Helen Behnke-Hanson is the deputy chief of staff for research and programs at the Urban Institute, where she partners with senior leadership on institutional strategy development and implementation. 

Before joining Urban, Behnke-Hanson’s work focused on using research and data to address disparities in educational access and outcomes. At DC Public Schools, she worked on the district’s postpandemic learning recovery strategy. As project director for the University of Chicago Education Lab, she supported large-scale research and technical assistance efforts in Chicago Public Schools and led a portfolio of strategic data analysis projects focused on increasing equity in student academic attainment. Behnke-Hanson also has experience with data acquisitions and compliance, grants administration, and operations in the policy research and nonprofit sectors. 

Behnke-Hanson holds a BA in English language and literature and a MS in applied data science from the University of Chicago.Helen Behnke-Hanson