Jennie Wenger, Ph.D.

Jennie Wenger, Ph.D.’s research focuses on how trends in civilian education and labor markets affect recruiting and servicemembers, with an econometric focus on sample selection issues. Her work has examined servicemembers’ responsiveness to pay and the performance of sailors with technical aptitude as well as the influence of civilian education policy on military performance. Much of Wenger’s research has emphasized those holding alternate credentials such as a GED, an adult education certificate, or a home school diploma. Wenger has conducted numerous studies on the National Guard Youth Challenge (ChalleNGe) program; topics include the performance of ChalleNGe graduates in the enlisted military, the impact of participants’ demographic characteristics on their performance in the program, sources of program-level variation, and the optimal location of programs based on the distribution of high school dropouts within a state. A current study develops a measure of ChalleNGe participants’ noncognitive skills and examines the influence of teachers’ classroom priorities and emphasis.

Wenger has 10 years of experience as an analyst and project manager, managing projects with budgets up to $800k and briefing a wide variety of policymakers. In addition to her project manager responsibilities, Wenger’s research duties include analyzing large micro-data sets, identifying and developing proposals and drawing policy conclusions, as well as writing and presenting reports. Wenger also has 10 years of teaching experience at the high school, university, and graduate levels.

Wenger earned a B.A. in biochemistry at Rice University and Ph.D. in economics at the University of North Carolina. Her outside interests include serving as the Board President for the Jeannette Rankin Foundation, an organization that awards scholarships to low-income women.