Future Leaders of Schools of Public Service
Future Leaders of Schools of Public Service
Timeline 2025-26
Peer-to-Peer Conversation* Led by a program alum
Module 1: Balancing different priorities for academic leadership
Module 2: Navigating relationships and establishing trust as a BIPOC leader and scholar
Module 3: Developing a leadership voice and public persona
ASPA Meet-up*
Module 4: Navigating job opportunities and transitioning from faculty to leader
UAA Meet-up* *All in-person meetings are tentative, pending
Future Leaders of Schools of Public Service
Mentors 2025-26
Matthew Auer, University of Georgia
Nisha Botchwey, University of Minnesota
Trevor Brown, The Ohio State University
Timothy Chapin, Florida State University
Victoria DeFrancesco Soto, University of Arkansas
Jill Gordon, Cleveland State University
Roger Hartley, University of Baltimore
Halima Leak Francis, Tulane University
Siân Mooney, Indiana University
Rosemary O'Leary, University of Kansas
Malcolm Oliver, Thomas Edison State University
Shannon Portillo, Arizona State University
Sara Rinfret, Northern Arizona University
Jodi Sandfort, University of Washington
Carissa Slotterback, University of Pittsburgh
Stacey Swearingen White, University of Illinois Chicago
Lois Takahashi, San Jose State University
Mary Tschirhart, George Washington University
David Van Slyke, Syracuse University
Thomas Vicino, Georgia State University
Celeste Watkins-Hayes, University of Michigan
David Wilson, University of California, Berkeley
Matthew Auer Program Co-chair
School of Public and International Affairs
University of Georgia
Matthew R. Auer is dean and arch professor of public and international affairs at the School of Public and International Affairs, University of Georgia (UGA). Prior to his appointment at UGA, Auer served as vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. Prior to Bates, Auer was dean of the Hutton Honors College at Indiana University (IU) and professor of international environmental affairs at the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at IU.
Auer has authored or co-authored more than 60 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on environmental, energy, and foreign aid policy. He has served in a variety of public policy roles at national and international levels. Auer was senior adviser to the US Forest Service from 2001 to 2006, and during that time was a member of the US delegation to the United Nations Forum on Forests and to the International Tropical Timber Council. Auer has implemented and evaluated energy and environmental aid programs on behalf of US federal agencies or other governments in, among other countries, Azerbaijan, Bolivia, Chile, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Estonia, Georgia, Laos, Mexico, Poland, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Nisha Botchwey Program Co-chair
Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs University of Minnesota
Nisha Botchwey serves as the dean of the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at University of Minnesota. Previously, Botchwey served as associate dean for academic programs at Georgia Tech Professional Education. In that role she was responsible for developing academic programs, overseeing all academic offerings and curriculum, and leading outreach and student affairs. She played a key role in leading Georgia Tech’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Botchwey’s research and teaching have been at the nexus of environmental and health policy and the built environment, with a special focus on youth engagement and health equity. Over her career, she has been awarded more than $16 million from leading agencies and foundations as principal investigator or coPI on more than thirty grant-funded projects. The impact of Botchwey’s public health and social justice work was recognized in 2021 with the prestigious Dale Prize for Excellence in Urban and Regional Planning, and in 2016 by the White House Council on Women and Girls. Botchwey also serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Planning Education and Research.
John Glenn College of Public Affairs The Ohio State University Trevor Brown
Trevor Brown is dean of the John Glenn College of Public Affairs at The Ohio State University, where he has been a faculty member since 2001. He also serves as Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs. Previously, he served as interim dean of the Max M. Fisher College of Business at Ohio State and senior advisor to the provost focusing on organizational design, strategy, and resource planning for Ohio State’s 15 academic colleges. From 2021–2024, he served in the leadership of the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA), a membership organization which promotes public service through higher education.
His research centers on public management, organizational theory, contracting, and performance measurement. He has also worked with local, state, federal and foreign governments, as well as public organizations, to improve organizational and managerial performance. He has conducted applied research projects for the U.S. Department of the Navy, the IBM Center for the Business of Government, the Pew Center on the States, the City of Columbus, Ohio, the Eurasia Foundation, and U.S. A.I.D. His research on government contracting has been utilized by the U.S. Government Accountability Office and the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.
Email: brown.2296@osu.edu
Timothy Chapin
College of Social Sciences and
Public Policy
Florida State University
Tim Chapin is dean of the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy and a professor of Urban and Regional Planning at Florida State University. During his time as dean, Chapin has overseen creation of the unit’s first strategic plan and diversity action plan, invested heavily in faculty recruitment and retention, and spearheaded the creation of new programs in public health, emergency management, spatial data analytics, and civics and civility. He has also served as interim co-editor for the Journal of the American Planning Association, served in various roles for the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning including Headmaster of the Chairs Academy, and led university hiring efforts for several leadership positions at FSU.
