Kelli Thuli Crane

Kelli Thuli Crane is an Assistant Research Professor at the University of Maryland, specializing in transition services and secondary education for youth with disabilities. She leads a U.S. Department of Education-funded random control trial on work-based learning initiatives and has extensive experience in research leadership roles across federal and state projects.

Education: Ph.D. in Vocational Special Needs Education (Virginia Tech, 1996), M.A. in Rehabilitation Psychology (University of Wisconsin-Madison), B.A. in Vocational Rehabilitation and Secondary Special Education (University of Wisconsin-Stout, high honors).

Research focuses on enhancing post-school outcomes through work experiences, interagency collaboration, and systemic transition models. Key projects include the Maryland PROMISE initiative, which evaluated strategies to engage youth SSI recipients, and the LINK project, developing digital tools for service coordination.

Grants include $3.3M for the LINK project, $800K for national evaluation of Disability Innovation Fund grantees, and $2.2M for national technical assistance on transition services. Her work emphasizes policy alignment, staff capacity building, and equitable employment pathways.

Labs/Teams: Center for Transition and Career Innovation (CTCI) at the University of Maryland, leading national and state-level initiatives in transition policy and practice.