Nick Hart is the director of BPC’s Evidence-Based Policymaking Initiative. Prior to joining BPC, he worked in the federal government for nearly a decade, most recently as the policy and research director for the U.S. Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking. In that capacity, he oversaw the commission’s policy and research support team and led the drafting process for “The Promise of Evidence-Based Policymaking,” the commission’s final report and recommendations presented to the Congress and the president in September 2017.
Hart has worked on a wide range of issues including social security, disability, anti-poverty, environmental, energy, economic development, and criminal justice policies. He worked at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as a senior analyst and special assistant, where he contributed to writing executive branch budget proposals and encouraged increased capacity for evidence-based practices across government. He also served as OMB’s representative on the White House steering committee for President Barack Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper Task Force.
Hart has spoken widely about the history of evidence building efforts in the United States, and the need for organizational capacity to generate and use evidence to inform policymaking. He is an expert in evaluation, statistical, and evidence-based policy. He chairs the American Evaluation Association’s Evaluation Policy Task Force. He is a past-president and board member of Washington Evaluators, a DC-based professional organization for program evaluators and also serves on the board of the Eastern Evaluation Research Society.
Hart earned a doctorate from The George Washington University’s Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration, specializing in program evaluation. He also holds a Master of Science degree in Environmental Science and Master of Public Affairs degree from Indiana University, and a Bachelor of Science degree from Truman State University.