Chapin’s research focuses upon assessing and analyzing the effectiveness of Florida’s growth management system and the role of sports facilities in the promotion of urban redevelopment. Deeply committed to translational research, he is a noted expert on land use and comprehensive planning, growth management, demographics, and urban redevelopment. His current research interests revolve around how Florida’s demographic trends will influence and shape development patterns in the Sunshine State.
Clinton School of Public Service University of Arkansas Victoria
DeFrancesco Soto
oto is dean of the Clinton School of niversity of Arkansas and previously served as assistant dean at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs. She is also a political analyst for NBC News and Telemundo. DeFrancesco Soto is the first Latina dean at a presidential institution, and she was named one of the top 12 scholars in the country by Diverse magazine. She previously taught at Northwestern University and Rutgers University and received her PhD in political science from Duke University. Her areas of expertise include civic engagement, women, immigration, Latinos, and political psychology. Underlying all of her research interests is the applicability of high-quality, rigorous research to on-the-ground policy realities. DeFrancesco Soto has spent over two decades bridging academic, practitioner, community, and media realms in her quest to cultivate public service engagement across our national landscape. An awardwinning professor, she is deeply passionate about the intersection of curricular and community-based learning and cultivating dynamic classroom environments that are responsive to our real-world context.
Email: dean.soto@clintonschool.uasys.edu
Gordon
Levin College of Public Affairs and Education
Cleveland State University
Jill Gordon serves as dean & professor at the Levin College of Public Affairs and Education at Cleveland State University. Previously, Gordon had a successful career at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she held numerous leadership positions in the provost's office as well as the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government & Public Affairs. She is known for promoting equitable practices and championing the advancement of underrepresented voices in higher education.
Her areas of expertise center on procedural and distributive justice and the importance of clear communication, policies, and practice, especially about the examination of confined environments. Gordon’s research focuses on correctional employees and offenders’ attitudes toward environment and culture; emotional, social, and physical safety in the correctional environment; correctional program effectiveness; and correctional staff workforce perceptions. Gordon has vast experience in evaluation research covering both community and institutional corrections.
College of Public Affairs
University of Baltimore Roger Hartley
Roger Hartley has served as dean of the College of Public Affairs at the University of Baltimore since 2015. Like many University of Baltimore students, he is a first-generation college graduate. He received a BS in public affairs in 1991 from Indiana University’s O’Neil School of Public and Environmental Affairs. He went on to receive both his MA (1993) and PhD in political science in 1999 from the University of Georgia’s School of Public and International Affairs.
Hartley is an award-winning teacher and an academic leader with a commitment to building and supporting public engagement work. Hartley’s published research spans the fields of law, courts, and public administration with an emphasis on policy, administration, and intergovernmental work of the judicial branch. He is most passionate about the value of public service and helping to train the next generation of public and nonprofit leaders in an impact-focused educational environment. 1 2
Halima Leak Francis
John Lewis Public Administration Program, School of Professional Advancement
Tulane University
r) is a nationally accomplished educator, h over 20 years of experience advancing equity in nonprofits, philanthropy, and higher education. She joined Tulane’s School of Professional Advancement in 2019 to lead the creation of its Public Administration program. As founding Director and Professor of Practice, she guided curriculum design, recruited a nationally recognized faculty, and secured accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. Under her leadership, the program was named in honor of the late US Congressman John Lewis, reflecting its commitment to inclusive public service and transformative community leadership. Her teaching and research explore interdisciplinary, multi-sector solutions to complex societal issues. Leak Francis holds a BA in english from Hampton University and both an MA in sociology of education and a PhD in higher education administration from NYU’s Steinhardt School.
She is a Tulane History Project co-chair, Foundation for Louisiana board member, co-founder of HERitage Giving Fund, and holds the Carnegie Corporation of NY Professorship in social entrepreneurship. A proud member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, she lives in the New Orleans area with her husband, Eddie, and their bonus son. She grounds work in faith and belief in human dignity.
Siân Mooney
Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs
Indiana University
Siân Mooney became the fifth dean of the Indiana University Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs on August 1, 2019. Her research interests lie in questions related to the use of natural resources and the environment. She is an economist that has worked for many years on topics related to water use in the western United States, endangered species and the impacts of climate change, and she has secured more than $4 million in external grant funding. Recently, she has become interested in the incentives that scientists face to address complex problems as part of multidisciplinary teams and the role of science information in decision-making.
Mooney came to Indiana University from Arizona State University, where she served as associate dean for interdisciplinary programs and initiatives for the College of Public Service and Community Solutions and as a professor in the School of Public Affairs. At ASU, Mooney directed collegelevel graduate degree programs, oversaw curriculum, and facilitated the approval process for academic programs across the college. She also coordinated international programs including study abroad.
