Ron Haskins is leaving his position as staff director of the House Subcommittee on Human Resources to join the Economic Studies Program at the Brookings Institution as a Senior Fellow, effective January 1st. His research at Brookings will focus on his areas of expertise — welfare reform, day care, child support enforcement, foster care, unemployment, and budget issues.
“Ron Haskins has a deep scholarly understanding of welfare reform and related issues, as well as first-hand practical knowledge of the politics of these issues,” said Robert Litan, Vice President and Director of the Economic Studies Program. “His presence will greatly enhance Brookings ability to generate the independent research and analysis needed by policy makers.”
Haskins has spent 14 years on the staff of the House Subcommittee on Human Resources (part of the Committee on Ways and Means) — initially as Welfare Counsel to the Republican Staff, and then as Staff Director since the Republicans won control of the House in 1994.
Previously, Haskins was a research professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a lecturer in history and education at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, a high school social studies teacher in Charlotte, N.C., and a non-commissioned officer in the United States Marine Corps.
He is the author of numerous books, monographs, and articles on welfare reform and related topics.
Haskins lives with his wife and son in Rockville, Maryland, a suburb of Washington D.C.