​​Catherine Elizabeth DeLazzero is a writing and communication specialist. She collaborates with individuals and organizations to develop a variety of writing and research products in many different industries around the world. (See samples and reviews.)
Catherine is also an academic researcher affiliated with Teachers College, Columbia University, where she serves on the Institutional Review Board (see post). Catherine's academic work focuses on how we can use writing, communication, and research to solve practical problems in ways that reflect ethical principles of respect, beneficence, and justice.
Catherine currently serves as principal researcher on three studies: the first on writing about violence, the second on the impacts of NYC community boards, and the third on the effects of institutional silencing mechanisms (e.g., NDAs) for those who report violations. The third is funded by and builds on the work of Lift Our Voices. Catherine has a book under contract with Routledge on the teaching of writing. Her dissertation, Writing for Diversity, investigates the impacts of writing assessment on students’ experiences with writing and learning in NYC public high schools and CUNY colleges.
For each project, Catherine develops original research methods and recommendations for action. (See recent article in Harvard Data Science Review and list of ~50 presentations she has delivered.)
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Catherine has taught at high school, undergraduate, and graduate levels in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens, across the United States and in South Africa; and served as a Fulbright Specialist in România and Thailand. Recently, she taught writing in undergraduate and graduate programs at Columbia University. From 2014 to 2023, Catherine served as a writing mentor for the Prison Writing Program at PEN America, which advocates for open expression and the freedom to write worldwide. From 2014 to 2022, she served in leadership positions on Manhattan Community Board 7.
Catherine earned a B.A. from Oberlin College and an M.A., M.Phil., and Ph.D. from Teachers College, Columbia University. Catherine began her working career at Port Morris, a tile, marble, and terrazzo business in the Hunts Point neighborhood of the Bronx. Her paternal family founded Port Morris in 1904 after immigrating to the Bronx from Italy in 1890. Her career in education follows the footsteps of her maternal grandmother Catherine, who graduated from Hunter College, CUNY in 1975 and taught home economics in the Bronx and Brooklyn. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
​​​​​​​​​​​​​Ashley Maria Garcia-Parra is a writer and researcher. She studies biology at Hunter College, CUNY and works as a medical assistant at The Mount Sinai Hospital. Ashley believes that writing can help us reflect and grow, and writing with others helps us expand our perspectives more than we can on our own. ​
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Ashley plans to publish her essay, "Independence, Independencia," which describes independence as having "the free will to live as I believe" and what she learned from her mother and grandmother: "no cuesta nada hacerlo." Ashley wrote the essay to inspire young Dominican women to prosper and strive in a demanding world and know that we have the power to change and direct our own lives.
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Ashley also works as a researcher on several studies. She hopes this work will leave a lasting impact on communities.
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​​​​​​​​​​​​​Lexie Meltzer is a researcher and incoming student at Harvard Medical School. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in biopsychology, cognition, and neuroscience with a minor in Spanish language, literature, and culture from the University of Michigan. While attending U of M, she conducted clinical research for various studies through the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology with a focus on diagnostic and treatment interventions for chronic pelvic pain. She recently co-authored “Voices of Relief: Using Narrative Medicine to Transform Chronic Pelvic Pain Care.”
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Lexie also served as an editor for Hopelessly Yellow, a digital wellness platform at U of M that uses storytelling and mixed media (e.g., weekly articles, music playlists, and art) to promote wellbeing. Lexie believes that collaboration is key to successful research, writing, and editing; one must develop a comprehensive understanding of writers’ styles and intentions to work together to execute exceptional pieces. In her four years at Hopelessly Yellow, Lexie worked with a vast array of writers to refine ideas, highlight voices, and deliver messages to diverse audiences.
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Lexie aspires to continue developing her research, writing, and communication skills during her time at Harvard to become a physician who is equipped with the tools and expertise to address systemic challenges and promote positive change through investigation and collaboration.
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Acacia Reed, Syreeta Swann, Jonathan Auerbach, and Jared Licina
serve as advisors to DeLazzero & Company. ​​​​​​​​