Dan Rabbitt, Senior Program Manager, has been with Heartland Alliance through drastic political cycles and national movements. Through it all, he remains grounded in the mission of Heartland Alliance and knows that the impact his team has on policy reform can change someone’s reality forever.
How did you get into this work?
I was a social worker by trade. I went to social work grad school and thought I wanted to be a therapist. I ended up taking some policy courses over that time and became fascinated by the impact that government policy has on the well-being over communities. I really gravitated more towards improving our policies rather than trying to help people one-on-one. So that led me to getting a job doing federal lobbying in Washington D.C. out of grad school and eventually led me to moving to Illinois to work on a gig for state level policy here back in 2015.
Why is this work important to the community and those we serve?
Policies and systems influence the world around us in so many ways; what you get paid at work, what kind of housing you can access, health care options, what opportunities are available for your families, and how you are able to interact with the police and legal system. You name it, policy affects it.
When you have people who are living in poverty, facing inequitable opportunities and are being discriminated against, improving policies is one of our most impactful tools we have to help those in need. Policy goes hand in hand with clinical support and direct services, you can’t have one without the other. With our systems, there is plenty of space for improvement. Working to make those policies better is incredibly important to the communities we serve.
Was there a moment where you knew you were in the right job?
Right away when I started at Heartland Alliance. I was meeting my teammates, members of the policy team, who shared the projects they were currently working on and projects they had completed in the past. From my team members who worked on the Affordable Care Act, to colleagues who had helped secure food stamps for 40,000 individuals, to co-workers who created savings accounts for working individuals across Illinois in a program that was one of the first of its kind, I was amazed at the impact of their work. Ever since joining in 2015, that tangible impact from our team inspires me to keep going.
What is your favorite part of your job?
I feel passionate about the mission. I identify with the mission of Heartland Alliance and of the mission of our Research and Policy team. The idea of being principled, evidenced based, improving the lives of others by centering equity and opportunity. These are all values that I can get behind so it makes it easy to bring my best self to the work I do with my team.
How can others get involved in your work?
Some ways to get involved are by signing up for Research and Policy e-newsletter, respond to action alerts, and to follow us on Twitter.
