Alumni Profile: George Hunt, Jr., Policy Analytics Credential 2022

George Hunt’s career has revolved around using data and analysis to drive decision-making at both the individual and organizational level. As both a teacher and analyst, Hunt strives to “help learners identify preferred learning styles, and develop new organizational practices by adopting common methodologies.”

Hunt graduated with his bachelor’s in education and sociology from the University of the State of New York in 1989. While a student, Hunt also worked for the United States Air Force. “I started as an Environmental Medical Specialist. After three years, I had the opportunity to cross-train into cost management and analysis. Through that experience I was able to learn concepts and techniques for economic, program, and cost-benefit analysis.” From 1983–92, Hunt worked as a Cost & Management Analyst for the Air Force. Hunt also holds two master’s degrees: one in computer resource and information management from Webster University and another in human resource education from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

In 1998, Hunt began teaching courses on management and information technology as a Senior Lecturer at Fontbonne University in St. Louis. “By chance, I happened to meet the vocational director of the East St. Louis School District,” Hunt says. “She was telling me about some of the challenges they were facing. That’s what got me interested in education policy.” From 2009–10, Hunt consulted for East St. Louis School District 189 as a Technology Supervisor, where he evaluated and implemented web-based learning systems and conducted training workshops for administrators, instructors and staff.

For the past 12 years, Hunt has assisted clients in the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of face-to-face, eLearning, and blended learning interventions in his work at Hamilton, Hunt, & Associates, where he serves as a Learning & Technology Consultant. "Currently, we are working with a Fortune 100 company that is working on developing an educational platform for underserved populations.”

When asked about what drew him to the PolicyAnalytics Credential (PAC), Hunt pointed to a previous learning experience he had at UChicago. “I participated in a graduate certificate course at UChicago for Process Management & Improvement a while back. That course changed my life, and I know the University has a stellar reputation, especially in quantitative fields.”

Hunt says the most informative aspect of the PAC is the foundational background in statistics. “You don’t see it taught very often in programs. A lot of analytical courses I’ve taken in the past drop you straight into the coursework without teaching you about important things like causation and eliminating bias from an experiment. That’s what made this program stand out for me. That and the team-oriented approach to learning and assignment completion.” Hunt also enjoyed the opportunity to participate in the program Closing Celebration Challenge, for which he analyzed data on car accidents in Chicago and created visual representations on a map.

Hunt says his biggest takeaways are two-fold: “My toolbox for data analysis is more well rounded. And I also feel a much greater sense of responsibility that I’m doing the type of work that needs to be done to make improvements. I use R and data visualization techniques to assess causation frequently in my work now.”