Ron Hira

Dr. Ron Hira is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Public Policy at Rochester Institute of Technology where he specializes in policy issues on technological innovation, offshoring, high-skill immigration, and the American engineering workforce. Ron is also a Research Associate with the Economic Policy Institute in Washington, DC.

Hira is co-author of the book, Outsourcing America (AMACOM 2005; 2nd edition 2008), which was a finalist for best business book in the PMA’s Benjamin Franklin Awards. The Boston Globe called Outsourcing America an "honest, disturbing look at outsourcing." The Washington Post described the book as a “thorough and easy to grasp primer on the wrenching outsourcing debate." Ron is an expert on offshoring, testifying before the U.S. Congress twice on its implications. Ron is frequently quoted and interviewed in many major media outlets.

In 2007, Ron served as a consultant to the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Science & Technology helping to organize a series of hearings on the Globalization of Innovation and Research & Development. In 2010, Hira worked with NY State Assemblyman Joseph Morelle to organize the Rochester & the Innovation Economy lecture series which explored how the Rochester region can best leverage technological innovation for job and economic growth.

Hira testified twice before Congress in 2011 on high-skill immigration policy and co-organized RIT’s Immigration Policy Lecture Series. The series invited prominent academics, journalists, and activists to discuss their perspectives on how to break the current stalemate in immigration policy. In 2013, Ron testified before the Senate on the comprehensive immigration reform bill that passed. Last year, along with Prof. John Ettlie, Hira organized a National Science Foundation workshop on Engineering Globalization.

Previously, Ron worked as a control systems engineer and program manager with Sensytech, NIST, and George Mason University (GMU). He has been a consultant to the U.S. Department of Treasury, Rand Corporation, Commission on Professionals in Science & Technology, National Research Council, Enterprise Integration Inc., and Deloitte & Touche.

Ron completed his Post-Doctoral Fellowship at Columbia University’s Center for Science, Policy, and Outcomes. He holds a Ph.D. in Public Policy from George Mason University (GMU), an M.S. in Electrical Engineering also from GMU, and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Carnegie-Mellon University. He is a licensed professional engineer and served as Vice President for Career Activities of IEEE-USA, the largest engineering professional society in America. Ron is past chair of IEEE-USA’s R&D Policy Committee.