Francis Russell Hittinger III is the executive director of the Institute for Human Ecology at The Catholic University of America. He was previously the Warren Chair of Catholic Studies and research professor of law at the University of Tulsa. Hittinger's scholarship is focused on the intersection of philosophy, religion, and law, with particular emphasis on the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas. For the past several years he has worked and published extensively on the history of Catholic social thought since the 18th century.