DPAP Faculty

Our students learn from and collaborate with the intellectual powerhouse of our faculty—prominent scholar-practitioners whose professional engagements and leading-edge research spans public administration, management, and policy. They are inspiring mentors, and their expertise and research plays a vital role in policy development, both nationally and globally.


Department Chair

Taryn Morrissey Professor, DPAP Chair, and Associate Dean of Research SPA | Public Administration

Dr. Morrissey is Associate Dean of Research at the School of Public Affairs and Chair of the Department of Public Administration and Policy. Her work centers on examining and improving public polic…

Ìý morrisse@american.edu

Ìý (202) 885-6323

MPA/MPP Program Director

Marquise McGraw Professorial Lecturer

Marquise J. McGraw is an economist with a keen interest in applying economic principles and methods to affect real-world policy outcomes. He serves as the director of SPA's top-ranked Master's degr…

Ìý mcgrawm@american.edu

Ìý (202) 885-1485

MPAP Program Director

Sonja Walti Senior Professorial Lecturer

Dr. Walti is an international scholar in public policy. Her fields of specialization include comparative public policy and public administration, policy analysis, comparative federalism, and environme…

Ìý walti@american.edu

Ìý (202) 885-3738

PhD Program Coordinator

Seth Gershenson Professor

Seth Gershenson holds a PhD from Michigan State University in Economics with a primary focus on education policy. While at Michigan State, he taught several courses and received an Outstanding Teachin…

Ìý gershens@american.edu

Ìý (202) 885-2687

Khaldoun AbouAssi Provost Associate Professor SPA | Public Administration

Khaldoun AbouAssi is the Provost Associate Professor at the Department of Public Administration & Policy. He holds a PhD in public administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affa…

Ìý abouassi@american.edu

Ìý (202) 885-2509

Anna Amirkhanyan Professor SPA | Public Administration

Professor Amirkhanyan’s research focuses on public and nonprofit management, organizational performance, public-private differences, and citizen participation. Her articles have been published in v…

Ìý amirkhan@american.edu

Ìý (202) 885-6289

Karen Baehler Scholar in Residence SPA | Public Administration

Karen Baehler's teaching and research focuses on the craft of policy analysis and the intersection between public policy and public administration, with applications to the social and environmental po…

Ìý baehler@american.edu

Ìý (202) 885-6072

Scott Bass Professor and Provost Emeritus SPA | Public Administration

Dr. Scott A. Bass is Provost Emeritus and Professor of Public Administration and Policy in the School of Public Affairs at èßäÉçÇøapp University (AU). Since his arrival at AU in 2008, Dr. Bass has focus…

Ìý sbass@american.edu

Ìý (202) 885-6305

Diana Burley Vice Provost for Research and Innovation and Professor URC | Vice Provost for Research Office

Diana L. Burley, Ph.D. is currently Vice Provost for Research and Innovation at èßäÉçÇøapp University (AU) where she also leads the Khan Cyber & Economic Security Institute and serves as a member of the…

Ìý dburley@american.edu

Brandyn Churchill Assistant Professor SPA | Public Administration

Brandyn Churchill is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Public Administration & Policy at èßäÉçÇøapp University. He earned his PhD in Economics from Vanderbilt University in 2021.Professor Chur…

Ìý bchurchill@american.edu

Nicole Darnall Professor KSB | General Academics & Research

Nicole Darnall is the Arlene R. and Robert P. Kogod Eminent Scholar Chair in Sustainability at èßäÉçÇøapp University, holding appointments in both the Kogod School of Business and the School of Public A…

Ìý ndarnall@american.edu

Seth Gershenson Professor SPA | Public Administration

Seth Gershenson holds a PhD from Michigan State University in Economics with a primary focus on education policy. While at Michigan State, he taught several courses and received an Outstanding Teachin…

Ìý gershens@american.edu

Ìý (202) 885-2687

Jocelyn Johnston Professor SPA | Public Administration

Professor Johnston’s current research focuses on government contracting, public management, and intergovernmental programs and policy. Her publications can be seen in such scholarly journals as the Jo…

Ìý johnston@american.edu

Ìý (202) 885-2608

Laura Langbein Prof Emerita

Professor Langbein teaches quantitative methods, program evaluation, policy analysis, and public choice. Her research fields include: theories of bureaucratic discretion, productivity, principal-agent…

Ìý (202) 885-6233

Patrick Malone Director and Executive in Residence SPA | Public Administration

Professor Malone is the Director, Key Executive Leadership Programs at èßäÉçÇøapp University. He is a frequent guest lecturer on kindness, gratitude, emotional intelligence, compassion, ethics, mindfuln…

