Matthew is a senior fellow in NORC’s Education and Child Development Division, where he studies child and youth development policies, evaluates programs to improve child and family well-being, and uses data and evidence to help inform policymaking. 

Before joining NORC in 2024, Stagner held leadership positions in the social policy research field, including as a vice president at Mathematica, executive director at Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, and center director at the Urban Institute. Early in his career, he directed the Children, Youth, and Family Division in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He is a past president of the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management. His research portfolio includes understanding the role of fathers in child welfare, connecting at-risk youth to a healthy and productive adulthood, and improving the use of rigorous evidence to improve policy.