INSTITUTE FOR POLICY RESEARCH

Henry Bienen

Henry Bienen served as Northwestern’s 15th president from 1995 to 2009 and also as its interim president from September 2025 to July 2026. At Princeton, he was the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor and dean of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. He has also served as the president of the Poetry Foundation and held leadership or advisory roles with the Crown Center at Brandeis, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Argonne National Laboratory, and Chicago Public Schools (Budget Committee), among others. He is a life trustee of MetroSquash and sits on the boards of many other organizations including Ryan Specialty Group, Rasmussen, Inc., and the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, and advises Lurie Cancer Center, Academic Partnerships, and education investments for The Vistria Group.

Read Full Bio

Cheryl Casnoff

Cheryl Austein Casnoff is a senior health policy executive with extensive leadership experience in government, nonprofits, and the private sector. She has led large-scale studies and programs in Medicaid, telehealth, and more, and played a key role in launching the $20 billion State Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). She has held senior positions at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, NORC, and MITRE, and now is the owner of CAC Health Care Consulting. She holds multiple board roles supporting children’s health and health information technology. 

Read Full Bio

David Figlio

David Figlio directed the Institute for Policy Research from 2012–2017, later serving as dean of Northwestern’s School of Education and Social Policy and provost of the University of Rochester, where he is now the Gordon Fyfe Professor of Economics of Education. He studies a wide range of interrelated education and health policy issues including school accountability, school choice, and the role of families, and collaborates frequently with state and local agencies. He also conducts research on aspects of the academic profession itself. An elected member of the National Academy of Education, Figlio has edited the academic journals Education Finance and Policy and the Journal of Human Resources. 

Read Full Bio

Jessica Heppen

Jessica Heppen, a veteran researcher and national expert on education policy and practice, is the president and CEO of the American Institutes for Research (AIR). A strong believer in the power of high-quality evidence to overcome challenges and improve lives, she has designed and led large-scale research studies focused on improving education and opportunity for children, families, and communities. As AIR president and CEO, she oversees an interdisciplinary team that conducts research and technical assistance in every U.S. state and across the world to improve healthcare delivery and payment, education, workforce and economic development, housing, child welfare, food security, and agriculture. Throughout her career, she has published her work in a variety of journals and other media and regularly presents to varied audiences.

Read Full Bio

Jocelyn Fontaine

Jocelyn Fontaine is vice president for strategic program development and a senior fellow in justice policy at the Urban Institute. She is also the inaugural executive director of the Black and Brown Collective for Community Solutions to Gun Violence, an organization of scholars committed to supporting equitable policy and practice in violence prevention. She previously held positions at Pew Charitable Trusts and the National Institute of Justice and led criminal justice research at Arnold Ventures, advancing evidence-based strategies in policing, pretrial justice, and corrections. She is committed to using rigorous social science research to improve the safety and wellbeing of individuals, families, and communities.  

Read Full Bio

Steve Hagerty

Steve Hagerty is the founder and president of Hagerty Consulting, a firm of more than 450 professionals that supports governments, companies, and nonprofits in disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. He has led efforts following major crises, including 9/11, the California wildfires, Hurricanes Katrina and Ida, and the Surfside building collapse. As the 21st mayor of Evanston, Illinois, he guided the city through the COVID-19 pandemic, achieving some of the lowest positivity and fatality rates—and highest vaccination rates—among urban ring cities. He is a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration and previously specialized in federal disaster programs at PricewaterhouseCoopers. 

Read Full Bio

Kim Hunt

Kim L. Hunt is executive director of Pride Action Tank and vice president of special projects and innovation at AIDS Foundation Chicago. For more than 25 years, she has used storytelling, public speaking, and civic engagement to create inclusive spaces for social change, guided by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision of the beloved community. She has served on the Illinois Council on Aging, the Illinois Commission on LGBTQ+ Aging, and the Chicago LGBTQ+ Advisory Council. Kim is a former co-host of OUTSpoken: LGBTQ Storytelling and has been a live commentator for ABC Chicago’s Pride Parade since 2022.  

Read Full Bio

Jake Kaplan

Jake Kaplan brings over a decade of experience in government, policy, and political operations. He currently serves as deputy chief of staff and district director for Congressman Brad Schneider (IL-10), where he oversees district operations and constituent outreach. He also serves as a senior advisor to the Congressman's political operation. Prior to his current role, Kaplan spent several years on Capitol Hill, developing a deep understanding of the legislative process and constituent services in a highly competitive congressional office. His work centers on strategic planning, relationship management, and providing policy and political guidance at both the district and national levels.

Read Full Bio

Walter Katz

Walter Katz is director of policy at the Innocence Project and a senior fellow at the Council on Criminal Justice. He began his career as a public defender and later served as police auditor for San Jose and as deputy mayor for public safety in Chicago. He has held leadership roles in philanthropy and tech, including at Arnold Ventures, where he led efforts on gun policy, violence reduction, and police accountability. A former Open Society Foundations Leadership in Government fellow, Katz has published widely on justice reform and sits on the boards of two Chicago nonprofits and the advisory board of a venture capital firm. 

Read Full Bio

Amy Liu

Amy Liu is a presidential advisor and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, where she oversees initiatives that bring together experts to address major policy challenges. She was previously Brookings’ interim president and co-founded Brookings Metro, a program focused on advancing prosperous, just, and resilient communities and regional economies. An expert on cities and economic development, she has held roles in the U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the U.S. Senate. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, and other national outlets, and she lends her expertise as a member of several nonprofit boards and advisory councils.  

Read FULL BIO

Sybil Madison

Sybil Madison is director of the Office of the President at the MacArthur Foundation, where she manages operations, oversees strategic grantmaking, and supports the execution of the president’s priorities. She is also a member of the Foundation’s Leadership Advisory Team. Previously, she was chief of staff and deputy mayor for education and human services under Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, leading cross-agency initiatives focused on equity, youth development, and pandemic recovery. Earlier in her career, she was a research associate at Northwestern, where she led city-wide efforts to close opportunity gaps for youth. She currently serves on several civic advisory boards.

Read Full Bio  

Jordan Matsudaira

Jordan Matsudaira is a professor at American University, where he co-directs the Postsecondary Education & Economics Research (PEER) Center, a research and policy action laboratory aimed at improving outcomes in higher education. He is also a nonresident fellow at the Urban Institute and visiting scholar at the Federal Reserve Banks of Chicago and Philadelphia. His research uses administrative data to evaluate the effects of education and labor policies on low-income Americans. He previously served as deputy undersecretary and the first chief economist at the U.S. Department of Education, and as chief economist on President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers.

Read Full Bio