Megan Izen is the Executive Assistant to the President and Executive Director of the Applied Research Center. She received her degree in Women's and Gender Studies and Mathematics from Sonoma State University in 2005. She was the Editorial Assistant for ColorLines Magazine before moving to ARC's executive office in 2006. She was also the Program Coordinator for Mamas & Papas, an LGBT family discussion group in San Francisco, CA.

Her passion for research began at the GLBT Historical Society of San Francisco where she was a volunteer archival research assistant.

Megan has written and researched several articles for ColorLines Magazine including "At Risk of Losing Your Home," on the rise of predatory lending. Her work has also been published by alternet.org and New America Media.