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 Staff Faculty Facet Person Type - Directory Leadership Social Equity Economics Education Environmental Policy Health Policy Racial Justice and Equity Social Entrepreneurship Social Psychology Facet Area of Focus - Directory Darden School of Business Department of Economics Department of Psychology McIntire School of Commerce School of Education and Human Development Facet UVA Partner - Directory Budget & Finance Development Information Technology Facet Batten Department - Directory Nikitha Edunuri Salesforce Application Manager ne2y@virginia.edu Read full bio Emily Edwards Admissions Fellow vuu2at@virginia.edu 434-982-0685 Originally from Georgia, Admissions Fellow Emily Edwards is a 2024 graduate from Furman University. Read full bio Nick Elacqua Lab Manager, APPLE and SCABL Labs gjs3ux@virginia.edu Nick Elacqua is the Lab Manager for the Applied Public Policy and Leadership Experiments (APPLE) Lab and the Social Cognition and Behavior Lab (SCABL) in the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia. Read full bio Essence Ellis Academic Operations Manager ptg4rg@virginia.edu Essence Ellis joined the Batten School in 2024 as the Academic Operations Manager. Essence supports students and faculty by maintaining academic records and providing general programmatic assistance. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from Randolph-Macon College and completed her Master of Divinity at Yale Divinity School. A native of Charlottesville, she enjoys spending time with her loved ones and traveling when possible. Read full bio Bevin Etienne Assistant Professor of Commerce and Public Policy bevin@virginia.edu Bevin Etienne is assistant professor of commerce and public policy at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia. Etienne has extensive teaching and course development experience in the areas of sustainability, entrepreneurship, energy, and engineering design. He emphasizes the importance of capacity building in promoting sustainability and social entrepreneurship in developing countries as well as the role of open source in innovation and entrepreneurship. 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
Emily Edwards Admissions Fellow vuu2at@virginia.edu 434-982-0685 Originally from Georgia, Admissions Fellow Emily Edwards is a 2024 graduate from Furman University. Read full bio
Nick Elacqua Lab Manager, APPLE and SCABL Labs gjs3ux@virginia.edu Nick Elacqua is the Lab Manager for the Applied Public Policy and Leadership Experiments (APPLE) Lab and the Social Cognition and Behavior Lab (SCABL) in the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia. Read full bio
Essence Ellis Academic Operations Manager ptg4rg@virginia.edu Essence Ellis joined the Batten School in 2024 as the Academic Operations Manager. Essence supports students and faculty by maintaining academic records and providing general programmatic assistance. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from Randolph-Macon College and completed her Master of Divinity at Yale Divinity School. A native of Charlottesville, she enjoys spending time with her loved ones and traveling when possible. Read full bio
Bevin Etienne Assistant Professor of Commerce and Public Policy bevin@virginia.edu Bevin Etienne is assistant professor of commerce and public policy at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia. Etienne has extensive teaching and course development experience in the areas of sustainability, entrepreneurship, energy, and engineering design. He emphasizes the importance of capacity building in promoting sustainability and social entrepreneurship in developing countries as well as the role of open source in innovation and entrepreneurship. 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