Email: simoon@iu.edu
School of Public Affairs and Administration
University of Kansas
Edwin O. Stene distinguished professor of Kansas. Previously she worked at mington (professor) and the Maxwell rsity (inaugural Phanstiel distinguished agement and leadership). O’Leary has public policy formulation and public different perspectives, including that of practitioner, analyst, scholar, teacher, consultant, and university administrator. She has led divisions, institutes, programs, and a school of public affairs. She remains attuned to and engaged in the particular problems and opportunities of higher education, especially in the social sciences. O’Leary was president of the Public Management Research Association 2017-2019. In 2019, the International Research Society for Public Management (IRSPM) established the Rosemary O’Leary Prize for excellence in scholarship on women and public administration. In 2021, the Academy of Management chose the 3rd edition of her book, The Ethics of Dissent: Managing Guerrilla Government (CQ Press 2021) as the winner of the Best Book in Public Management Award. In 2021 she was awarded the Duncombe Award for outstanding mentoring of PhD students, given by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration.
Rosemary O'Leary
Malcolm K. Oliver serves as dean for the John S. Watson School of Public Service at Thomas Edison State University. The school enrolls over 450 adult learners in master’s, bachelor’s and associate degree programs delivered online and designed to support practitioners in the public and nonprofit sectors. Oliver previously served as associate dean at Excelsior University’s School of Graduate Studies, which enrolled over 2,000 nontraditional learners in seven online master’s degree programs. Oliver has also served as director for master of public policy and administration programs at California Lutheran University, National Louis University and at The College of New Rochelle. Prior to higher education, Oliver served public agencies in California and Texas as a city planner. Oliver is active in public service organizations, and currently serves on the National Council of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA), the Executive Council of the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA), and as an ex-officio member of the New Jersey Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration’s board (NJ-ASPA). Oliver holds a PhD in public and urban administration from the University of Texas, Arlington, and an MPA from Cal Poly Pomona.
John S. Watson School of Public Service
Thomas Edison State University
Malcolm Oliver
School of Public Affairs
Arizona State University Shannon Portillo
Shannon Portillo serves as director and Lattie and Elva Coor Presidential Chair in the School of Public Affairs at Arizona State University. Portillo’s scholarship explores how formal policies and rules and informal social norms shape the work of public organizations. She is specifically interested in how racism and sexism impact organizations and workers’ experiences. Her work helps scholars and practitioners understand how inequities have been institutionalized in public organizations. Her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, Women’s Foundation, Army Research Institute, and other entities. Her work has appeared in a broad array of academic and popular outlets. She has been recognized for her scholarship and service as an elected Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration and winner of the Hobby Prize for Ethics, Leadership and Public Policy and the Steeples Service to Kansas Award. Her third book, The Myth of Bureaucratic Neutrality: An Examination of Merit and Representation (with co-authors Nicole Humphrey and Domonic Bearfield), was published with Routledge Press. Community service is a core value. Portillo served as co-chair of Governor Laura Kelly’s Commission on Racial Equity and Justice and was elected chair of the Douglas County Board of County Commissioners.
Sara Rinfret
Department of Politics and International Affairs
Northern Arizona University
Rinfret is an experienced higher education leader, serving in roles such as associate vice provost, dean, associate dean, director, and department chair. Her scholarship in environmental policy, public policy, and the scholarship of teaching and learning is nationally recognized. Rinfret’s teaching cuts across modalities (online, in-person, and via robot), focusing on courses at the undergraduate and graduate level on regulatory policy, governance, environmental policy, public policy, organization behavior, and public administration. Her research focuses on environmental regulations, teaching pedagogy, and women and government, publishing extensively.
Email: sara.rinfret@nau.edu
Sandfort
vans School of Public Policy and overnance niversity of Washington odi
Jodi Sandfort joined the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance as dean in January 2021. Sandfort’s scholarship focuses on improving the implementation of social policy, particularly those policies designed to support low-income children and their families. Her leadership uses participatory methods to activate others to address systemic biases that are reproduced through practices and processes.
Sandfort’s career has bridged academia and the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors. She served as director at the McKnight Foundation in Minneapolis, managing an annual-giving portfolio of $20 million for the human services system in Minnesota. Sandfort was also a senior strategy consultant with the Bush Foundation, a senior fellow with the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits and special assistant to the president of the University of Minnesota. She is deeply involved in the international Art of Hosting community, which has expertise in group facilitation and change processes.
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Sandfort earned a BA in history and women’s studies from Vassar College, as well as an MA in social work and a PhD in political science and social work from the University of Michigan.
Carissa Slotterback Program Co-chair
Graduate School of Public and International Affairs University of Pittsburgh
Carissa Slotterback is dean and professor in the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh. Since arriving at the University of Pittsburgh in October 2020, she has led major efforts in the school related to strategic planning; development and alumni engagement; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and enhancing student experience. Slotterback currently serves as co-chair of Pitt’s Year of Discourse and Dialogue and is working across the campus to advance capacity-building efforts across students, staff, and faculty. She is a widely published scholar in the areas of stakeholder and public engagement and decision-making related to environmental and land use policy and planning. Prior to joining the University of Pittsburgh, she served as a faculty member and program director in urban and regional planning, as well as associate dean, in the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs. Slotterback led a number of initiatives focused on interdisciplinary and engaged research and education, including in her prior roles as director of research engagement in the Office of the Vice President for Research and as co-founder and director of the Resilient Communities Project.
