Resources Faculty & Staff Directory Faculty & Staff Directory A (-) B C D E F G H J K L M N O P R S (-) T V W Facet Last Name - Directory Faculty Staff Facet Person Type - Directory Leadership Education Economics International Development Social Psychology Health Policy Humanitarian Policy Racial Justice and Equity Social Equity Facet Area of Focus - Directory School of Education and Human Development Darden School of Business Department of Economics Department of Psychology EdPolicyWorks: Center for Education Policy and Workforce Competitiveness McIntire School of Commerce UVA Humanitarian Collaborative Facet UVA Partner - Directory EdPolicyWorks: Center for Education Policy and Workforce Competitiveness Budget & Finance Development UVA Humanitarian Collaborative Facet Batten Department - Directory Brendan Bartanen Assistant Professor of Education and Public Policy bartanen@virginia.edu Ridley Hall Brendan Bartanen is Assistant Professor of Education in the department of Education Leadership, Foundations & Policy in the School of Education and Human Development and Assistant Professor of Public Policy by Courtesy in the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia. Bartanen's research aims to increase our understanding of the labor market for principals and teachers. In particular, his work examines the intersections among educator turnover, measures of effectiveness, high-stakes evaluation systems, and educator diversity. Read full bio Lucy Bassett Professor of Practice in Public Policy; Co-Director, UVA Humanitarian Collaborative lb2zr@virginia.edu 434-243-1251 Lucy Bassett is a professor of practice in public policy at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia. Bassett is an expert in children, caregivers, and communities in humanitarian and development contexts. Over her 15 year career, Bassett has worked with governments in low- and middle-income countries to expand access to quality education, nutrition and social protection services, particularly for poor and marginalized children and families. Read full bio Daphna Bassok Professor of Education and Public Policy dbassok@virginia.edu 434-982-5415 Ridley Hall Daphna Bassok is professor of education and public policy at the University of Virginia and associate director of EdPolicyWorks, a collaboration between the School of Education and Human Development and the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. Her research focuses on early childhood education policy and efforts to improve early childhood education at scale, particularly policies aimed at supporting the early childhood education workforce. Read full bio Natalie Baumeister Lab Manager, JADE and SoBaD Labs npb6pa@virginia.edu Natalie Baumeister is the Lab Manager for the Judgments and Decisions Experimental (JADE) Lab and the Social Behavior and Decisions (SoBaD) Lab in the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. Read full bio Alexander Bick Associate Professor of Practice in Public Policy; Miller Center Faculty Senior Fellow jbx6kp@virginia.edu Garrett Hall Alexander Bick is associate professor of practice in public policy in the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia. He brings more than twenty years of experience in national security policy and research, including senior roles in the U.S. government, non-profit organizations, and academic institutions. Read full bio Brendan J. Boler UVA Career Center Faculty Director of Integrated Career Education; Assistant Professor of Public Policy bjb9c@virginia.edu Brendan Boler is Faculty Director of Integrated Career Education at the UVA Career Center and Assistant Professor of Public Policy at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. Boler specializes in management consulting, high-performance coaching, and talent assessment and selection. He has extensive experience within the fields of management consulting and banking, having worked at Accenture, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley. Read full bio Jeanine Braithwaite Lecturer; Professor of Public Policy (Retired) jeaninebraithwaite@virginia.edu 434-243-1127 Jeanine Braithwaite is a professor of public policy at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. Prior to joining the Batten School, she was a senior economist at the World Bank, specializing in social protection policy and poverty analysis. She has also worked at the International Monetary Fund and U.S. Census Bureau, providing technical assistance to the U.S.S.R. and newly-independent former Soviet republics. Read full bio Xanni Brown Postdoctoral Research Associate xannibrown@virginia.edu Xanni Brown is a postdoctoral fellow at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia. She is a social and political psychologist studying hierarchy, inequality, and democracy in the U.S., with a focus on how people react to shifting demographics in various contexts. Read full bio Jazmin Brown-Iannuzzi Associate Professor of Psychology and Public Policy jazmin.bi@virginia.edu Jazmin Brown-Iannuzzi is an associate professor of psychology and public policy at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. Brown-Iannuzzi's research seeks to understand why social group disparities may persist and, in some cases, grow. Read full bio Estrella Burks-Parra Admissions Coordinator scg5zk@virginia.edu 434-982-0685 Originally from Southern California, Admissions Coordinator Estrella Burks-Parra is a 2023 graduate of Washington and Lee University. Read full bio Elinor (Ellie) Tappé Executive Director of Strategic Advancement bcm2fj@virginia.edu Elinor Tappé serves as Executive Director of Strategic Advancement where she