Distinguished Professor Carl Van Horn, Founding Director of Rutgers University’s John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, steps down and is appointed Director Emeritus

Professor Andrea Hetling Named Director of Heldrich Center

Andrea Hetling, Ph.D., has been appointed director of the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, effective September 1, 2026.

She succeeds Carl Van Horn, Ph.D., who founded the Heldrich Center in 1998.

The Center was named for John J. Heldrich, a retired senior executive of Johnson and Johnson, community leader and Rutgers University graduate, who provided a significant endowment.

A nationally recognized scholar of social policy, program evaluation, and family economic security, Hetling has been a faculty member at Rutgers University since 2007 and has served as associate director of the Heldrich Center since 2022. She previously served as an assistant professor at the University of Connecticut from 2005 to 2007, joined Rutgers as an assistant professor in 2007, was promoted to associate professor in 2014, and became a full professor in 2021.

She also served as director of the public policy program at the Bloustein School from 2017 to 2021. Hetling received a bachelor’s degree in political science from Columbia University, a master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University, and a Ph.D. in policy studies from the University of Maryland.

In addition to her work at the Heldrich Center, Hetling is associate editor of Social Policy & Administration, the longest established journal in its field, and serves as a member of the policy council of the Association of Public Policy Analysis and Management.

“As associate director of the Center, Andrea has played a critical role in advancing the Heldrich Center’s mission and strengthening its research portfolio,” said Stuart Shapiro, dean of the Bloustein School. “She is an accomplished scholar, a respected leader, and a dedicated mentor. I am confident that under her leadership, the Heldrich Center will build upon Dr. Van Horn’s extraordinary leadership and continue to produce rigorous research and innovative policy solutions that improve the lives of New Jersey residents and workers across the nation.”

“It is an honor to be selected as the next director of the Heldrich Center,” said Hetling. “For nearly three decades, under Carl Van Horn’s leadership the Center earned a national reputation for conducting research that informs policy and improves the lives of workers and their families. I look forward to collaborating with our outstanding staff, faculty, students, and partners to build on that legacy and address the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.”

“When we established the Heldrich Center, our goal was to create a research institution that would bridge the worlds of scholarship, policy, and practice,” said Van Horn. “Andrea has been an invaluable colleague and partner, and she brings the intellectual leadership, vision, and commitment to public service necessary to guide the Center into its next chapter. I am delighted to see her assume this role and look forward to supporting her and to the Center’s continued success.”

During Van Horn’s tenure, the Heldrich Center became a nationally recognized source of research and policy analysis on workforce and labor market issues, producing influential studies on unemployment, skills development, workforce training, and the future of work.
Since its founding more than 25 years ago, the Center has conducted research and service projects supported by more than $150 million of external funding from a wide range of government agencies and foundations. Its impact is strengthened by an appropriation from the state of New Jersey that supports the building that houses the Center’s faculty and research staff.

Learn more at heldrich.rutgers.edu.