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 Health Policy Social Psychology Education Racial Justice and Equity Economics Environmental Policy Ethics Political Science Social Equity Facet Area of Focus - Directory School of Education and Human Development Darden School of Business Department of Economics EdPolicyWorks: Center for Education Policy and Workforce Competitiveness School of Nursing The Equity Center Facet UVA Partner - Directory Budget & Finance Development EdPolicyWorks: Center for Education Policy and Workforce Competitiveness Facet Batten Department - Directory Rick Campanelli Lecturer Rick Campanelli is a lecturer at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. Campanelli has an extensive career in public service and the private sector as well as experience in senior leadership and management. Campanelli has been legal counsel in the areas of healthcare, information privacy and security, and civil and First Amendment rights. He is the Center for Christian Study Director of Graduate Ministries for the Law and Darden Christian Fellowships. Read full bio Anne Carter Mulligan Senior Director of Admissions acm8k@virginia.edu 434-982-0685 Garrett Hall 203 Anne Carter Mulligan joined Batten in January 2019 as Director of Undergraduate Admissions. She’s held multiple roles in higher education, most recently as Director of Strategic Initiatives in Enrollment Management at Longwood University, where she led projects designed to enrich the student experience and provide a seamless path from recruitment to graduation. Read full bio Benjamin Castleman Associate Professor of Public Policy and Education castleman@virginia.edu Garrett Hall Ben Castleman is an associate professor of public policy and education at the University of Virginia. His research focuses on policies and strategies to improve postsecondary educational and workforce outcomes for individuals from lower-income and historically-marginalized communities. His current work focuses on innovations to increase economic mobility among lower-wage adults, including digital- and health-skills training programs; state-funded career and technical education; and competency-based education models for working adults. Read full bio James Cathro Director of Finance and Business Services jrc2jc@virginia.edu 434-982-6761 James is the Director of Finance and Business Services at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. Read full bio Jeff Chidester Executive Director of External Affairs jchidester@virginia.edu 434-982-0685 Garrett Hall 202 Jeff Chidester is the Executive Director of External Affairs, where he oversees admissions, strategic partnerships, communications and marketing, and the broader external affairs portfolio. Read full bio Eileen Chou Associate Dean for Academic Affairs; Batten Family Bicentennial Teacher-Scholar Leadership Professor of Public Policy; Professor of Public Policy and Psychology eileen.chou@virginia.edu 434-982-4821 Garrett Hall Eileen Chou, associate dean for academic affairs and Batten Family Bicentennial Teacher-Scholar Leadership Professor of Public Policy at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, researches the organizational, social, and psychological forces that shape individual and group behavior in organizational settings. Read full bio Pam Cipriano Professor of Nursing and Public Policy pfc4n@virginia.edu Pamela Cipriano is a professor of nursing and public policy at the Batten School. Cipriano served as dean of the UVA School of Nursing and the Sadie Heath Cabaniss Professor of Nursing through July 2022. Cipriano’s more than 40-year career in nursing is marked by a focus on improving the safety and efficiency of care by ensuring a healthy, safe, and supportive work environment and encouraging healthy behaviors to promote well-being. Read full bio Michele Claibourn Director of Equitable Analysis, The Equity Center; Assistant Professor of Public Policy and Data Science mclaibourn@virginia.edu 434-924-3282 Equity Center & Garrett Hall Michele Claibourn is Director of Equitable Analysis for The Equity Center at UVA and an assistant professor of public policy and data science at the University of Virginia. Claibourn leads the Center’s community-engaged data science work in support of a more equitable and just region. She has directed or supervised multiple community-based research projects in the Charlottesville community, including racial equity studies for the City of Charlottesville, Albemarle County, and the Thomas Jefferson Area Coalition for the Homeless. Read full bio Jonathan Colmer Associate Professor of Economics and Public Policy j.colmer@virginia.edu Jonathan Colmer is an associate professor of economics and public policy at the University of Virginiaand the Co-Founder and Director of the Environmental Inequality Lab. Colmer is an environmental economist who also works in the area of growth and development economics. His research combines data with insights from economic theory and environmental science to better understand how economic activity and the environment influence one another. Read full bio Benjamin Converse Associate Professor of Public Policy and Psychology converse@virginia.edu 434-243-2885 Garrett Hall Benjamin Converse is an associate professor of public policy and psychology at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy and the Department of Psychology. His research focuses on motivation, social judgment, problem solving and decision making. He teaches courses related to leadership and negotiations. Read full bio Amanda Crombie Senior Assistant Dean for Students and Academic Programs am3de@virginia.edu 434-243-9976 Garrett Hall L054 Amanda Crombie is the Batten School’s Senior Assistant Dean for Students and Academic Programs and is responsible for the operational aspects of our academic programming and overall student experience from matriculation and orientation through graduation. 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 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 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
