Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs
Taubman Center

Dave Wilkinson - Transforming Social Services in the United States: The Power of Evidence-Based Policy

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

12:30 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.

Watson Institute, McKinney Conference Room

Join Dave Wilkinson, Director of the White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation, for a conversation about how to move the needle on poverty, early childhood education, criminal justice reform, and other social issues using new data, evidence, and social innovation tools. The Office of Social Innovation works to meaningfully and measurably advance economic opportunity, equity, and justice by helping foster a more outcomes-driven social sector.

David Wilkinson is the Director of the White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation. He leads White House efforts to identify and scale better, more effective social solutions, advancing Presidential priorities that strengthen communities and enable upward economic mobility. This involves identifying programs that work better through use of data and evidence as well as scaling what works through smarter use of federal resources and public-private partnerships.

Using the tools of evidence-based policy, philanthropy, and impact finance, Wilkinson leads an Office of Social Innovation that supports the development and launch of data-driven solutions across a range of domestic policy priorities from education and job growth to economic development and healthy communities. In addition, Wilkinson coordinates efforts to attract and deploy America’s talent, from national service and volunteerism to employing better management strategy, in support of effective community solutions.

Wilkinson draws from an extensive background in impact finance, social entrepreneurship, evidence-based policy and organization management. He previously served the White House as Senior Policy Advisor for Social Finance and Innovation, assigned to the Office of Social Innovation and the White House Council on Environmental Quality.