People
Want to get in touch, but not sure who to contact?
Browse our directory to discover our team’s focus areas. You can also call our main line at (804) 828-2292 or email wilderschool@vcu.edu.
Team Directory
Susan Gooden
Dean, professor
Expertise
- Social equity
- Program evaluation
- Research methods
Jill Gordon
Senior Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs and Professor
Expertise
- Corrections
- Correction officer culture and climate
- Safety in prison – correctional staff perspective; evaluation research
Jean Thomas-Banks
Executive assistant to the dean
Expertise
- Executive administration, communication and analytical support
- Office and project administration
- Scheduling and correspondence
Robyn Diehl McDougle
Associate Dean of Research and Outreach and Associate Professor
Expertise
- Police community relations
- Violent crime and program evaluation
Shajuana Isom-Payne
Assistant dean of student success
Expertise
- Cultural competency and multicultural counseling
- Professional identity development
- Self-efficacy and women in leadership
Franklin Wallace
Director of human resources and operations
Expertise
- Political science and public policy
- Public management and finance
- Community engagement and nonprofit management
James Wasilewski
Director of development
Expertise
- Strategic fundraising
- Volunteer engagement and management
- Data analytics and reporting
Tiffany Murray-Robertson
Interim director of communications and external relations
Expertise
- Content creation
- Strategic communications
- Project management
Nicholas “Nick” Garcia
Director of Undergraduate Academic Advising
Expertise
- Academic and leadership development
- Diversity, inclusivity, and equity in community enrichment
- Higher education and university policy
Denia Lee-Hing
Director of Graduate Student Services and Advising
Expertise
- Developmental advising for adult learners
- Student retention
- Program evaluation
WIlliam H. "Bill" Leighty
Senior strategic advisor
Expertise
- Policy formulation and analysis
- Performance management
- Strategic planning
Paula Otto
Senior director of special projects
Expertise
- Ethics
- Leadership
- Communications strategy
Susan White
Director of Administration, Center for Public Policy
Expertise
- Organizational culture and change management
- Project management
- Research methods
Peggy Phelps
Director of Finance and Administration
Expertise
- Financial management
- Accounting and oversight
- Grant management and fiscal policy
John Accordino
Professor
Expertise
- Commercial and neighborhood revitalization methods
- Impacts of community revitalization policies
- Comparative (U.S. and European) urban revitalization policies
Sarin Adhikari
Research economist
Expertise
- Regional economic development
- Metropolitan governance
- Formal modeling and GIS
Jay Albanese
Professor
Expertise
- Organized crime and corruption
- Professional ethics
- Transnational crime
Jose Alcaine
Adjunct faculty
Expertise
- Higher education policy
- University administration and leadership
- Research enterprise and administration
Kristine Artello
Associate professor
Expertise
- Youth, crime and mental health
- Law, crime and governmental legitimacy
- Crime, public narrative and policy
Randy Barrack
Instructor
Expertise
- Nonprofit and public financial management
- Advocacy
- Nonprofit governance, law and leadership
Mark Bittner, AICP
Instructor
Expertise
- Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
- Land use and infrastructure planning
- Transportation planning
Blythe Bowman Balestrieri
Associate professor, criminal justice undergraduate coordinator
Expertise
- Art and antiquities theft
- Inmate litigation
- Correctional law
Sarah Jane Brubaker
Professor, director of the certificate in gender violence intervention
Expertise
- Sexual and domestic violence
- Reproductive and sexual health
- Intersectionality
James Burke
Assistant professor
Expertise
- Industrial psychology
Xueming (Jimmy) Chen
Professor, program chair - Urban and Regional Studies and Planning program
Expertise
- Transportation planning
- Transportation modeling
- Geographic information system
Hayley Cleary
Associate professor
Expertise
- Police interrogation of juveniles
- Adolescent development in legal contexts
- Juvenile justice policy and practice
Amy Cook
Associate professor, chair - Criminal Justice programs
Expertise
- Juvenile justice and family court processes
- Policing
- Service learning opportunities for students
Keandra Davis
RISE Research Associate, Center for Public Policy
Nakeina E. Douglas-Glenn
Associate Professor, Director - Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute (GEHLI) and Interim Director - Research Institute for Social Equity (RISE)
Expertise
Jim Ellis
Director, Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory
Expertise
- Survey research methods
- Public opinion about K-12 education
- Employee and organizational surveys
Lindsey Evans
Assistant Professor
Expertise
David John Farmer
Professor emeritus
Expertise
-
Governance, theory and practice
Nicholas "Nick" Garcia
Director of Undergraduate Academic Advising
Expertise
- Academic and leadership development
- Diversity, inclusivity, and equity in community enrichment
- Higher education and university policy
Susan Gooden
Dean and professor
Expertise
- Social equity
- Program evaluation
- Research methods
Amanda Goodson
Assistant Professor
Expertise
- Sexual and domestic violence
- Criminal justice responses to crime victims
- Gender and crime
Jill Gordon
Senior Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs and Professor
Expertise
- Corrections
- Correction officer culture and climate
- Safety in prison - correctional staff perspective; evaluation research
Stephen Gottfredson
Provost emeritus and university professor
Expertise
- Behavioral prediction
- Criminal justice decision-making
- Higher education policy and practice
Meghan Gough
Associate professor
Expertise
- Plan-making
- Civic engagement and collective impact
- Sustainable communities
Bryan C. Green
Instructor
Expertise
- Historic preservation
- Adaptive reuse
- Architectural history
George F. Grob
Public Policy Research and Evaluation Specialist, Center for Public Policy
Expertise
Elsie Harper-Anderson
Associate professor, director of the Ph.D. program
Expertise
- Economic development, workforce development, entrepreneurship, social and economic equity
Brittany 'Brie' Haupt
Brittany 'Brie' Haupt is an assistant professor at the VCU Wilder School.