Rick Campanelli Lecturer Rick Campanelli is a lecturer at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. Campanelli has an extensive career in public service and the private sector as well as experience in senior leadership and management. Campanelli has been legal counsel in the areas of healthcare, information privacy and security, and civil and First Amendment rights. He is the Center for Christian Study Director of Graduate Ministries for the Law and Darden Christian Fellowships. Read full bio
Anne Carter Mulligan Senior Director of Admissions acm8k@virginia.edu 434-982-0685 Garrett Hall 203 Anne Carter Mulligan joined Batten in January 2019 as Director of Undergraduate Admissions. She’s held multiple roles in higher education, most recently as Director of Strategic Initiatives in Enrollment Management at Longwood University, where she led projects designed to enrich the student experience and provide a seamless path from recruitment to graduation. Read full bio
Benjamin Castleman Associate Professor of Public Policy and Education castleman@virginia.edu Garrett Hall Ben Castleman is an associate professor of public policy and education at the University of Virginia. His research focuses on policies and strategies to improve postsecondary educational and workforce outcomes for individuals from lower-income and historically-marginalized communities. His current work focuses on innovations to increase economic mobility among lower-wage adults, including digital- and health-skills training programs; state-funded career and technical education; and competency-based education models for working adults. Read full bio
James Cathro Director of Finance and Business Services jrc2jc@virginia.edu 434-982-6761 James is the Director of Finance and Business Services at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. Read full bio
Jeff Chidester Executive Director of External Affairs jchidester@virginia.edu 434-982-0685 Garrett Hall 202 Jeff Chidester is the Executive Director of External Affairs, where he oversees admissions, strategic partnerships, communications and marketing, and the broader external affairs portfolio. Read full bio
Eileen Chou Associate Dean for Academic Affairs; Batten Family Bicentennial Teacher-Scholar Leadership Professor of Public Policy; Professor of Public Policy and Psychology eileen.chou@virginia.edu 434-982-4821 Garrett Hall Eileen Chou, associate dean for academic affairs and Batten Family Bicentennial Teacher-Scholar Leadership Professor of Public Policy at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, researches the organizational, social, and psychological forces that shape individual and group behavior in organizational settings. Read full bio
Pam Cipriano Professor of Nursing and Public Policy pfc4n@virginia.edu Pamela Cipriano is a professor of nursing and public policy at the Batten School. Cipriano served as dean of the UVA School of Nursing and the Sadie Heath Cabaniss Professor of Nursing through July 2022. Cipriano’s more than 40-year career in nursing is marked by a focus on improving the safety and efficiency of care by ensuring a healthy, safe, and supportive work environment and encouraging healthy behaviors to promote well-being. Read full bio
Michele Claibourn Director of Equitable Analysis, The Equity Center; Assistant Professor of Public Policy and Data Science mclaibourn@virginia.edu 434-924-3282 Equity Center & Garrett Hall Michele Claibourn is Director of Equitable Analysis for The Equity Center at UVA and an assistant professor of public policy and data science at the University of Virginia. Claibourn leads the Center’s community-engaged data science work in support of a more equitable and just region. She has directed or supervised multiple community-based research projects in the Charlottesville community, including racial equity studies for the City of Charlottesville, Albemarle County, and the Thomas Jefferson Area Coalition for the Homeless. Read full bio
Jonathan Colmer Associate Professor of Economics and Public Policy j.colmer@virginia.edu Jonathan Colmer is an associate professor of economics and public policy at the University of Virginiaand the Co-Founder and Director of the Environmental Inequality Lab. Colmer is an environmental economist who also works in the area of growth and development economics. His research combines data with insights from economic theory and environmental science to better understand how economic activity and the environment influence one another. Read full bio
Benjamin Converse Associate Professor of Public Policy and Psychology converse@virginia.edu 434-243-2885 Garrett Hall Benjamin Converse is an associate professor of public policy and psychology at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy and the Department of Psychology. His research focuses on motivation, social judgment, problem solving and decision making. He teaches courses related to leadership and negotiations. Read full bio
Amanda Crombie Senior Assistant Dean for Students and Academic Programs am3de@virginia.edu 434-243-9976 Garrett Hall L054 Amanda Crombie is the Batten School’s Senior Assistant Dean for Students and Academic Programs and is responsible for the operational aspects of our academic programming and overall student experience from matriculation and orientation through graduation. 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
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
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