Harkin Institute picks new leader

DES MOINES — Matthew Reed is the new executive director of The Harkin Institute of Public Policy & Citizen Engagement at Drake University.

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He succeeds Joseph Jones, who resigned Sept. 30 after leading the institute since August 2016.

Drake University President Marty Martin announced Reed’s appointment this week after a national search led by executive recruiting firm Koya Partners.

Reed most recently was vice president for academic affairs at Brookdale Community College in New Jersey and has held other higher education roles at colleges and universities on the East Coast.

Martin said in a news release that Reed’s experience makes him “the ideal person to lead The Harkin Institute’s next chapter.”

Harkin, a Democrat who represented Iowa in the U.S. Senate from 1985 to 2015, said Reed’s “commitment to improving the lives of individuals, families and communities through effective public policy and increased citizen engagement is deep and inspiring. He’s dedicated, collaborative and visionary. Ruth and I could not be more pleased.”

Reed said in the news release he is honored to lead “this vital and essential organization. This is a critical moment for our democracy and an exciting moment to engage in rigorous, non-partisan research to advance human welfare and opportunity for all. I look forward to working across Iowa and around the world to connect our work to the most critical issues of our time.”

Harkin founded the institute at Drake in 2013 to pursue non-partisan public policy research and analysis on the issues that Harkin pursued during his years in Congress -- labor and employment, retirement security, civic engagement and people with disabilities.