Mark ‘Jay’ Williams Joins the Common Sense Institute of New Jersey as Research Fellow

Williams brings expertise to address management issues of higher education, efficiencies in public schools and local governments

Mark ‘Jay’ Williams was introduced today as the first Research Fellow at the Common Sense Institute of New Jersey (CSI-NJ), where he brings more than two decades of experience in public policy and business research to the state’s premier free market think tank.

Williams will continue his work researching and writing about public economics issues regarding education, higher education, and local government, with a specific focus on accountability and measurement systems.

“As the Institute grows, Jay is the perfect addition to our team,” said CSI-NJ President Jerry Cantrell. “His policy recommendations are firmly based on thorough scientific research, and he is already a trusted resource for policymakers throughout the state.”

Executive and Legislative departments, commissions, and task forces have utilized Jay’s research on public school metrics, and he has been an advisor to recent Governor’s Task Force on privatization and non-public school funding. In 2008, he produced groundbreaking tools for local school boards and communities that allow local districts to more accurately compare their cost and outcome performance to their peers. His research is recognized as being at the forefront of quantitative measurement methodology.

Williams holds a BBA in Economics from Loyola College, a MS Managing Sciences and MBA Marketing from Aurora University, ABD in Economics from Temple University, and is a Ph.D. candidate in Operations Research from UNISA. He has also completed extensive post-graduate research in Quantitative Sciences at Johns Hopkins University, and Cognitive Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania.

“The Common Sense Institute was founded because New Jersey needs research-driven public policy that maximizes the use of taxpayer dollars and asks fundamental questions about the proper role of government. Jay’s work is the epitome of that type of research, and we look forward to generating the ideas that will bring greater economic opportunity to New Jersey,” Cantrell concluded.