Monique Golden is the Social Science Lead for the Rapid Reskilling competition, where she oversees the judging, field testing and data collection aspects of the competition. Monique comes to XPRIZE Foundation with 15 years of experience in higher education and non-profit organizations, providing teaching, career training, and mentorship to students in elementary through postsecondary education.

Prior to joining XPRIZE, Monique was the research program officer at a start-up nonprofit delivering STEM and entrepreneurship outreach programs for youth and young adults in the Greater Hartford (CT) region. She formerly managed a 12-week workforce development initiative that leveraged technical and project-based training to guide participants to solve real-world problems using agile methodologies.

Monique recently defended her PhD thesis in Leadership and Education Policy at the University of Connecticut (UConn), where her research focus was Black women and perfectionism. She holds a master’s degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs from UConn, and a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Lehigh University. In her free time, she enjoys taking walks, spending time with family and friends, and playing tug of war with her dog, Mindy.