Reginald Wells
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Reginald Wells

Chief Human Capital Officer SAGE Co-Chair

Dr. Reginald F. Wells serves as Executive in Residence for the Department of Public Administration and Policy for American University’s School of Public Affairs. Previously, he was named Deputy Commissioner of the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) Office of Human Resources effective July 15, 2002 after serving short tenures as Deputy Associate Commissioner for Disability Program Policy and Senior Advisor in the Office of Disability and Income Security Programs. Dr. Wells also served as the Chief Human Capital Officer and Chief Diversity Office for SSA. In his capacity as Deputy Commissioner for Human Resources, he oversaw a staff complement of 400 employees with an operating budget of $100 million.

From October 1994 to April 2002, Dr. Wells served as Deputy Commissioner of the Administration on Developmental Disabilities. In this role, he shared with the commissioner full responsibility for planning and directing 25 federal staff and programmatic activities, including the university centers, developmental disabilities councils, protection and advocacy systems and projects of national significance with a program budget of over $122 million.

From October 1997 to May 1998, Dr. Wells served as the Acting Commissioner of the Administration on Developmental Disabilities in the United States Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families. Prior to this appointment, he had 10 years of extensive public sector experience with the District of Columbia’s Department of Human Services.

Throughout his career, Dr. Wells has received many awards and recognitions including the 2011 Chief Human Capital Officer of the Year, 2010 Warner W. Stockberger Achievement Award, 2006 Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious Executives, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary’s Award for Distinguished Executives, the Distinguished Public Service Award from the Government of the District of Columbia and Special Recognition Awards from the U.S. Administration on Developmental Disabilities and the D.C. Rehabilitation Services Administration.

Dr. Wells is licensed as a nursing home administrator in New Jersey and the District of Columbia. In 1980, he received a Ph.D. in Social and Organizational Psychology from Temple University in Philadelphia. He also earned his M.A. in psychology from Temple University and B.A. in psychology and sociology from American International College.

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