Sam Elkin, MEF Associates’ Vice President of Research and Evaluation, works out of the Alexandria office. With more than two decades experience in public policy research, analysis and evaluation, his work has covered program areas that include employment and training programs, refugee programs, fatherhood programs, child support, financial capability interventions, and food assistance.
Sam has been a part of studies and evaluations for the Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Labor, Department of Agriculture, and Social Security Administration. He works with local programs serving as sites in such studies to implement evaluation procedures and conducts qualitative research for implementation and process studies. He has led projects studying the intersection of employment services and financial capability interventions, the Unaccompanied Refugee Minor program and of interventions by food banks aimed at promoting long-term food security. He has worked on several major random assignment evaluations and other studies of programs serving populations such as the long-term unemployed, justice-involved fathers, refugees, individuals owing child support, and SNAP recipients.
Previously, he worked for five years at The Lewin Group, and held earlier positions with a former Director of the National Economic Council and with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
Sam holds a master’s degree in public policy from the University of California at Berkeley and a B.A. in Philosophy from Yale University. When he is not working, Sam spends time with his wife walking their beagle, Colcha, and playing the cavaquinho.