Carl Van Horn announced Tuesday that he is stepping down as director of Rutgers’ John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, closing out a run that began when he founded the research institute in 1998 and built it into one of the country’s most cited sources on unemployment, job training and the future of work.
Van Horn will become director emeritus.
Andrea Hetling, who has served as the center’s associate director since 2022, becomes director effective Sept. 1.
Over Van Horn’s nearly three-decade tenure, the Heldrich Center grew from a new initiative — funded by an endowment from retired Johnson & Johnson executive and Rutgers graduate John J. Heldrich — into a nationally recognized research institution. The center has conducted research and service projects backed by more than $150 million in external funding from government agencies and foundations, and its influence extends well beyond New Jersey, producing studies that have shaped policy debates on workforce training and labor markets nationally.
“When we established the Heldrich Center, our goal was to create a research institution that would bridge the worlds of scholarship, policy, and practice,” Van Horn said. “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.”
Hetling has been a Rutgers faculty member since 2007, rising from assistant professor to full professor in 2021, and previously directed the Bloustein School’s public policy program from 2017-21. A scholar of social policy, program evaluation and family economic security, she also serves as associate editor of Social Policy & Administration and sits on the policy council of the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management.
Hetling said she is eager to assume the role while paying tribute to Van Horn.
“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,” she said. “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.”
Bloustein School Dean Stuart Shapiro said Hetling’s years as the center’s second-in-command positioned her to take over.
“As associate director of the Center, Andrea has played a critical role in advancing the Heldrich Center’s mission and strengthening its research portfolio,” he said. “She is an accomplished scholar, a respected leader, and a dedicated mentor.”
The Heldrich Center’s work is supported in part by a state appropriation covering the building that houses its faculty and research staff, alongside its external research funding. Its studies over the past 25-plus years have covered unemployment trends, skills development and workforce training, cementing its reputation as a go-to source for policymakers navigating labor market shifts.
