Thea Garon is an associate director in the Center on Labor, Human Services, and Population at the Urban Institute, focusing on financial well-being and economic security. She leads the Financial Well-Being Data Hub, a new initiative designed to introduce evidence-based solutions to improve households’ financial security and advance equity.

Garon has more than a decade of experience researching financial health and well-being. Before joining Urban, she founded and led the Financial Health Network’s Financial Health Pulse, a national research initiative. She also led the development of the FinHealth Score®, a measurement framework that has become recognized as an industry standard. Garon’s research has been featured in such media outlets as the New York Times, Forbes, the Associated Press, The Hill, and Vox.

Garon graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in history from Carleton College and holds a master’s degree in urban planning from New York University’s Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service.