Sam Quinney

Sam Quinney is the Director of the Tobin Center's Yale for Connecticut initiative, where he leads Tobin's portfolio of projects across Connecticut state government, including the Governor's Fellowship Program.

Sam joined the Tobin Center after 10 years helping build and lead The Lab @ DC in the Washington, DC mayor’s office. The Lab @ DC is a research and design team that generates timely, relevant, and high-quality evidence for the betterment of local residents.

Under his leadership, the Lab conducted more than 50 public-facing projects in civic design, data science, and program evaluation. He ensured that each project was resident-focused, presented in plain language, and pushed the boundaries of what governments can do. Sam built state capacity by pioneering evidence-informed budgeting, promoting low-cost “off the shelf” technologies, use of open science, and by hiring, training, and retaining top research and design talent into government. Sam has co-authored work in homelessness prevention, public transit, predictive modeling, benefits cliffs, police bias, and income-based fines.

Prior to joining The Lab @ DC, Sam conducted research on school improvement, teacher quality, and student borrowers for the US Department of Education (ED) and White House Social and Behavioral Sciences Team. He has also worked for the City of Chicago, where he helped design a more cost-effective use of commercial loading zones and a 311 data tool used to predict outbreaks of rodent activity. Before his research career, Sam was a 7th Grade U.S. History teacher in Philadelphia and a Coordinator for a college readiness program serving low-income students.

Sam was a 2013 Presidential Management Fellow and a 2007 Teach For America Corps Member. Sam holds a B.A. in Political Science and Writing from Villanova University, and a Masters of Public Policy from the University of Chicago.