Alan M. Hershey
Senior Fellow

Senior fellow Alan Hershey is a nationally known expert in designing, implementing, and managing major evaluations of programs involving employment, food stamps, job training, education, and services to support vulnerable families, couples, and teens.

Hershey has more than 35 years of experience in public policy research, with a long record of leadership in major evaluations. He directed the Building Strong Families project, a rigorous 10-year examination of programs to strengthen couple relationships among low-income, unwed parents. He also served as director of the Evaluation of Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Programs, an eight-site experimental design evaluation of programs to reduce teen sexual activity, teen pregnancy and births, and sexually transmitted infections.

Hershey was principal investigator for Mathematica’s evaluation of the Rural Welfare-to-Work Strategies Demonstration, a five-year evaluation of program models for helping Temporary Assistance for Needy Families recipients and other low-income individuals improve their employment success. He directed an evaluation of the Welfare-to-Work Grants Program, a complex study that included two national surveys, as well as a special evaluation component focusing on American Indian and Alaska Native grantees.

Hershey is also known for his work on programs for high school dropouts and other at-risk and disadvantaged youths. He directed an evaluation of 85 dropout prevention programs nationwide as well as studies on school-to-work transitions. His policy expertise is widely sought, and he has briefed policymakers and government officials and testified before Congress. He holds an M.P.A. in urban affairs from Princeton University. Less Detail More Detail

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