Alexander Heil

Alexander Heil, PhD, is Vice President for Research at the Citizens Budget Commission. He manages CBC's research agenda and covers areas ranging from public sector capital spending, infrastructure operations, resilience and sustainability, and government policy impacts. Alexander is an economist with more than twenty years of experience in the private and public sector and with a long track record of communicating complex economic issues to a variety of audiences. 

He joined CBC from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey where he held the position of Chief Economist for a decade. As Chief Economist, Dr. Heil was responsible for developing and managing the agency’s economic research and analysis agenda, helping to ensure that the agency’s major investment and policy decisions are informed by sound economic principles and analysis. Specifically, he focused on capital prioritization of the agency’s multi-billion-dollar capital plan, economic forecasting of transportation activities and revenues, and cost-benefit analysis of resilience investments. In addition, he played an active role in supporting sustainability and environmental analyses throughout the agency. 

Prior to his appointment at the Port Authority, he was an Economist at CDM Smith, where he conducted management consulting for government entities and private industry clients in the water, wastewater and energy sectors. He also worked at Cambridge Systematics Inc., Commonwealth Research Group Inc., and Arthur Andersen Business Consulting. 

He currently teaches in Columbia University’s Sustainability Management Program and the School of International and Public Affairs as well as the Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University. Dr. Heil holds a Ph.D. in Transportation Economics from the University of South Wales in the United Kingdom. He received his bachelor’s degree from Hawai’i Pacific University and his master’s degree in Economics from Golden Gate University.

Education

• PhD in Transportation Economics, The University of South Wales
• MSc, Economics, Golden Gate University
• BA, Business Administration, Hawaii Pacific University