helps shape and realize the strategic objectives of the Batten School. With a 25-year history in strategic planning and development, Elinor has held a variety of leadership roles in the corporate sector, as well as higher education and nonprofit. Her experience in philanthropy spans more than a decade and includes UC Berkeley, Larkin Street Youth Services and Urban Teachers Read full bio Sebastian Tello Trillo Associate Professor of Public Policy and Economics sebastian.tello@virginia.edu 434-924-0903 Garrett Hall Sebastian Tello Trillo is an associate professor of public policy and economics at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. He studies health policy in the U.S and Latin America, with a particular focus on understanding how policies affect individuals’ health behaviors and economic outcomes. Read full bio Melissa Thomas-Hunt John D. Forbes Distinguished Professor of Business Administration and Professor of Public Policy mcth@virginia.edu Melissa Thomas-Hunt is a professor of public policy at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy and the John Forbes Distinguished Professor of Business Administration at the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia. Thomas-Hunt focuses on leadership, team dynamics, and negotiations and her research studies the factors that unleash, leverage, and amplify the contributions made by individuals, particularly women, underrepresented individuals, and numerical minorities. Read full bio Kerra K. Thurston Executive Assistant to the Dean kaykay@virginia.edu 434-924-0828 Garrett Hall 200 Read full bio Sophie Trawalter Batten Family Bicentennial Teacher-Scholar Leadership Professor of Public Policy and Professor of Psychology strawalter@virginia.edu 434-243-3726 Sophie Trawalter, Batten Family Bicentennial Teacher-Scholar Leadership Professor of Public Policy at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy and professor of psychology at the University of Virginia, studies phenomena related to social diversity, specifically how people navigate intergroup contact and intergroup contexts, with a particular focus on how people develop competencies and learn to thrive in diverse spaces. Read full bio Kim Turner Assistant Director of Financial Planning and Analysis Kim joined the Batten School in 2025 after a decade serving as the Finance and Administration Manager for UVA Music in the College of Arts & Sciences. In her current role, Kim focuses on the annual budget, financial reporting, and various other financial functions. An alumna of the University of Virginia, Kim holds a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish. Committed to continuous growth, she went on to earn both an MBA and an MS in Public Relations from the University of Maryland University College. Read full bio Sarah Turner University Professor of Economics, Education and Public Policy sturner@virginia.edu 434-982-2383 Sarah Turner is a University Professor of economics, education and public policy at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy and the Souder Family Endowed Professor. Much of her research focuses on post-secondary education, where she explores the intersection of education and economics policies. Read full bio
Brendan Bartanen Assistant Professor of Education and Public Policy bartanen@virginia.edu Ridley Hall Brendan Bartanen is Assistant Professor of Education in the department of Education Leadership, Foundations & Policy in the School of Education and Human Development and Assistant Professor of Public Policy by Courtesy in the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia. Bartanen's research aims to increase our understanding of the labor market for principals and teachers. In particular, his work examines the intersections among educator turnover, measures of effectiveness, high-stakes evaluation systems, and educator diversity. Read full bio
Lucy Bassett Professor of Practice in Public Policy; Co-Director, UVA Humanitarian Collaborative lb2zr@virginia.edu 434-243-1251 Lucy Bassett is a professor of practice in public policy at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia. Bassett is an expert in children, caregivers, and communities in humanitarian and development contexts. Over her 15 year career, Bassett has worked with governments in low- and middle-income countries to expand access to quality education, nutrition and social protection services, particularly for poor and marginalized children and families. Read full bio
Daphna Bassok Professor of Education and Public Policy dbassok@virginia.edu 434-982-5415 Ridley Hall Daphna Bassok is professor of education and public policy at the University of Virginia and associate director of EdPolicyWorks, a collaboration between the School of Education and Human Development and the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. Her research focuses on early childhood education policy and efforts to improve early childhood education at scale, particularly policies aimed at supporting the early childhood education workforce. Read full bio
Natalie Baumeister Lab Manager, JADE and SoBaD Labs npb6pa@virginia.edu Natalie Baumeister is the Lab Manager for the Judgments and Decisions Experimental (JADE) Lab and the Social Behavior and Decisions (SoBaD) Lab in the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. Read full bio
Alexander Bick Associate Professor of Practice in Public Policy; Miller Center Faculty Senior Fellow jbx6kp@virginia.edu Garrett Hall Alexander Bick is associate professor of practice in public policy in the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia. He brings more than twenty years of experience in national security policy and research, including senior roles in the U.S. government, non-profit organizations, and academic institutions. Read full bio