Expertise
- Emeregency management
- Cultural competence & crisis communication
- Competency-based education
Kathryn Howell
Associate professor and co-director of the RVA Eviction Lab
Expertise
- Affordable housing
- Community development
- Gentrification
Richard Huff
Assistant professor, assistant chair - Master of Public Administration program
Expertise
- Government reform and transparency
- Human resource management reform and performance
- Organizational theory and behavior
Myung Hun Jin
Associate professor, chair - Master of Public Administration program
Expertise
- Street-level bureaucracy and performance manangement
- Administrative theory and leadership
- Health services administration
Kim Hunter
Project director
Expertise
- Data management and technical assistance
- Quality assurance
- Database design and testing
Chelsea Jeffries, AICP
Instructor
Expertise
- Historic preservation planning
- Economic development
- Urban design
James Keck
Associate professor
Expertise
- Emergency preparedness
- Emergency operations planning
- Continuity of operations planning
Brittany Keegan
Director of Research and Outreach, Center for Public Policy
Expertise
- Nonprofit organizations
- Gender-based violence prevention/intervention
- Qualitative research methods
Rosa C. Krewson
RISE Senior Research Fellow
Saltanat Liebert
Associate professor
Expertise
- Immigration policy
- Civil service reform
- Comparative public administration
Hans Louis-Charles
Assistant professor
Expertise
- Disaster Management
- Individual & Collective Behavior in Disaster
- Disaster Vulnerability & Environmental Justice
Patrick Lowery
Assistant professor
Expertise
- Juvenile justice
- Police use of force
- Police discrimination
Michael MacKenzie
Research associate
Expertise
- Housing policy and analysis
- Neighborhood revitalization
- Data analysis and visualization
Christina Mancini
Associate professor, criminal justice graduate coordinator
Expertise
- Criminal justice policy
- Sexual victimization
- Campus crime, sexual assault and law
Robyn Diehl McDougle
Associate Dean of Research and Outreach and Associate Professor
Expertise
- Police community relations
- Violent crime and program evaluation
Tara McGee, J.D.
Instructor
Expertise
- Administrative law
- Local government administration
- Public speaking
Mary Moore
Senior Research Director, Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory
Expertise
- Public policy
- Survey research
- Program evaluation
Nancy A. Morris
Associate professor
Expertise
- Developmental criminology
- Cross-national study of crime, violence and terrorism
- Crime prevention and policing at places
Maureen Moslow-Benway
Assistant professor, homeland security and emergency preparedness assistant chair
Expertise
- Terrorism and counterterrorism
- U.S. intelligence community
- Human trafficking
Lesa Paylor
Consultant
Expertise
William Pelfrey Jr.