Stacey Swearingen White
College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs
University of Illinois Chicago
e is dean of the College of Urban airs (CUPPA) at UIC. She joined the college on July 1, 2022 coming from the University of Kansas (KU), where she began her career as an assistant professor of urban planning. At KU, she served as the chair of the Urban Planning Department, co-founder and director of academic programs for the KU Center for Sustainability, and associate director of the environmental studies program. Most recently, she served as director of the KU School of Public Affairs and Administration.
Swearingen White’s research focuses on sustainability innovation at the local level, including emphases on water quality and campus sustainability. She has also contributed to recent work on the role of emotions in planning. Her research and teaching interests reflect her interdisciplinary training. She received a BA in philosophy from Emory University, an MS in environmental studies from the University of Montana, and a PhD in land resources from the University of WisconsinMadison.
College of Social Sciences
San Jose State University
Lois Takahashi Email: lois.takahashi@sjsu.edu
Lois M. Takahashi is associate dean for Research in the College of Social Sciences at San Jose State University (SJSU). Prior to joining SJSU, she was Houston Flournoy Professor of State Government and director of the USC Price School of Public Policy in Sacramento. Prior to joining USC Price, she was interim dean at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs and was president of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP). She studies how housing, violence, and spatial factors lead to health disparities for vulnerable populations. Her research has been supported by grants from NIH, NSF, and foundations/donors. She is a recipient of several teaching and service awards, and currently serves on the board for the Western Center on Law and Poverty.
g School of Public Public Administration hington University schirhart
Mary Tschirhart is the director of the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration at The George Washington University in Washington, DC. She is the Stephen Joel Trachtenberg Professor in Public Service. In addition to being the school director, she teaches the Dissertation Workshop seminar and the masters’ capstone course, is creating an Environmental Ethics and Argumentation course, and is planning on teaching Managing Public Organizations. Before going to GW, she was on the faculty at SPEA at Indiana University, the Maxwell School at Syracuse University, Institute Director at North Carolina State University, and at the John Glenn College at The Ohio State University.
Prior to those positions, she ran a state wide nonprofit organization related to arts and education. She has a BA in Philosophy, MBA in arts administration, and PhD in organizational behavior and human resource management. Her current research examines membership associations, volunteer and service programs, board governance, and a range of publicprivate collaborations. She currently serves on several boards and is the co-chair of the Nonprofit Education Section at NASPAA. 1 2
Email: marytschirhart@email.gwu.edu
David M. Van Slyke is dean of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University and the Louis A. Bantle chair in business-government policy. He is a tenured, full professor at the Maxwell School and a two-time recipient of the Birkhead-Burkhead Award and Professorship for Teaching Excellence. Van Slyke is a leading international expert on publicprivate partnerships, public sector contracting and contract management, public and nonprofit management, and policy implementation. He is a member of the Defense Business Board (2020, 2021-Present), a former director (2015-2021) and fellow (2010-Present) of the National Academy of Public Administration, and a member of the National Academy of Public Administration’s expert advisory team for the Office of the Inspector General at the Department of Homeland Security (20212022). He is actively engaged in the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA) and co-chaired the 2021 annual conference, the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs, and the University Leadership Council on Diversity and Inclusion in International Affairs Education. Van Slyke serves on the editorial boards of several top-ranked public affairs and nonprofit management journals including the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory.
Thomas Vicino
Andrew Young School of Public Studies
Georgia State University
Thomas J. Vicino is the dean of the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University, where he is also a professor in the Urban Studies Institute. Previously, he held numerous administrative roles at Northeastern University, including as associate dean of the College of Social Sciences and Humanities, chair of the department of political science, and director of the master of public administration program.
Vicino brings a passion for inclusive excellence. His leadership focuses on advancing opportunities through interdisciplinary research, experiential education, innovative programs, global citizenship, and lifelong learning with a record of building collaborative partnerships and civic engagement. He weaves a deep commitment to building community and belonging throughout his work. Vicino has dedicated his career to advancing the next generation of scholars and service professionals. As the chief executive officer and chair of the governing board of the Urban Affairs Association, Vicino led the foremost international professional organization for urban scholars, researchers, and public service professionals. A first-generation college student, he holds a PhD and MPP from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, as well as a BS from the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida.
Celeste Watkins-Hayes
The Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy University of Michigan
the Joan and Sanford Weill Dean of versity of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and founding director of the school's Center for Racial Justice. Watkins-Hayes is also the Jean E. Fairfax Collegiate Professor of Public Policy, University Diversity and Social Transformation Professor, professor of sociology, and an Anti-Racism Collaborative research and community impact fellow.