Brendan J. Boler UVA Career Center Faculty Director of Integrated Career Education; Assistant Professor of Public Policy bjb9c@virginia.edu Brendan Boler is Faculty Director of Integrated Career Education at the UVA Career Center and Assistant Professor of Public Policy at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. Boler specializes in management consulting, high-performance coaching, and talent assessment and selection. He has extensive experience within the fields of management consulting and banking, having worked at Accenture, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley. Read full bio
Jeanine Braithwaite Lecturer; Professor of Public Policy (Retired) jeaninebraithwaite@virginia.edu 434-243-1127 Jeanine Braithwaite is a professor of public policy at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. Prior to joining the Batten School, she was a senior economist at the World Bank, specializing in social protection policy and poverty analysis. She has also worked at the International Monetary Fund and U.S. Census Bureau, providing technical assistance to the U.S.S.R. and newly-independent former Soviet republics. Read full bio
Xanni Brown Postdoctoral Research Associate xannibrown@virginia.edu Xanni Brown is a postdoctoral fellow at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia. She is a social and political psychologist studying hierarchy, inequality, and democracy in the U.S., with a focus on how people react to shifting demographics in various contexts. Read full bio
Jazmin Brown-Iannuzzi Associate Professor of Psychology and Public Policy jazmin.bi@virginia.edu Jazmin Brown-Iannuzzi is an associate professor of psychology and public policy at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. Brown-Iannuzzi's research seeks to understand why social group disparities may persist and, in some cases, grow. Read full bio
Estrella Burks-Parra Admissions Coordinator scg5zk@virginia.edu 434-982-0685 Originally from Southern California, Admissions Coordinator Estrella Burks-Parra is a 2023 graduate of Washington and Lee University. Read full bio
Elinor (Ellie) Tappé Executive Director of Strategic Advancement bcm2fj@virginia.edu Elinor Tappé serves as Executive Director of Strategic Advancement where she helps shape and realize the strategic objectives of the Batten School. With a 25-year history in strategic planning and development, Elinor has held a variety of leadership roles in the corporate sector, as well as higher education and nonprofit. Her experience in philanthropy spans more than a decade and includes UC Berkeley, Larkin Street Youth Services and Urban Teachers Read full bio
Sebastian Tello Trillo Associate Professor of Public Policy and Economics sebastian.tello@virginia.edu 434-924-0903 Garrett Hall Sebastian Tello Trillo is an associate professor of public policy and economics at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. He studies health policy in the U.S and Latin America, with a particular focus on understanding how policies affect individuals’ health behaviors and economic outcomes. Read full bio
Melissa Thomas-Hunt John D. Forbes Distinguished Professor of Business Administration and Professor of Public Policy mcth@virginia.edu Melissa Thomas-Hunt is a professor of public policy at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy and the John Forbes Distinguished Professor of Business Administration at the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia. Thomas-Hunt focuses on leadership, team dynamics, and negotiations and her research studies the factors that unleash, leverage, and amplify the contributions made by individuals, particularly women, underrepresented individuals, and numerical minorities. Read full bio
Kerra K. Thurston Executive Assistant to the Dean kaykay@virginia.edu 434-924-0828 Garrett Hall 200 Read full bio
Sophie Trawalter Batten Family Bicentennial Teacher-Scholar Leadership Professor of Public Policy and Professor of Psychology strawalter@virginia.edu 434-243-3726 Sophie Trawalter, Batten Family Bicentennial Teacher-Scholar Leadership Professor of Public Policy at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy and professor of psychology at the University of Virginia, studies phenomena related to social diversity, specifically how people navigate intergroup contact and intergroup contexts, with a particular focus on how people develop competencies and learn to thrive in diverse spaces. Read full bio
Kim Turner Assistant Director of Financial Planning and Analysis Kim joined the Batten School in 2025 after a decade serving as the Finance and Administration Manager for UVA Music in the College of Arts & Sciences. In her current role, Kim focuses on the annual budget, financial reporting, and various other financial functions. An alumna of the University of Virginia, Kim holds a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish. Committed to continuous growth, she went on to earn both an MBA and an MS in Public Relations from the University of Maryland University College. Read full bio
Sarah Turner University Professor of Economics, Education and Public Policy sturner@virginia.edu 434-982-2383 Sarah Turner is a University Professor of economics, education and public policy at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy and the Souder Family Endowed Professor. Much of her research focuses on post-secondary education, where she explores the intersection of education and economics policies. Read full bio