Misty L. Heggeness is a proud Swiftie and an economist who studies the intersection of gender, poverty, inequality, and the high-skilled workforce. Her research has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, The Economist, and Science—and has helped shape federal policy over the past decade.

She is the founder and co-director of the Kansas Population Center, an associate professor of economics and public affairs, and an associate research scientist at the Institute for Policy and Social Research at the University of Kansas.

She is also innovator and founder of The Care Board, a dashboard of economic statistics on care.