Alan Curtis, also known as Lynn Alan Curtis, is an American social scientist, public policy advisor, author and speaker who is the founding president and CEO of the

Milton S. Eisenhower Foundation Created in 1981, the Eisenhower Foundation is the private sector continuation of two Presidential Commissions – the 1967-1968 bipartisan National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders (the Kerner Riot Commission, after the big city protests in ...

. The foundation was founded In 1981 the private sector continuation of the

National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

and the

National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence The U.S. National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence (National Violence Commission) was formed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in on June 10, 1968, after the April 4 assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and the June 5 assassina ...

Early life and education

Curtis graduated from

Pulaski High School Pulaski High School is a public high school in Pulaski, Wisconsin, United States, in Brown County (school district also serves parts of Shawano, Outagamie and Oconto counties), that serves students in grades 9 through 12. Its mascot is the Re ...

in Milwaukee, then attended

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

, where he received a bachelor's degree. Curtis went to the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

for a Masters of Economics, and later received a Ph.D. in Criminology and Urban Policy from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

Career

While completing his Ph.D., Curtis was appointed as an assistant Crimes of Violence task force director on President Lyndon B. Johnson's National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence. During the Administration of President

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...

, Curtis was executive director of the President's Urban and Regional Policy Group, urban policy advisor to the

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development The United States secretary of housing and urban development (or HUD secretary) is the head of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, a member of the president's Cabinet, and thirteenth in the presidential line of succe ...

, and director of the Urban Initiatives Anti-Crime Program in public housing. After leaving public office in 1981, Curtis was named founding president and CEO of the Eisenhower Foundation which identifies, funds, evaluates and builds evidence-based programs for disadvantaged American youth and families. During the 1990s, Curtis worked to bring American police chiefs to Japan to observe Japanese system of police neighborhood mini stations. He has also helped with the development and creation of the organization's Youth Safe Haven model. Curtis has also developed the Eisenhower Foundation Quantum Opportunities Program model adapted from an earlier Quantum Opportunities Program. The program is aimed at high school students and offers tutoring, mentoring, life skills training and modest financial support. It is designed to generate positive educational outcomes and decrease delinquent behavior including drug and substance abuse, gang activity and teen pregnancy. Participants in the evaluation of the program showed significantly higher grades, graduation rates, college admission rates and college retention rates than individuals in the control group. Curtis has authored or coauthored 25, 30, 40, and 50-year updates of the Kerner Commission and 15 and 30-year updates of the National Violence Commission. The 50 year update of the Kerner commission is titled ''Healing Our Divided Society'' and proposes evidence-based policies on employment, education, housing, neighborhood development and criminal justice.

Selected bibliography

* * * * * * * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Curtis, Alan Living people American writers American chief executives Alumni of the University of London University of Pennsylvania alumni Harvard University alumni 1943 births