Sad News: Andrew Hahn
July 27, 2022
Dear Colleagues,
I am saddened to share the following note from Interim Dean Maria Madison about Professor Emeritus Andy Hahn. Please join me in extending our sympathies to Andy's family and to his friends and colleagues at the Heller School.
Sincerely,
Carol Fierke
Provost
Dear Heller community,
We are greatly saddened by the loss of Andrew "Andy" Barry Hahn, PhD’78, who passed away on July 25, 2022, after a long battle with Parkinson's disease. Andy was loved and admired by so many of us at the Heller School, surely for his professional accomplishments, but as much for his warmth, integrity and profound generosity to our community.
A funeral will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, July 28, at Temple Beth Elohim in Wellesley, Mass. A shiva will follow in the afternoon.
After earning degrees from American University and Harvard University, Andy earned a PhD from the Heller School in 1978. In addition to his award-winning teaching and mentoring, advising and administrative leadership roles at the Heller School, he also co-founded the Center for Youth and Communities in 1983 – a university-based research, policy and capacity building center, dedicated to improving the quality of life and economic wellbeing of youth, families and communities – and from 2008-2014 he was the inaugural director of the Sillerman Center for the Advancement of Philanthropy and later served as the director emeritus.
Andy was a noted expert in program evaluation and an author of numerous articles and case studies about positive youth development, including causes and solutions for high school dropout rates. He advised and wrote extensively about effective nonprofit practice. He was a consultant to the U.S. Department of Labor and the World Bank, and he served on the boards of a variety of foundations and nonprofits, including The Steppingstone Foundation, The Greenlight Fund in Boston and the national organization, YouthBuild USA.
Andy is survived by his wife Elizabeth Whitman Hahn; daughters Jillian Hahn Kohl (Bryan Kohl) and Shira Hahn Rice (Andrew Rice); grandchildren, Ori, Talia, Milo and Etta; sister Lisa Hahn Kessler (Adam Kessler); sister-in-law Marika Hahn and many dear brothers and sisters-in-law; nephews, nieces, cousins and extended friends and family.
A link to an obituary published in The Boston Globe, including information about services and preferred donations in Andy's memory, can be found here. In lieu of flowers, the family has recommended that you can make a gift in Andy’s memory to multiple organizations, including the Heller School. You can make a gift to Heller online (Add the gift amount to the Heller Annual Fund, Heller Fellowship Fund, or your fund of choice, and add Andy Hahn’s name to the “Make this an honorary or memorial gift” section).
Checks can also be made out to "Brandeis University" to the Heller Annual Fund, Heller Fellowship Fund or your fund of choice and “In memory of Andy Hahn" in the comments section, and mailed to Brandeis University, Institutional Advancement Division, 415 South Street, MS 126, Waltham, MA 02453.
Please join us in extending our sympathies to Andy’s family and friends, as well as colleagues at Brandeis and in the community. He will be deeply missed by many.
Sincerely,
Maria Madison
Interim Dean
The Heller School for Social Policy and Management