Tobin Center’s Dave Wilkinson named to serve in Virginia Governor’s cabinet, Michelle Hahn to serve as center’s Acting Executive Director
Wilkinson will oversee Virginia’s state capacity agenda during his temporary leave. Hahn, who has decades of experience leading in the social science impact space, is the center's longtime Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Director.
The Tobin Center at Yale University announced today that its founding Executive Director, David Wilkinson, has been appointed to the position of Chief Transformation Officer for the Commonwealth of Virginia, a cabinet role charged with advancing state capacity.
Wilkinson, who is widely acknowledged as a national leader in how governments can use evidence and data to inform and improve policy and outcomes, will take leave from his position at Yale to serve in Virginia’s cabinet starting April 28, 2026.
“Dave’s appointment is a testament to the impactful work he has led at the Tobin Center and his national reputation as a thoughtful, pragmatic leader committed to improving public policy,” said Steve Berry, Faculty Director of the Tobin Center and the Sterling Professor of Economics at Yale University.
“While we will miss his day-to-day leadership during his leave, we are proud—and not at all surprised—to see him selected for a role in which his skills and experience can directly benefit millions of people who rely on state government for health care, public safety, education, and so much more,” said Berry. “Dave will position Virginia as an innovator in using data, evidence and technology to deliver better services.”
A cabinet role originally created under executive order of former Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, the Chief Transformation Officer is charged with advancing better, more effective government, emphasizing cost savings and performance. Wilkinson will work to improve state outcomes, strengthen customer-centered service delivery, and advance results-driven uses of technology, data analytics, and research. The overarching—and critical—goal of this work is to improve state capacity to build and act on evidence of what works.
Michelle Hahn named Tobin Center Acting Executive Director
During Wilkinson’s absence, Michelle Hahn will assume the role of Acting Executive Director and will oversee all policy and operations of the center. Hahn first joined the Tobin Center in 2022, and since then has played a critical role in shaping the organization’s strategy for impact and growth. She developed the strategic and operational infrastructure needed to advance the center’s mission to-date, and has worked closely with faculty, policymakers, and partners in philanthropy, government, and other sectors to support cutting-edge, evidence-based policy initiatives.
“Having worked closely with Michelle these past several years, I know there is no one better suited to support the center and its faculty as we enter a new phase of growth,” said Berry. “We are extremely fortunate to have her ready to take the helm. Her entrepreneurial spirit, dedication, and talent for bringing people together to work toward a shared mission make her an exceptional choice for the position.”
Tony Smith, Dean of Social Science, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, emphasized Hahn’s effectiveness and the trust she has earned across the university community.
“Michelle is uniquely suited to lead the Tobin Center during Dave’s public service leave,” Smith said. “Her strategic clarity and her operational mastery, combined with her appreciation for and understanding of economics and social science research, make her an invaluable asset to Yale. We are fortunate to have someone of her caliber ready to step into this role and guide the center forward.”
“Michelle is an innovative and ambitious thinker who also has a strong operational mind,” said Zack Cooper, Tobin Center Associate Faculty Director and Director of the Health Care Affordability Lab at Yale. “She’s widely respected in the social science impact space and has spent years building deep, trusted relationships with Tobin Center faculty and university leadership. We’re very lucky to have her stepping into this role.”
Like Wilkinson, Hahn is widely known as an early advocate for new systems and structures to enable social science impact. Before joining the Tobin Center, she served as Director of Public Finance and Results-Driven Government at Arnold Ventures, where she managed a large funding portfolio and partnered with state and local governments across the country to bring cutting edge research into policy.
Among the initiatives she championed was a network of successful state-university partnerships and policy labs, as well as other innovative, scalable, and sustainable models that are being used to improve tax policy, increase economic mobility, and develop modern and secure ways to use and share administrative data.
Hahn also served as a member of the founding team of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors’ Division of Financial Stability, where she helped build analytical infrastructure and provided research support to major Dodd-Frank initiatives like the bank capital stress tests and designation of systemically important financial institutions.
After several years of early impact, a new phase of impact
Tobin Center launched operations in 2019 to invest in research that fills critical knowledge gaps and to ensure Yale social science research benefits Americans across the country.
Since its founding, the center has supported 120 research projects at Yale and enabled hundreds of conversations between Yale faculty and policymakers at the federal, state, and local level—all with a relentless focus on real-world impact. The center’s work has shaped policy, informed rulemaking, and been referenced in media releases by members of Congress, the president's State of the Union address, and more.
Now in its seventh year at Yale, the center has completed its inaugural phase—building the institutional foundations, research partnerships, and operational capabilities needed to become a leading force in evidence-based policymaking. It was long expected that the center would facilitate public service leave for faculty and policy staff as a way of exchanging best practices and leading-edge innovations between government and applied social science.
With those foundations now firmly in place, the center is poised to enter a new chapter defined by scale, influence, and expanded collaboration with experts and policymakers across the nation.