She is an internationally-recognized scholar and expert widely credited for her research at the intersection of inequality, public policy, and human service institutions, with a special focus on HIV/AIDS; poverty; and race, class, and gender studies. WatkinsHayes has published three books, numerous articles in journals and edited volumes, and pieces in The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and Chicago Magazine. She has been widely quoted in the popular press as a national expert on social inequality, HIV/AIDS, and societal safety nets.
Watkins-Hayes holds a PhD and MA in sociology from Harvard University and a BA from Spelman College, where she graduated summa cum laude. 1 2
David Wilson
Goldman School of Public Policy
University of California, Berkeley
David C. Wilson, Ph.D, is dean of the Richard and Rhoda Goldman School of Public Policy and Professor of public policy and political science at the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to UC Berkeley, Wilson served as a senior associate dean of the College of Arts & Sciences and associate dean of the social sciences, at the University of Delaware. He also served as a statistical researcher at the Gallup Polling Organization in Washington, DC. He earned a BA (in government) from Western Kentucky University, and an MPA (in policy analysis) and PhD (political science), from Michigan State University.
Future Leaders of Schools of Public Service
Participants 2025-26
Gordon Abner, University of Texas at Austin
Natasha Behl, Arizona State University
Agatha Caraballo, Florida International University
Can Chen, Georgia State University
Komla Dzigbede, State University of New York at Binghamton
Angela Fertig, University of Minnesota
Andrew Greenlee, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Andrea Headley, Georgetown University
Tisha Holmes, Florida State University
Laureen Hom, San José State University
April Jackson, University of Illinois Chicago
Dawnsha Mushonga, University of Baltimore
Stephanie Newbold, Wichita State University
Nicole Ngo, University of Oregon
Tomás Olivier, Syracuse University
Gina Scutelnicu Todoran, Pace University
Su Su, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
David Suarez, University of Washington
Kimberly Triplett, Tennessee State University
Alexandra-Emmanuelle Zagbayou, Duke University
Gordon Abner
Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs
University of Texas at Austin
Gordon Abner is an associate professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. He received a joint PhD in public policy from Indiana University-Bloomington. Abner’s primary research interests are in the areas of employee morale and organizational performance in the public sector broadly, as well as in policing specifically. His work has been published in scholarly outlets such as Public Administration Review, the Review of Public Personnel Administration, Nonprofit Management and Leadership, and Public Performance and Management Review. Abner’s work has also been covered in popular outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, Fast Company, Government Executive, FEDweek, and the Federal Times. His work has been funded by organizations such as the IBM Center for the Business of Government, the American Political Science Association, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation.
Natasha Behl
School of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Arizona State University
Natasha Behl is associate professor in the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Arizona State University. Behl completed her PhD at University of California, Los Angeles, where her training focused on race, ethnicity, politics and comparative politics.
Behl’s book, Gendered Citizenship: Understanding Gendered Violence in Democratic India, is published with Oxford University Press. The book received the American Political Science Association’s 2021 Lee Ann Fujii Award for Innovation in the Interpretive Study of Political Violence. Her research is published in leading journals like American Political Science Review, PS: Political Science and Politics, Feminist Formations, and Politics, Groups, and Identities. She was awarded the Outstanding Teaching Award and Outstanding Faculty Mentor Awards at ASU. She was also awarded ASU’s Leadership Excellence Award and Social Impact Award.
As a thought leader in social movements and democracy, Behl has written for The Washington Post and Economic & Political Weekly, commented on the BBC and Public Radio International, and given a TEDx Talk.
Behl applies her insights as director of the MA program in social justice & human rights.
nbehl@asu.edu
Agatha Caraballo
Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs
Florida International University
Agatha Caraballo is the founding director of the Maurice A. Ferré Institute for Civic Leadership and a teaching professor in the department of public policy and administration in the Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs at Florida International University. With over 25 years of experience in higher education, she specializes in civic leadership and social responsibility, fostering inclusive engagement between academic institutions and diverse communities. Her work bridges scholarship and practice, emphasizing collaborative problem-solving, democratic governance, and ethical leadership. Caraballo’s leadership has advanced innovative civic education initiatives, such as the Miami-Dade County Civics Academy, expanded community partnerships, and secured substantial philanthropic support to promote student scholarships, professional development, and public service pathways. She holds a PhD in Public Affairs and a BS in communication from Florida International University, as well as an AA in mass communication from Santa Rosa Junior College. Caraballo is on professional development leave for the 2025–2026 academic year. Through her teaching, research, and public engagement, she is committed to preparing the next generation of leaders to navigate complex policy environments and advance the public good.
