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Experts
David C. Wittenburg
Vice President & Practice Director, Social Policy & Economics Research
Contact
DavidWittenburg@westat.comOverview
David C. Wittenburg, PhD, joined Westat in May 2024 as the Vice President and Practice Director for Social Policy and Economics Research. He has 2 decades of experience in program evaluation for federal agencies, including SSA, DOL, and HHS. Wittenburg is an expert in interventions that promote employment for people with disabilities, particularly interventions that serve youth as they transition into adulthood. He has a reputation as a compassionate leader and prioritizes a collaborative culture of inclusion and professional growth.
Prior to joining Westat, Wittenburg worked at Mathematica where he served in roles as a Senior Director for Disability Research, a Health Director, and most recently, as a Senior Fellow from 2005 to the present. He directed business development activities for disability projects for federal agencies, including SSA, the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA), DOL, and the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB), as well as state agencies, foundations, and private entities. Earlier in his career, at the Urban Institute, he worked on programs and policies that affect adults and children with disabilities and projects related to the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP). At the Lewin Group, he examined return-to-work initiatives for adults with low income and disabilities, especially SSA disability programs and the Unemployment Insurance (UI) program.
Wittenburg has published and presented extensively; provided congressional testimony, keynote addresses, and special committee reports; served as a referee for a range of peer-reviewed journals; and is an Editorial Board Member for the Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation. He also served as an expert panel member to support SSA disability programs for 2 different panels for the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine over the past decade.
Education
- PhD, Economics, Syracuse University
- BA, Economics, Hobart and William Smith Colleges