Nishesh Chalise
Senior Manager, Community Development Research
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Nishesh Chalise serves as senior manager of the Community Development Research team at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. He joined the St. Louis Fed in June 2020 as the director of community-based policy and analysis. Chalise specializes in using community-engaged research to better understand economic conditions in low- and moderate-income households and communities across the Eighth Federal Reserve District and beyond.
Before joining the St. Louis Fed, Chalise was an assistant professor of social work at Augsburg University in Minneapolis, Minn. He taught baccalaureate and graduate courses on research, program evaluation and community development. He has years of experience conducting community-engaged research in and outside of the U.S.
Chalise holds a Ph.D. and a master’s degree in social work from Washington University in St. Louis. He earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental sciences from Kathmandu University.
Research Interests
workforce development, economic conditions in low- and moderate-income communities, system dynamics modeling
Featured Publications
“Expanding Early Childhood Education: The Side-Effects of Well-Meaning Policies and Interventions”
with Saras Chung, Rachel Matsumoto and William Liem
International Journal of Complexity in Education, Vol. 5, No. 1, 2024
“Barriers to Participation in the Labor Force: A Primer”
with William M. Rodgers III
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Bridges, May 24, 2023
“Practitioner Perspectives: Workforce Development Challenges and Opportunities in the Eighth District”
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Bridges, November 16, 2023
“2025 Community Perspectives Survey: Insights from the Field—Economic Conditions in Low- and Moderate-Income Communities”
with Violeta Gutkowski, Steven Howland and Becky Kropf
Fed Communities, Federal Reserve System, August 19, 2025
“2025 Community Perspectives Survey: Insights from the Field—Health of Entities Serving Low- and Moderate-Income Communities”
with Violeta Gutkowski, Steven Howland and Becky Kropf
Fed Communities, Federal Reserve System, August 19, 2025