As senior fellow, Lou oversees McREL's research and evaluation, institutional development, information technology, and public outreach departments. Cicchinelli is a cognitive psychologist with more than 30 years' experience conducting policy, research, and evaluation studies in a broad range of areas, such as K–16 education, child welfare and maltreatment, juvenile justice, and mental health. He has authored and co-authored numerous publications on school improvement and evaluation. Louis holds an M.A. and a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Denver and a B.A. in psychology from Canisius College in New York.