Social policy expert Maria Cancian has been appointed as an independent member of Mathematica’s board of directors. Cancian is the dean of the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University, where her research focuses on policies and programs that affect family well-being, particularly among underserved families or those experiencing poverty. Cancian is a champion of inclusive and culturally responsive engagement in policy research and a leading voice for greater diversity in the research community.
“Maria has dedicated her career to uncovering effective approaches to support our most vulnerable individuals,” said Mathematica President and Chief Executive Officer Paul Decker. “She understands the vital ways that evidence can improve policies and programs impacting children and families, and we look forward to tapping her insights and partnership as Mathematica continues to improve public well-being.”
Cancian holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Michigan. Before joining Georgetown University, she won a Kellett Mid-Career Award as a professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she served as associate dean for social sciences and fiscal initiatives, and as director of the Institute for Research on Poverty. She also served as senior advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, and deputy assistant secretary for policy for the Administration for Children and Families. In addition, Cancian served as a Casey Family Programs senior fellow, a W.T. Grant Foundation distinguished fellow in residence at the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families, a visiting scholar at the Russell Sage Foundation, and a visiting fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California. Cancian is the immediate past president of the Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management and was elected as the 2018 John Kenneth Galbraith Fellow of the American Academy of Political & Social Science.
“Mathematica not only recognizes and advocates for the critical role that evidence should play in decision making, it acts to ensure that policies and programs are informed by diverse perspectives,” said Cancian. “I look forward to helping Mathematica and its nearly 1,500 employee owners advance its mission and extend its influence throughout the fields and communities in which we work.”
Learn more about Mathematica’s board of directors.
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