Data and Policy Analyst

  Anthony Capote is senior data and policy analyst at Immigration Research Initiative. They are the director of micro-data research and analysis at IRI and also work with partners and advocates on key issues around building worker power in various industries. Anthony is also a doctoral candidate in sociology at the CUNY Graduate Center with a master’s degree in sociology from the same institution. Their dissertation research focuses on how corporations use targeted micro-data to co-opt political movements and shape their brand image. They have previously worked as a crime and politics reporter in the Bronx and as adjunct professor at Hunter College. The child of Cuban immigrants, Capote has seen the positive impacts of favorable immigration policy up close. Capote speaks both Spanish and English.

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  Shamier Settle (she/her)

  Researcher for Special Projects

  Shamier Settle (she/her)

  Researcher for Special Projects

  Shamier Settle is policy analyst for special projects at Immigration Research Initiative. Settle was most recently a securitized products analyst with Credit Suisse. Prior to that, she was policy analyst with the Fiscal Policy Institute, where she worked on New York State tax and budget policy with a racial equity lens, conducted immigration research specifically focusing on the 2020 Census, and analyzed the demographics and working conditions of domestic workers. Settle is a fourth generation Harlem resident,  and vice president of Harlem Women Strong.