Liz Morrell, Ph.D.

Dr. Liz Morrell is the director of public policy research at the Charlotte Urban Institute.  She brings with her to this role a broad set of experiences in applied research, organizational development and community engagement. Previously, she worked as the historic and cultural resources manager for Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation, where she managed the effort to reimagine Historic Latta Place. She also served as the department’s strategic planning manager. Before working for the County, Dr. Morrell attended graduate school at UNC Charlotte.  

Dr. Morrell is an applied, mixed-methods researcher who utilizes community-engaged scholarship methods. Her research focuses on the intersection of place, race and economic systems, and she is particularly interested in ways in which social inequality is reproduced through systems and discourses. She defended her doctoral dissertation on factors that contribute to inequities in quality of life across the Charlotte region through the lens of neighborhood change processes, such as mortgage market structure, citizen activism, and public dissention and perception.  Liz holds an undergraduate degree in secondary social studies education from Purdue University with a master’s degree and doctorate in Geography – Urban/Regional Analysis from UNC Charlotte.   

Liz enjoys spending time at home with her family which includes a 4th grader, a rescue chihuahua, and a large orange cat. She spends her free time travelling near and far, bargain hunting, and learning new things through reading and listening to podcasts.