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Karilyn Crockett’s research focuses on large-scale land use changes in twentieth century American cities, examining social geographic implications, structural poverty, racial formations, and memory. Her book "People Highways: Boston Activists, Urban Planners, New Movement City Making" investigates the grassroots movement of the 1960s that aimed to halt the urban extension of the U.S. interstate highway system, detailing the geographic and political changes in Boston that resulted. In 2019, her book was named one of the “ten books of the decade” by Boston Public Library’s librarians. She co-founded Multicultural Youth Tour What's (MYTOWN), an award-winning education and tourism organization based in Boston that employed public high school students to research local family histories and produce youth-led walking tours. Over 15 years, MYTOWN created jobs for over 300 low to moderate-income teenagers, leading public walking tours for more than 14,000 visitors and residents. MYTOWN was cited by the National Endowment for the Humanities during a White House ceremony as one of the “One of ten Youth Humanities Programs in America.” Karilyn holds a PhD in American Studies from Yale University, a Master of Science in Geography from the London School of Economics, and a Master of Arts in Religion from Yale Divinity School. She has served in executive leadership roles in Boston city government, including Director of Economic Policy and Research in the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development, and Director of Small Business Development. Karilyn currently leads a partnership with the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston to assess the regional racial wealth gap.