Email: agatha.caraballo@gmail.com
Can Chen
Andrew Young School of Policy Studies
Georgia State University
Can Chen is a tenured associate professor at Georgia State University’s Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, where he directs the public policy PhD programs, including the standalone program at GSU and the joint program with the Georgia Institute of Technology. He leads the Infrastructure Finance & Policy Lab and holds leadership roles in the American Society for Public Administration’s section on transportation policy and administration, the Association for Budgeting and Financial Management, and the Transportation Research Board. Chen’s research centers on public budgeting and financial management, with expertise in infrastructure finance, fiscal resilience, and the application of machine learning and AI to public finance. He has published over 40 peer-reviewed journal articles and authored a book on innovative infrastructure finance. His work has been supported by grants from the World Bank, the Volcker Alliance, the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB), and the International City/County Management Association (ICMA). He earned his PhD in public administration from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 2015.
Komla Dzigbede
College of Community and Public Affairs
State University of New York at Binghamton
Komla D. Dzigbede is an associate professor in the department of public administration and policy at the State University of New York at Binghamton. Dzigbede is an expert in government finance and international economic policy. His research is of high value to local, state, and national governments and spans a variety of topics, including debt management, tax reform, financial market regulation, fiscal resilience to climate risks, and sustainable economic development. Komla has extensive experience in the international public sector from his prior work as an economist at the Central Bank of Ghana, and as a consultant in the international development space. He has a BA and MA in economics from the University of Ghana and a PhD in public policy from Georgia State University (Atlanta, USA). Dzigbede is the editor-in-chief of the Public Finance & Management journal.
dzigbede@binghamton.edu
Humphrey School of Public Affairs
University of Minnesota Angie Fertig
Angie Fertig is an economist and professor at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. Her research is focused on investigating the causes and consequences of poor health, particularly among low-income and minoritized families. Her recent work focuses on food insecurity and structural racism and discrimination. She has been published in the American Journal of Public Health, Health Affairs, Health Economics, Health Services Research, Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, Pediatrics, Social Science & Medicine, among other journals. Fertig’s research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the US Department of Agriculture, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Dr. Fertig received her PhD in economics from Brown University and her BA from Stanford University. She conducted postdoctoral research at Princeton University and has previously held faculty and research positions at the University of Georgia, Indiana University, and Medica Research Institute.
Andrew Greenlee
Department of Urban and Regional Planning
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Andrew J. Greenlee is a professor in the department of urban and regional planning at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Greenlee’s research lies at the intersection of housing policy, poverty, and social equity within cities and regions. His current research examines neighborhood and metropolitan opportunity structures through residential mobility processes. Greenlee’s other ongoing research examines the influence of governance on spatial outcomes for public and subsidized housing participants, and the dynamics of neighborhood change driven by urban renewal processes and public housing transformation. As an expert in housing policy, Greenlee has testified before the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Housing and has provided technical assistance to fair housing advocates, states, and local governments. He is a faculty affiliate of the Center for Social and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Illinois and the Institute of Government & Public Affairs in the University of Illinois System. Greenlee received a BA from Grinnell College, an MS in urban and regional planning from the University of Iowa, and a PhD in urban planning and policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
McCourt School of Public Policy
Georgetown University Andrea Headley
Andrea M. Headley is an associate professor and faculty director of the Evidence for Justice Lab at the McCourt School of Public Policy. Headley conducts mixed methods research, working with local government and community-based organizations, to understand how to create a more effective and equitable criminal justice system. Headley has published research in numerous peer-reviewed journals and has been featured as a subject-matter expert in news outlets such as ABC, CBS, NPR, and PBS News. Her projects have been funded by the American Institutes for Research, Arnold Ventures, the US Department of Justice, the US Department of Transportation, and the National Science Foundation. Headley received her BSEd in human and social development from the University of Miami and her MS in criminal justice and PhD in public affairs from Florida International University. Email: ah1646@georgetown.edu
Tisha Holmes
College of Social Sciences and Public Policy/ Urban and Regional Planning Florida State University
Tisha Holmes examines how planning and public health actors perceive and work to build community resilience to climate risks and impacts. Specifically, she studies sea level rise adaptation efforts in Florida and also serves as a co-PI on the Building Resilience Against Climate Effects Program in Florida (FLBRACE) which supports county health departments develop and evaluate climate adaptation interventions to protect public health. After graduating with a BA in political science and environmental studies from Williams College, Holmes earned an MPA in environmental science and policy from Columbia University and PhD in urban planning from UCLA.
Laureen Hom
School of Planning, Policy, and Environmental Studies
San José State University
Laureen D. Hom received a PhD in planning, policy, and design with an emphasis in asian american studies at The University of California, Irvine and an MPH in sociomedical sciences with a concentration in urbanism and the built environment at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. As an interdisciplinary scholar, her research and teaching are at the intersection of urban studies, ethnic studies, public administration, and public policy. Her expertise is in qualitative methods, and she uses critical frameworks to examine community development, civic engagement, and neighborhood governance, with a specific focus on Asian American communities. Prior to her academic career, she worked in program management, evaluation, and community-engaged collaborative research in health services and nonprofit organizations serving unhoused and immigrant communities.