Ìý pmalone@american.edu

Ìý (202) 885-6271

Dave Marcotte Interim Senior Associate Dean SPA | Public Administration

Dave E. Marcotte is Professor in the Dept. of Public Administration and Policy. His recent research focuses on inequality and socioeconomic segregation in K-12 education; access and attainment in high…

Ìý marcotte@american.edu

Ìý (202) 885-3108

John Marvel Associate Professor SPA | Public Administration

John Marvel’s research focuses broadly on public management, with particular interests in public sector employee turnover, work motivation, and manager-employee relationships. In addition to appearing…

Ìý jmarvel@american.edu

Marquise McGraw Professorial Lecturer SPA | Public Administration

Marquise J. McGraw is an economist with a keen interest in applying economic principles and methods to affect real-world policy outcomes. He serves as the director of SPA's top-ranked Master's degr…

Ìý mcgrawm@american.edu

Ìý (202) 885-1485

Kenneth Meier Distinguished Scholar in Residence SPA | Public Administration

Professor Meier’s research in public policy and administration is characterized by a multi-disciplinary approach that combines both empirical and normative questions. He uses institutional theories…

Ìý kmeier@american.edu

Ìý (202) 885-2361

Taryn Morrissey Professor, DPAP Chair, and Associate Dean of Research SPA | Public Administration

Dr. Morrissey is Associate Dean of Research at the School of Public Affairs and Chair of the Department of Public Administration and Policy. Her work centers on examining and improving public polic…

Ìý morrisse@american.edu

Ìý (202) 885-6323

Claudia Persico Associate Professor SPA | Public Administration

Claudia Persico is an Associate Professor of public policy whose research focuses on environmental policy, inequality, health and education policy using causal inference methods. Persico is also a Res…

Ìý cpersico@american.edu

Ìý (202) 885-2719

Barbara Romzek Prof Emerita

Dr. Barbara Romzek is Professor of Public Administration and Policy. She served as Dean of the School of Public Affairs at èßäÉçÇøapp University from 2012-2017. Prior to her time at èßäÉçÇøapp University …

David Rosenbloom Distinguished Prof Emeritus

David H. Rosenbloom received his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Chicago in 1969. He joined èßäÉçÇøapp University’s faculty as Distinguished Professor of Public Administration in 1990.…

Shirin Sabetghadam Professorial Lecturer SPA | Public Administration

Prof. Sabetghadam is a professorial lecturer and SoTL Fellow in the Center for Teaching, Research, and Learning at èßäÉçÇøapp University. She currently serves as a member of Quantitative Literacy Progra…

Ìý shirins@american.edu

David Schwegman Assistant Professor SPA | Public Administration

David J. Schwegman is an assistant professor in the Department of Public Administration and Policy. He is also an Academic Affiliate with the Office of Evaluation Sciences (OES) in the General Service…

Ìý schwegma@american.edu

Erdal Tekin Charles W. Fotis, Sr. and Dorothea G. Fotis Family Distinguished Professor of Health Policy SPA | Public Administration

Erdal Tekin is the Fotis Family Distinguished Professor of Health Policy in the School of Public Affairs at èßäÉçÇøapp University, a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)…

Ìý tekin@american.edu

Ìý (202) 885-6361

Sonja Walti Senior Professorial Lecturer SPA | Public Administration

Dr. Walti is an international scholar in public policy. Her fields of specialization include comparative public policy and public administration, policy analysis, comparative federalism, and environme…

Ìý walti@american.edu

Ìý (202) 885-3738

Vicky Wilkins Acting Provost PRO | Academics, Research & Awards

Vicky M. Wilkins is acting provost and chief academic officer at èßäÉçÇøapp University and professor of public administration and policy. Before assuming this role, she served as the dean of the School …

Ìý vwilkins@american.edu

Ìý (202) 885-6443

Jhacova Williams Assistant Professor SPA | Public Administration

Jhacova Williams is an applied microeconomist focusing primarily on economic history and cultural economics. Her previous work has examined Southern culture and the extent to which historical events h…

Ìý jhacovaw@american.edu

Ruth Zaplin Senior Executive in Residence SPA | Public Administration

Dr. Ruth Zaplin is a Senior Executive-in-Residence at èßäÉçÇøapp University’s School of Public Affairs (SPA), where she designs and teaches graduate courses in leadership, public policy implementation, …

Ìý zaplin@american.edu

Ìý (202) 885-6300

Robert Marshak Distinguished Scholar in Residence