Dave Wells

Dave Wells retired from ASU in December 2023, beginning his service in 1998. He is a retired Teaching Professor. He taught Interdisciplinary Studies (IDS) , Organizational Leadership (OGL) and Political Science (POS) courses, primarily based at the Downtown Phoenix campus.  

From 2004 to 2010 he authored more than 100 op-ed pieces on public policy that has appeared in places like the main pages and community editions of the Arizona Republic, East Valley Tribune, Tucson Citizen, Arizona Capitol Times, Arizona Guardian, Arizona Daily Star and other papers throughout the state.  

In 2011 he helped co-found the Grand Canyon Institute, for whom he now serves as research director. This is his primary focus since he retired from ASU.  As research director, he has also appeared on numerous public affairs programs. His analysis of Medicaid expansion in 2012 has helpful in Gov. Brewer's decision to push to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. He's written numerous analyses advocating for more investment in at risk children and their families as opposed to massive tax cuts aimed at wealthy people to improve the state's economic performance.  

During the pandemic he was the chief expert on unemployment insurance and unemployment insurance reform and helped lead a coalition that successfully was able to increase unemployment benefits in the state for the first time in 17 years.

He formerly served on the board of the Tempe Community Action Agency and is currently a member of the Board of Directors for the American Friends Service Committee.

He also served for many years as Arizona State University's representative at the state fiscal policy roundtable for the Western Political Science Association. Besides presenting at the annual meetings of the WPSA, his annual state budget reports are published in the California Journal of Politics and Policy.

He volunteers in prisons as a facilitator in the Alternatives to Violence Project and also is working with homeless communities to improve their access to food and to seek ways to avoid their criminalization.