Chevy Chase, MD – The Coleridge Initiative, Inc. announced on Monday, October 25th that Ahu Yildirmaz has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer. Julia Lane, who has been the Chief Executive Officer as well as President of the Board of Directors, will continue as Chief Scientist.

Dr. Yildirmaz has more than 20 years of experience in several senior management and leadership roles, including finance, strategy, research and data analytics. Prior to joining the Coleridge Initiative, Dr. Yildirmaz was the co-Head of the ADP Research Institute, where she created a legacy framework of unique data analyses and insights leveraging the company’s administrative payroll data.

“We are very excited to have Ahu join our team,” said Julia Lane, Chief Scientist and President of the Board of Directors for the Coleridge Initiative. “Ahu’s deep understanding of how data can be used in evidence-building will help us continue to support government agencies in their efforts to advance public policy.”

“I am delighted to lead such a high impact organization,” said Ahu Yildirmaz, Chief Executive Officer of the Coleridge Initiative. “The Coleridge Initiative is uniquely positioned to work in the public and private sector to ensure that data are more effectively used to improve policy decisions. I am thrilled to become part of a strong team that has contributed so much to national, state, and local decision-making in just a few years.”

Dr. Yildirmaz previously held leadership roles with progressing responsibilities at ADP, Johnson & Johnson and AT&T in the areas of research, strategy, corporate finance and market insights. She has also taught several courses in economics and finance at New York University, Manhattan College and the City University of New York.

Dr. Yildirmaz earned a doctorate degree in economics from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Bogazici University in Istanbul, Turkey.

About The Coleridge Initiative, Inc. 

The Coleridge Initiative is a not-for-profit start-up, originally established at New York University’s Center for Urban Science and Progress. The Coleridge Initiative became fully independent in August 2020 and is led by world renowned experts including Rayid Ghani, Robert Goerge, Frauke Kreuter, and Julia Lane. Coleridge is at the forefront of transforming the empirical foundation of social science research and policymaking in the United States. Their work on building new technologies is combined with training programs and consulting services that help build agency capacity to better serve society.

The Coleridge Initiative works with government agencies to break down the barriers to accessing confidential data. They set up and manage a secure computational research platform, the Administrative Data Research Facility (ADRF), to promote access to sensitive and confidential microdata. Since the organization was founded, they have worked with over 100 federal, state, and local agencies and trained over 500 agency staff. For more information on Coleridge, the ADRF, training programs, and events, visit: www.ColeridgeInitiative.org 

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