Bridget Bearden, Ph.D.

Director of Member Growth & Partnerships
Email: bearden@ebri.org

Bridget Bearden is Director of Member Growth and Partnerships and a member of the leadership team at the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). She leads enterprise strategy across research, partnerships, and institutional growth, translating rigorous empirical analysis into actionable insights for policymakers, employers, and financial institutions shaping the U.S. benefits system.

At EBRI, Dr. Bearden has built and governed large-scale research initiatives examining workforce benefits that strengthen financial security, including retirement spending, long-term care, caregiving, disability, and voluntary benefits. She oversees complex survey research operations and data governance processes, ensuring methodological rigor and policy relevance.

She has two decades of experience developing research and thought leadership in retirement and investing, with roles spanning institutional investment managers, nonprofit organizations, industry associations, and financial services data and market intelligence providers.

Dr. Bearden holds a Ph.D. and an MS in Public Policy from the University of Massachusetts Boston, an MBA in Finance from Suffolk University, and a BA in Political Science from the University of Connecticut. She is a member of the National Academy of Social Insurance and the Women in Pensions Network.