Laureen has been published in AAPI Nexus, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, Journal of Planning Education and Research, Journal of Urban Affairs, Public Integrity, and Urban Affairs Review, as well as co-authored reports on various policy issues facing Asian Americans. In June 2024, she published her book with UC Press, The Power of Chinatown: Searching for Spatial Justice in Los Angeles, which was based on her ethnographic research on community politics and gentrification in Los Angeles Chinatown since the 1970s.
Email: laureen.hom@sjsu.edu
April Jackson
School of Urban Planning and Policy
University of Illinois Chicago
April Jackson is an associate professor in the department of urban planning and policy at the University of Illinois Chicago and a research affiliate with the National Initiative on Mixed-Income Communities at Case Western Reserve University. A community-engaged scholarpractitioner, her research focuses on advancing racially equitable, inclusive, and just communities through planning practice and the built environment. She studies affordable housing strategies, reparative planning, and challenges facing communities of color, including gentrification, displacement, and climate gentrification.
Her current work examines how the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative (CNI) supports racial equity in neighborhood change in Chicago. She has also partnered with the American Planning Association and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning to assess how planning programs and workplaces can foster diversity and inclusion. More recently, her research has expanded to evaluate climate-driven displacement and affordable housing in Miami-Dade, Duval, and Pinellas Counties in Florida. At UIC, Jackson teaches courses on spatial planning, community engagement, neighborhood planning, urban design, and affordable housing. Prior to joining UIC in 2021, she was an assistant professor at Florida State University and previously worked as an architect and urban designer at Destefano Partners and AECOM. She holds a PhD in urban planning and policy from UIC.
Email: ajacks29@uic.edu
Dawnsha Mushonga
School of Health & Human Services/ Human Services Administration University of Baltimore
Dawnsha Mushonga is an associate professor and executive director of the School of Health & Human Services in the College of Public Affairs at the University of Baltimore. Her research interests include mental health, positive youth development, and social justice, with a focus on promoting resilience and equity in marginalized communities. Her current work examines individual- and institutionallevel factors that shape long-term educational and workforce outcomes among disadvantaged students.
She is also a licensed clinical professional counselor (LCPC), national certified counselor (NCC), and an approved clinical supervisor (ACS) with more than 20 years of experience in the human services field. Her extensive practice has shaped her commitment to addressing societal injustices and advocating for marginalized populations to promote equitable outcomes. Through her research and partnerships with community and institutional stakeholders, she works to create opportunities, reduce inequities, and enhance well-being particularly in underserved communities.
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She holds a PhD in social work from Morgan State University and both a MA in mental health counseling and a BA in psychology & sociology from Western Kentucky University. Email: dmushonga@ubalt.edu
Stephanie Newbold is an internationally recognized scholar of public administration, specializing in democratic governance, constitutional and administrative law, and the intellectual history of the American administrative state. She edits The American Review of Public Administration, one of the leading academic journals of public administration that addresses seminal issues facing public administration theory and practice. For the 2012 term, Newbold served as a Supreme Court Fellow in the Office of the Counselor to the Chief Justice.
School of Planning, Public Policy, and Management University of Oregon
Nichole Ngo is an associate professor in the School of Planning, Public Policy, and Management (PPPM) and the director of the Master of Public Administration program at the University of Oregon. She received her PhD in Sustainable Development from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University and a BA in Economics and BS in Earth and Environmental Science at the University of California, Irvine. Ngo’s research focuses on public health, transportation, and equity. Previous projects include evaluating the effects of vehicle emission standards on air pollution and health, investigating the impacts of ridehail services on traffic congestion and public transit, measuring urban air pollution in sub-Saharan Africa, and examining the effects of climate change on health and transportation choices. Her interdisciplinary research has been published across a range of journals, including the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, and Environmental Research.
Tomás Olivier
Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs
Syracuse University
Tomás Olivier is an assistant professor of public administration and international affairs and senior research associate in the Center for Policy Research. He researches the governance of natural resources in the United States and Argentina.
Olivier studies how governments, users and organizations interact and create formal arrangements to sustainably manage water resources. One of his long-standing projects is on the governance of the New York City watersheds, the largest unfiltered drinking water system in the United States.
After earning a bachelor's degree in his home country of Argentina, Olivier received a PhD in government and public policy from the University of Arizona in 2017. Prior to joining the Maxwell School, he completed a postdoctorate at the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability and worked as an assistant professor at Florida Atlantic University for three years.
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Email: tolivier@syr.edu
Public Administration Program
University
Gina Scutelnicu Todoran is professor and chair in the department of public administration at Pace University. She has a PhD in public affairs from Florida International University, an MA in Public Service Management, and a BA in public administration from Babes-Bolyai University, Romania. She serves as associate editor for Public Administration Quarterly and Public Integrity and is the chair of the Northeast Conference on Public Administration.
