Dr. Hawkins is the Managing Director for Research and Evaluation at the D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF). A leading expert in the resilience and readiness of military service members and families, she brings a depth and breadth of experience leading applied research projects and a variety of program evaluation and capacity-building efforts. In addition, an integral part of her scientific focus is the application of theory and research evidence to relevant social issues, bringing science to inform policy, programs, and practice.

Before joining the IVMF, Dr. Hawkins worked as a behavioral research scientist supporting the U.S. Army’s Research Facilitation Laboratory. There, she conducted research and evaluation in support of the Department of Defense, providing evidence-based findings and recommendations to key leadership and decision-makers to support Service members and their families. This included projects examining military family readiness, hiring efforts for military integrated prevention positions, postpartum health among active duty mothers, the Army’s Exceptional Family Member Program, divorce and marital quality among Army couples, and evaluation and monitoring capacity across programs such as Family Advocacy Program and Employment Readiness Program. In her role with RFL, Dr. Hawkins and her teams authored over 20 government technical reports, and published their work in peer-reviewed journals, including Family Science, Journal of Family Studies, Military Behavioral Health, and Journal of Research in Childhood Education. She has presented findings for several military organizations and leaders, including the U.S. Army Office of the Surgeon General, the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, and the Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff of Installation Management.

Dr. Hawkins received her Ph.D. and M.A. degrees in psychology from Claremont Graduate University, where she received the Grace Berry Award for Women in Graduate Studies, a Claremont Graduate University Dissertation Award, and the Arthur H. Brayfield Distinguished Dissertation Award. She received her B.A. in psychology from Azusa Pacific University.