Martha Ross

Martha Ross is a fellow at the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings. Her work focuses on human capital and strategies to increase the skills, employment, and earnings of current and future workers. Her Brookings publications have included reports on employment trends among young adults, the healthcare workforce, and recommendations on improving educational options and career pathways for low-income or low-skilled workers. Prior to joining Brookings, she was a Presidential Management Fellow at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation.

She is the author of “Strengthening Educational and Career Pathways for DC Youth” and has co-authored or contributed to numerous other publications such as, “The Plummeting Labor Market Fortunes of Teens and Young Adults,” “Drive! Moving Tennessee’s Automotive Sector up the Value Chain,” “Envisioning Opportunity: Three Options for a Community College in Washington, DC,” “Reducing Poverty in Washington, D.C. and Rebuilding the Middle Class from Within,” “Leaders Among Us: Developing a Community Health Worker Program in Washington, D.C.,” “Health Status and Access to Care among Low-Income Washington, DC Residents,” “Thin the Soup or Shorten the Line: Washington Area Nonprofits Adapt to Uncertain Times,” and “Calling 211: Enhancing the Washington Region’s Safety Net After 9/11.” She was detailed temporarily to the Council of the District of Columbia in 2007 to assist the Committee on Workforce Development and Government Operations.

Prior to joining Brookings, Martha was a Presidential Management Fellow in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where she focused on welfare policy. She has a master’s degree from the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration and a bachelor’s degree from Colorado College.