Professor, program chair - Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness
Expertise
- Policing
- Terrorism prevention
- Spatial analysis of crime
Linda Pierce
Consultant
Expertise
- Organizational development
- Operational efficiency
- Organizational culture
Damian Pitt
Associate professor
Expertise
- Solar energy policy and planning
- Climate action planning
- Collaborative environmental planning
Candace Price-Stafford
Senior project manager
Expertise
Sarah Raskin
Assistant professor
Expertise
- The health care safety net
-
Race, class and the body
- Ethnographic, qualitative and mixed methods
Jennifer Reid
Senior research associate
Expertise
- Program evaluation
- Survey research methods
- Project management
Scott Reiner
Instructor
Expertise
- Evidence-based practices in criminal justice
- Juvenile justice
- Systems of care for behavioral health
Grant Rissler
Affiliate faculty
Expertise
- Immigration policy
- Education policy
- Social Equity
Avrum Shriar
Distinguished Career Professor
Expertise
- Environmental Policy and Planning
- Rural Planning and Development
- International Development
James Smither
Assistant professor, assistant chair - Urban and Regional Studies and Planning program
Expertise
- Urban design theory
- Urban design practice
- Urban design skills
Nancy Stutts
Associate professor
Expertise
- Philanthropic foundation culture
- Community-driven change
- Nonprofit strategy
I-Shian (Ivan) Suen
Associate professor
Expertise
- Land use planning
- Planning support systems
- Applications of geospatial technologies for data analysis and visualization
Shruti Syal
Assistant Professor
Expertise
- Social-Ecological Systems (SES)
- Urban informality, Urban ecology, Water and Waste Management
- Mixed Methods Research
Benjamin Teresa
Assistant professor and co-director of the RVA Eviction Lab
Expertise
- Real estate development and finance
- Community development and organizing
- Urban political economy
Niraj Verma
Professor
Expertise
- Urban planning
- Institutional analysis
- Public management
David Webber
Assistant professor
Expertise
- Psychology of terrorism
- Radicalization and deradicalization
- Existential threat
Christopher Whyte
Assistant professor
Expertise
- Interstate cyber conflict and non-state cyber operations
- U.S. cybersecurity policymaking
- Risk analysis and forecasting methods
Nelson Wikstrom
Professor emeritus
Expertise
- Vertical and horizontal intergovernmental relations
- Government and politics of metropolitan areas
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L. Douglas Wilder
Distinguished professor
Expertise
- Virginia law
- Government and public affairs
- Social justice
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Blue Wooldridge
Distinguished Career Professor and Professor Emeritus
Expertise
- State and local government finance
- Public and nonprofit financial management
- Social equity and workforce diversity
Chernoh Wurie
Assistant professor
Expertise
- Police recruitment and requirements
- Perceptions of police officers
- Immigration and policing
- Crime scene identification, processing and analysis
- Cultural diversity and inclusion in policing
Wenli Yan
Associate professor
Expertise
- State and local government finance
- Public and nonprofit financial management
- Regional economic development
Gina Barber
Consulting associate
Expertise
Tina Braden
Human resources and building manager
Expertise
- Human resources
- Payroll
- Facilities management
Jason Burkett
Research support specialist
Expertise
- Project management
- Program evaluation
- Survey research
Justine Coleman
Program and Administrative Assistant
Yvonne Cotman
Human resource assistant/timekeeper
Expertise
- HR operations
- Timekeeping
- Human resources
Collin Cox
Administrative coordinator, Center for Public Policy
Expertise
Sherida E. Davis-Bryan
Business trainer & consultant
Expertise
- Facilitation
- Organizational Development
- Training
Mandy Fowler
Business development liaison
Expertise
- Creative and marketing communications
- Project management
- Event planning
Ashley Harrison
Assistant director
Expertise
- Student success programming
- Internship and career counseling
- Experiential learning
Katherine Huynh
Events and messaging strategist
Expertise
- Events management & communication
- Vendor negotiations & promotional items
- Event marketing & sponsorship
Adrienne K. Jones
Program assistant
Expertise
- Graduate student admissions
- Doctoral program support
- Prospective student contact
Leona Jones
Administrative assistant/travel coordinator
Expertise
- Travel coordination
- Purchasing
- Accounting
Ross Losapio
Recruitment coordinator
Expertise
- Student recruitment
- Event coordination
- Communications
Erin McGhee
Senior Academic Adviser
Expertise
- Holistic student-focused advising
- University policies and procedures
- Course planning
Larisa Noren
Finance technician
Expertise
Carolyn Patterson
Procurement officer
Expertise
- Purchasing for services, equipment, stationery and other goods
Laura Foy
Development coordinator
Expertise
- Donor relations and stewardship
- Event coordination
