News // Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities // University of Notre Dame

LEO earns $750,000 in funding awards to support continued anti-poverty work

Published: August 26, 2019

The Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO) at the University of Notre Dame has received multiple funding awards totaling nearly $750,000 this summer to continue its work reducing poverty and improving lives through evidence-based programs and policies. Read More about LEO earns $750,000 in funding awards to support continued anti-poverty work

LEO Quarterly Report - Summer 2019

Published: July 29, 2019

Author: Grace Palmer

Click here to read our latest Quarterly Report. …

LEO at IRP

Published: June 25, 2019

Author: Grace Palmer

LEO co-founder Jim Sullivan and research faculty Patrick Turner were both in Wisconsin recently to present at the Institution for Research on Poverty's Summer Research Workshop. Here, Dr. Sullivan discussed the Padua Project…

LEO Faculty Affiliate Melissa Kearney Featured in the News

Published: June 24, 2019

Author: Grace Palmer

Dr. Melissa Kearney, Professor of Economics at the University of Maryland and a lead researcher on LEO’s Stay the Course project, recently had her work on effective solutions to poverty and the impact of fatherlessness in families featured in news...

Impact+: LEO and Stand Together

Published: June 24, 2019

Author: Grace Palmer

LEO and Stand Together met earlier this month to lead six non-profits in a workshop centered on their partnership, Impact+. While here, LEO provided the organizations with tools to design program evaluations based on evidence to create an impact that lasts....

LEO Quarterly Report - Spring 2019

Published: May 07, 2019

Author: Aubrey McDonough

Click here to read our latest Quarterly Report. …

LEO's Jim Sullivan's statement on the new Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking

Published: May 02, 2019

Author: Grace Palmer

Dr. Sullivan highlights his work with lawmakers and the Commission for Evidence-Based Policymaking leading to this new bipartisan effort. Read more here!…

LEO Participates in ND Day

Published: April 20, 2019

Author: Rachel Fulcher-Dawson

ND Day is an annual celebration of community at Notre Dame where voters determine the allocation of a $1.2 million challenge fund to groups and causes on campus.…

New LEO Study Shows That Homelessness Prevention Reduces Crime

Published: December 04, 2018

Author: Aubrey McDonough

A new study conducted by researchers at the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO) at the University of Notre Dame shows that emergency financial assistance for people facing homelessness not only reduces shelter entry, but also reduces criminal behavior. Read...

Harvard Business Review: David Phillips on "commuter discrimination."

Published: November 16, 2018

Author: Rachel Fulcher-Dawson

LEO Research Associate Professor David Phillips authored a piece in the Harvard Business Review on his new research that demonstrates a hiring bias against people with long commutes. Read more here.…

LEO welcomes Heather Reynolds as inaugural managing director.

Published: November 10, 2018

Author: DJ DiDonna

Heather Reynolds, currently CEO and President of Catholic Charities of Fort Worth (CCFW) will join LEO as the first managing director. LEO recently developed a 5 year strategic plan and Ms. Reynolds will lead LEO through a period of growth...

LEO Hosts Webinar on "Nudging Towards a College Scholarship," Insights from an Enrollment Intervention

Published: November 02, 2018

Author: Andrea Ringer

On November 1, Dr. Sarah Kroeger, LEO Assistant Research Professor, and Karla Lee, Director of Middle Schools with the South Bend Community School Corporation, shared findings from a nudge intervention to encourage enrollment in the 21st Century Scholars Program, a...

LEO Quarterly Report

Published: November 01, 2018

Author: Rachel Fulcher-Dawson

Fall 2018: LEO Quarterly Report …

Texas Higher Education Coordination Board Conference

Published: September 28, 2018

Author: Elisabeth Barrett

In September 2018, LEO co-founder Jim Sullivan spoke about the importance of using rigorous methods to structure and evaluate the effect of Emergency Financial Assistance (EFA) programs on college students. The Texas Higher Education Coordination Board hosted a conference for colleges and...

Catholic Charities 2018 Annual Gathering

Published: September 28, 2018

Author: Elisabeth Barrett

This month, LEO research associates, Andrea Ringer and Grace Ortuzar, attended the Catholic Charities 2018 Annual Gathering in Buffalo, NY. Andrea presented with Natalie Lecy from Catholic Social Services Rapid City, South Dakota on how agencies can prepare to generate...

David Phillips Speaks to NPR about LEO's Homelessness Prevention Work

Published: August 30, 2018

Author: Rachel Fulcher-Dawson

LEO Research Associate Professor David Phillips recently spoke with NPR in Seattle about homelessness prevention and its potential for positive impact and cost effectiveness. Read or Listen here.…

LEO Co-Founder James Sullivan's Wall Street Journal Op Ed on Poverty in America

Published: August 28, 2018

Author: Rachel Fulcher-Dawson

James X. Sullivan, University of Notre Dame professor of economics and co-founder of LEO, featured a piece in the Wall Street Journal highlighting America's progress in addressing and confronting poverty on a national level. In the article, he and...

David Phillips Speaks to NPR about LEO's Homelessness Prevention Work

Published: August 28, 2018

Author: Rachel Fulcher-Dawson

LEO Research Associate Professor David Phillips recently spoke about homelessness prevention and its potential for positive impact and cost effectiveness. Phillips highlighted LEO's current project in King County evaluating the Youth Homelessness Prevention Initiative. Read and Listen here.

Wendy P. Barreno serves on “Evaluation and Measuring Success” Panel

Published: July 30, 2018

Author: Elisabeth Barrett

LEO Associate Director Wendy P. Barreno served on a panel on “Evaluation and Measuring Success” at “Expanding Access to Education for People in Prison: The Third Annual Convening of the Second Chance Pell Partners,” a conference hosted by...

Wendy Barreno Facilitates Session at Corporation for Supportive Housing Event

Published: July 24, 2018

Author: Elisabeth Barrett

In July, LEO's Associate Director of Project Development, Wendy Barrano presented to the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH) as a panel member. The CSH is a "touchstone for new ideas and best practices. We are a collaborative and pragmatic...