Former Director of U.S. Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives Joins Baylor's Institute for Studies of Religion

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Jay F. Hein, an internationally recognized public policy scholar, has accepted the position of Distinguished Senior Fellow and director of the Program for Faith and Service at Baylor University's Institute for Studies of Religion (ISR). In this capacity, Hein will lead ISR's effort in promoting cutting-edge approaches to social problems through faith-based organizations.

"I cannot think of place better positioned to be a global leader not only in generating new ideas about the development and launch of new faith based approaches to need, but ISR is already recognized as a national leader in promoting, supporting and conducting empirical research on the efficacy of faith-based initiatives, and joining the team was an obvious next step," Hein said. "That is why I am so excited to join Baylor."

Before joining Baylor, Hein was deputy assistant to President George W. Bush and director of the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives from August 2006 until September 2008. In this role, Hein worked to implement President Bush's compassion agenda by engaging public-private partnerships with faith- and community-based social service organizations across the United States and around the globe.

"During his tenure in the White House, Jay Hein brought enormous leadership, credibility, visibility and stability to the faith-based initiative," said Bob Buford, author and founder of Leadership Network.

"Jay has been a personal friend for many years and I am one of his biggest fans," said Dr. Byron R. Johnson, professor of sociology and co-director of the ISR. "It is truly an amazing development to attract someone of his stature to Baylor."

Hein is widely recognized for bringing together diverse leaders from business, philanthropy, academe and religious institutions to discuss how each might work together to build capacity in the "armies of compassion" and thereby do more to serve those most in need in society.

"Jay Hein has worked with religious leaders and heads of state from around the world to strategize about how we might mobilize people of faith to confront the most challenging problems of our time," said Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church and author of the best-selling The Purpose Driven Life. "I believe the possibilities of what might be accomplished at Baylor under his Jay's leadership are far-reaching."

Prior to his position at the White House, Hein was the founding president of the Sagamore Institute for Policy Research, an international public policy research firm headquartered in Indianapolis. He directed the institute's research portfolio focusing on a range of community-based policies, such as welfare-to-work, access to postsecondary education, affordable health care and crime prevention.

Hein also served as vice president and chief executive officer of the Foundation for American Renewal, established by Ambassador Daniel R. Coats to provide financial grants and other support to community-based organizations, while educating the general public on effective compassion principles and practices.

Previously, Hein was executive director of Civil Society Programs at Hudson Institute, which included the organization's Welfare Policy Center, its Faith in Communities Initiative and programs centered on community-based healthcare reform. Hein also served as director of Hudson's field office in Madison, Wis., where he conducted hands-on research and analysis in support of the State's welfare reforms. He also served in the Wisconsin state government as a policy director, where he helped design and implement Wisconsin's ground-breaking welfare replacement program.

Earlier in his career, Hein worked in a range of leadership roles within Illinois State government, including the Illinois Department of Public Aid, Illinois Secretary of State's Office and Illinois State Library, where he contributed to the initial planning of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library.

Hein received his bachelor's degree from Eureka College, where he was an inaugural member of the Ronald W. Reagan Fellowship program, and completed additional graduate studies in political science at the University of Illinois.