Her research interests focus on two main areas: 1) social and gender equity in public service, and 2) collaborative governance with a focus on specialized entities of government. Scutelnicu Todoran authored over 35 publications for both academic and practitioner audiences. Her research in the area of gender and social equity has appeared in highly regarded journals in the field. Her most recent book, Managing Gender Inequity in Academia, was published by Routledge, Taylor & Francis. Scutelnicu Todoran has over 15 years of teaching experience in the areas of research design and data analysis, local government management, intergovernmental relations, urban politics, organization theory, ethics, and public service leadership. She has served as a capstone thesis and doctoral dissertation advisor to more than 30 students.
Pace
Gina Scutelnicu Todoran
Xuhong Su
Baker School of Public Policy and Public Affairs
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Su Su is professor and director of graduate studies at the Howard Baker Jr. School of Public Policy and Public Affairs at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Prior to this, Su Su was an associate professor and MPA director at the University of South Carolina, Columbia. She received her PhD in public administration and public policy from the University of Georgia, a second master’s degree in applied statistics from the University of South Carolina, Columbia and a first master’s degree in public administration from Wuhan University, China.
Su Su’s research interest has been focused on public administration, public management and science & technology policy. Her past research centers on accountability and clean governance, human resource management, the structure and dynamics of academic units as well as scientific workforce policy. Her research has been published in a wide variety of public administration journals. She is an individual member of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) and sits on advisory boards for journals and research centers. 1 2
David Suarez
Evans School of Public Policy & Governance
University of Washington
David Suarez is the associate dean for research at the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance, University of Washington, and holds the Colleen Willoughby Endowed Professorship in Philanthropy & Civil Society. His current research explores the growing intersection between service provision and social change activity, the consequences of professionalization for organizational mission, and the emergence and development of participatory grantmaking. Suarez is particularly interested in collaboration, advocacy, participation, and civic engagement issues that link nonprofits to public agencies and the policy process. His research has been supported by the Spencer Foundation, the Aspen Institute, the Nonprofit Academic Centers Council, the Ford Foundation, and the Surdna Foundation. Suarez’s research has been published in the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, the American Review of Public Administration, Administration & Society, Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, Voluntas, and other academic outlets. He holds a PhD in education and an MA in sociology from Stanford University, as well as a BA in international relations from the University of California, Davis. Prior to pursuing a career in academia, Suarez worked briefly as an elementary school teacher for dual language learners in California (Spanish-English) and served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic.
Email: dsuarez@uw.edu
College of Public Service/Urban Studies Program
Tennessee State University
Kimberly L. Triplett is a professor of urban studies and program coordinator in the department of social work and urban studies at Tennessee State University (TSU), where she also serves as co-director of the Urban and Community Research Center (UCRC). From 2020 to 2022, she served as chair of the TSU Faculty Senate. She earned her PhD in urban studies from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, an MPA in public administration from Auburn University (Magna Cum Laude), and a BA in political science from Butler University.
Triplett’s research focuses on equity and justice in transportation, urban planning, and community development, with expertise in qualitative and community-based methods. She has served as PI or Co-PI on numerous funded projects, including grants from the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) on public involvement strategies, workforce diversity, knowledge management, and the University Transportation Assistance Program (UTAP). She has also collaborated on US DOT University Transportation Center projects addressing traffic calming and pedestrian and bicycle safety, as well as HUD initiatives, including the HUD HBCU Center of Excellence and Fair Housing and Education Outreach.At TSU, Triplett has mentored student researchers and serves as faculty advisor for the Tennessee State University chapter of Upsilon
Sigma Honor Society of the Urban Affairs Association.
Email: ktriplet@tnstate.edu
Kimberly Triplett
Sanford School of Public Policy
University
Alexandra Emmanuelle Zagbayou is a leadership practitioner-scholar, nonprofit strategist, and organizational consultant committed to strengthening how institutions are designed, governed, and led. She serves as Hart Associate Professor of the Practice at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy and as a faculty affiliate with the Center for the Study of Philanthropy and Voluntarism. At Duke, she teaches women as leaders and leading in and with community, guiding students to connect theory with lived experience while developing as valuesdriven leaders.
Zagbayou was part of the founding team of Student U, a Durham-based nonprofit dedicated to college access and youth development, and later served as its executive director. Over more than a decade, she helped grow the organization, led a debt-free $11 million capital project, and guided its transition to a people-of-color-led governance model. She also founded AnchorED Coaching and Consulting, where she partners with nonprofit executives and boards to build adaptive capacity, inclusive cultures, and resilient leadership. She earned her BA in international studies and socioeconomic justice from UNC-Chapel Hill and is pursuing a MA in industrial-organizational psychology at Harvard Extension School. Her current focus centers on how leaders are trained and supported, with particular attention to the leadership experiences of women of color in nonprofit executive roles.
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Email: alexandra.zagbayou@duke.edu
Duke
Alexandra-Emmanuelle Zagbayou