David T. Ellwood is an American

economist An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social sciences, social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this ...

and university administrator. He served as the dean of

Harvard Kennedy School The John F. Kennedy School of Government, commonly referred to as Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), is the school of public policy of Harvard University, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard Kennedy School offers master's de ...

and as the Scott M. Black Professor of Political Economy at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

Early life

Ellwood grew up

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

. His father,

Paul M. Ellwood Jr. Paul Murdock Ellwood Jr. (July 16, 1926 – June 20, 2022) was an American physician and a controversial figure in American health care. Often referred to as the "father of the health maintenance organization", he not only coined the term, he a ...

, is widely viewed as the "father of the

health maintenance organization In the United States, a health maintenance organization (HMO) is a medical insurance group that provides health services for a fixed annual fee. It is an organization that provides or arranges managed care for health insurance, self-funded hea ...

." He attended the prestigious college prep school, The Blake School, and graduated summa cum laude from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...

in 1975 and earned a Ph.D. in economics from the Harvard department of economics in 1981.

Career

Ellwood joined the Kennedy School faculty in 1980 and served two separate terms as the School's academic dean. He served as dean of

John F. Kennedy School of Government The John F. Kennedy School of Government, commonly referred to as Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), is the school of public policy of Harvard University, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard Kennedy School offers master's de ...

from 2004 through 2015. He is also the Scott M. Black Professor of Political Economy. He is the author of ''Poor Support: Poverty in the American Family'' (Basic Books, 1988). In 1993, he was named Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation at the

United States Department of Health and Human Services The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the US federal government created to protect the health of the US people and providing essential human services. Its motto is ...

(HHS), where he served as co-chair of

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

's Working Group on Welfare Reform, Family Support and Independence. At HHS, Ellwood played a key role in the administration's development and implementation of critical social policy. In 1999, Ellwod was elected as a fellow of National Academy of Public Administration. Ellwood is also a Fellow of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

, a research associate at the

National Bureau of Economic Research The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) is an American private nonprofit research organization "committed to undertaking and disseminating unbiased economic research among public policymakers, business professionals, and the academic co ...

, and a senior research affiliate of the National Poverty Center at University of Michigan's

Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy The Ford School of Public Policy (formally the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy) is the public policy school of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was founded in 1914 to train public administration experts. In 1999, the ...

. He is also a faculty affiliate of the Joint Center for Poverty Research at Northwestern University/University of Chicago and serves on the board of Abt Associates and the Malcolm Hewitt Wiener Foundation. In 2016, Ellwood became chair of the US Partnership on Mobility from Poverty, an effort funded by the

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation The Gates Foundation is an American private foundation founded by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. Based in Seattle, Washington, it was launched in 2000 and is reported to be List of wealthiest charitable foundations, the third largest char ...

and run by the

Urban Institute The Urban Institute is a Washington, D.C.–based think tank that conducts economic and social policy research to "open minds, shape decisions, and offer solutions". The institute receives funding from government contracts, foundations, and p ...

. The group of 24 scholars and activists is a "collaborative aimed at discovering permanent ladders of mobility for the poor."

Personal life

, he had been married for more than thirty years to his wife, Marilyn. They have two daughters.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ellwood, David T. Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Educators from Minnesota Harvard College alumni Harvard Kennedy School deans Clinton administration personnel