- Data integrity
Frank Pitchford
IT analyst
Expertise
- Technology support services
- Customer service
- Technology deployment
Danielle Shutt
Finance officer
Expertise
- Financial management & accounting
- Grant finance management
- Fiscal policy
Matthew R. Smith
Academic Advisor
Expertise
Pamela Spratley
Office manager
Expertise
- Reception and paraprofessional staff supervision
- General office operations
- Travel education and coordination
Briana Williams
Communications strategist
Expertise
- Content creation
- Social media and digital strategy
- Development communications
Nicolette LeBlanc Zbell
Academic Advisor
Expertise
Jill Scharling
Senior Academic Advisor
Expertise
- Student-focused advisement, staff training and problem solving
- Diverse popluation experience
- Higher education and university policy
Layla Alanazi
B.A., English Language; University of Dammam M.S., Industrial Relations and Human Resources; West Virginia University M.S., Global Human Resources Management; University of Liverpool
Expertise
- Human Resources Management
- Performance Management
- Public Management
Dhara Minesh Amin
B.S., Human Development; Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) M.S., Criminal Justice; Virginia Commonwealth University
Expertise
- Sexual Misconduct Policies
- Corrections
- Juvenile Justice
HyeonUk Bak
B.A., Public Administration and public policy M.P.A., Sungkhunkwan University, Seoul, South Korea
Expertise
- Human resource development
- Local government
- Social equity
Timothy Bland
B.A., Political Science; B.S., Psychology; Post-baccalaureate Certificate in Public Management; M.P.A., Virginia Commonwealth University
Expertise
- Think Tanks
- Anchor institutions
- Political-Economics
Suparna Dutta
M.S.,Sustainability Management; Colombia University M.B.A.; Birla Institute of Management Technology, India
Expertise
- Nonprofit management
- Public policy and administration
- Social equity
Joseph Faulk
B.A., Political Science; Brigham Young University M.P.A.; Texas State University
Expertise
- Anti-terrorism policy development
- Compliance and enforcement
Kevin Franklin
B.A., English Literature; M.S.W.; Virginia Commonwealth University
Expertise
- Education policy
- Education equity and access across income
Kathryn J. Genthon
B.A., Psychology; the College of William and Mary M.S., Criminal Justice; Virginia Commonwealth University
Expertise
- State Courts
- Problem-Solving Courts
- Rural Access to Justice
Kathleen (Katybeth) Lee
B.A., Religious Studies; the College of William & Mary M.S., Higher Education and Student Affairs; The Ohio State University
Expertise
- Higher education policy
- Career development
- Workforce development
Victoria Mansfield
B.A., International Cultural Studies; B.S., Communication, Brigham Young University-Hawaii; M.P.P.A., Mississippi State University
Expertise
- Public health
- Health disparity and discrimination
- Health services/access policy
Christine McDaniel
Bachelor of Arts, English Language and Literature, University of Virginia Master of Product Innovation, Virginia Commonwealth University
Expertise
- Information Technology
- Product Management
- Product Innovation
Corey Miles
B.A., Political Science; Hampden-Sydney College M.P.A.; Old Dominion University
Expertise
- U.S. Soft Power
- International Development
- Organizational Structure
Ben Plache
B.A., History; Virginia Commonwealth University M.A., History; Virginia Commonwealth University
Expertise
- Higher education policy
- Student retention and graduation
- Academic advising
Mona Siddiqui
B.A., Foreign Affairs and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Virginia College of Arts and Sciences; Juris Doctor, University of Maryland School of Law
Expertise
- Social Equity
- Migration
- Constitutional Law
Jessica Smith
B.A., Political Science; North Carolina State University M.S., Criminal Justice; Virginia Commonwealth University
Expertise
- School safety
- Violent crime reduction strategies
- Juvenile violent crime
Meagan Sok
B.S., Biology; Arizona State University M.P.H.; George Washington University
Expertise
- Health literacy
- Health disparities
- Fetal-maternal health issues
Mary Strawderman
B.S., Anthropology; Virginia Commonwealth University, M.Envs. Environmental Studies; Virginia Commonwealth University, GIS; Virginia Commonwealth University, CRA; Research Administrators Certificate Council (RACC)
Expertise
- Contaminants of emerging concern
- Environmental Justice
- Risk communication
Joe Walton
B.S., Physics; M.P.A., Virginia Commonwealth University
Expertise
- Currency systems
- Third-party trust models
- Decision-making theories
Nathan Teklemariam
B.A., Political Science and International Relations, Marymount Manhattan College; M.A. Urban and Regional Planning, Virginia Commonwealth University
Expertise
- International Urban Policy
- Urban Planning in the Developing World
- International Development Planning
Xi Zhang
B.S., City Planning; M.S., Industrial Design, South China University of Technology; M.D.S.E., Iowa State University
Expertise
- Public transportation
- Transportation health
- Environmental justice
