Dallas Elgin

Dallas Elgin has more than 13 years of professional experience in the public and private sectors focused on evaluating the effectiveness, equity, and efficiency of programs and policies designed to address adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and social determinants of health (SDOH) among children and families. He has utilized his background in experimental, quasi-experimental, and mixed methods research to lead studies focused on child welfare and the intersections with an array of human services including, food assistance, housing, and behavioral health programs on behalf of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and multiple state human services agencies.

Dr. Elgin currently serves as Co-principal investigator (Co-PI) on a project with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention focused on evaluating community-level approaches for mitigating the harms of ACEs—potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood—and stopping substance use. He is also Co-PI on three mixed methods evaluations of child welfare and home visiting interventions. These evaluations are designed to improve outcomes for families involved with or at-risk of entering the child welfare system.

His previous experience includes serving as a Senior Researcher at the Colorado Department of Human Services, Division of Child Welfare, where he served as the state’s senior expert in internal and contracted program evaluation efforts and was responsible for conducting research and evaluations that examined the policy context, implementation, outcomes, and costs of human services programs. His child welfare-focused research has been published in a variety of peer-reviewed journals, including Governance, Public Management Review, and Children and Youth Services Review. 

Dr. Elgin is a What Works Clearinghouse Certified Reviewer in Group Design Standards (Version 4.1). He also is certified in the Colorado Child Welfare Training System – New Caseworker Training Academy. Dr. Elgin is a member of the Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management.