Heather Hahn is associate vice president for the Family and Financial Well-Being Division at the Urban Institute. She is a national expert on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) with more than two decades of experience conducting nonpartisan research on policies affecting the well-being of children and families, including TANF, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), child care subsidies, child support, and other supports for families with low incomes. She coleads the Kids’ Share project, examining federal spending and tax expenditures on children. Hahn previously co-led Urban’s From Safety Net to Solid Ground initiative, providing timely and rigorous analyses of state and federal policy changes, and the Work Support Strategies evaluation of state efforts to modernize families’ access to nutrition assistance, child care, and Medicaid. She has extensive experience leading projects, designing and conducting case studies, and listening to the people administering and participating in programs supporting families experiencing poverty. Hahn has authored dozens of reports and has considerable experience disseminating research to diverse audiences. She has testified before Congress and has been interviewed and quoted by major print and radio media, including NPR, the Washington Post, the New York Times, National Review, the Atlantic, and USA Today.

Before joining Urban, Hahn was an assistant director for education, workforce, and income security issues at the US Government Accountability Office. She received a BA in philosophy and a certificate in women’s studies from Brandeis University, an MPP from Duke University, and a PhD in political science from Stanford University.