Louis. He earned his MSW and PhD in Social Work from Washington University in St. Louis and also holds an MA and PhD in political science from University of Missouri–St. Louis. Before coming to Loyola in 2006, he taught at Saint Louis University. Dr. Hong’s main academic interest is in poverty and workforce development. Particularly, his research program has focused on structural poverty in the United States and international / comparative social welfare. He is currently partnering with local workforce development initiatives to develop bottom-up strategies for empowering low-income individuals and families in their quest to achieve self-sufficiency.