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 Political Science Economics Domestic Policy & Politics Leadership National Security Education Environmental Policy Executive Education International and Global Affairs Social Psychology Virginia Politics & Policy Facet Area of Focus - Directory Department of Politics Department of Economics School of Education and Human Development Miller Center National Security Policy Center School of Nursing UVA Humanitarian Collaborative Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service Facet UVA Partner - Directory Dean’s Office National Security Policy Center UVA Humanitarian Collaborative Facet Batten Department - Directory Jay T. Pence Assistant Director of Facilities and Operations jpence@virginia.edu 434-982-1920 Jay Pence is the Assistant Director of Facilities and Operations at the Batten School, where he manages the execution and planning of the school's event portfolio, facility and space planning, and day-to-day operations. Prior to his current role Jay has worked in various roles related to student services, campus recreation and law enforcement. Read full bio Andrew S. Pennock Associate Professor of Public Policy andrew.pennock@virginia.edu 434-243-1128 Andy Pennock is an associate professor of public policy at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. He serves UVA as the faculty director of Batten’s MPP orientation program, on Batten’s curriculum committee, and as an elected member of the Executive Council of the Faculty Senate. Pennock’s academic research examines public policy in the global economy as well as the scholarship of teaching and learning Read full bio John Pepper Professor of Economics and Public Policy jvp3m@virginia.edu 434-924-3402 252 Monroe Hall John V. Pepper is a professor of economics and public policy at the Batten School and a professor of economics in the Department of Economics at the University of Virginia. His work examines identification problems that arise when evaluating a wide range of public policy questions including such subjects as health and disability programs, welfare policies (e.g., SNAP), and drug and crime policies. Read full bio Daniel W. Player Associate Professor of Public Policy dwp2g@virginia.edu 434-243-0904 Garrett Hall L046 Dan Player is an associate professor of public policy at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. His research focuses on issues in education policy. His work has examined questions such as how teacher ability is recognized and rewarded in schools, whether teacher performance predicts turnover, and how teachers respond to working conditions. Read full bio Nicolo Porto CAPS Therapist cqk8gh@virginia.edu 434-243-5150 Garrett Hall, L005 Nicolo Porto is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. He graduated from Marquette University in 2014 with a B.A. in Psychology and Sociology. Read full bio Philip Potter Professor of Politics and Public Policy; Founding Director of the National Security Policy Center pbp2s@virginia.edu S183 Gibson Hall and NSPC, 134 10th St NW Philip Potter is a professor of politics and Founding Director of the National Security Policy Center at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia. He is also a University Expert with the National Ground Intelligence Center, US Army INSCOM. He has served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Politics and the Journal of Global Security Studies and is an Associate Principal Investigator for Time-Sharing Experiments in the Social Sciences (TESS). Read full bio James Savage Professor of Politics and Public Policy jds2y@virginia.edu (434) 924-3750 Gibson S483 James D. Savage is a professor of politics and public policy at the Batten School and a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. His research and teaching focus on comparative budgetary, fiscal, and macroeconomic policy, with an emphasis on the United States, the European Union, Iraq and Japan. He is particularly interested in the development of macrobudgetary rules, procedures, and institutions in these countries, and how they influence fiscal outcomes. Read full bio Abigail Scholer Batten Family Bicentennial Distinguished Leadership Professor of Public Policy hyf6dz@virginia.edu Garrett Hall 107 As of Fall 2023, Abigail Scholer is Batten Family Bicentennial Distinguished Leadership Professor of Public Policy at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia. Broadly, she researches the dynamic, complex, and often confounding world of human motivation and self-regulation: What makes us reach for the stars, huddle in a corner, get out of bed, help others, break our diets, save for retirement, follow rules, and color outside the lines? Scholer studies fundamental and basic processes related to goal pursuit, decision-making, social regulation, motivated social cognition, and behavior change, with an aim for understanding how these basic processes can be leveraged to address societal challenges and improve people’s lives. Read full bio Beth Schueler Assistant Professor of Education and Public Policy beth_schueler@virginia.edu Ruffner Hall 268 Beth Schueler is an assistant professor of education and public policy at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. Schueler studies education policy, politics, and inequality with a focus on efforts to improve low-performing K-12 schools and districts. Read full bio Todd S. Sechser Professor of Politics and Public Policy tsechser@virginia.edu S182 Gibson Hall Todd S. Sechser is a professor of politics and public policy at the Batten School and the Pamela Feinour Edmonds and Franklin S. Edmonds Jr. Discovery Professor of Politics at the University of Virginia. Sechser is also a Senior Fellow at UVA's Miller Center. His research interests include coercive diplomacy, emerging technologies, nuclear security and political violence Read full bio Lauren Shepherd Chief of Staff to the Dean lds8n@virginia.edu Lauren Shepherd joined Batten in 2022, coming from Teach For America where she served as Managing Director, Chief of Staff to the Vice President of Executive Director Learning. Prior to that, she served as the Chief of Staff to the TFA Bay Area Executive Director and as Managing Director of Teacher Onboarding Strategy. Originally trained as a journalist, she has professional experience as a writer and reporter as well as many years involved in strategic and operational planning, project management, partnerships, and talent development. Read full bio Jay Shimshack Professor of Public Policy and Economics jay.shimshack@virginia.edu 434-243-7318 Jay Shimshack is a professor of public policy and economics at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. Shimshack's research focuses on environmental regulation, environmental economics, corporate social behavior, and applied microeconomics for public policy. Read full bio William Shobe Research Professor of Public Policy; Director, Center for Economic and Policy Studies, Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service shobe@virginia.edu 434-982-5376 William Shobe is research professor of public policy at the Batten School and the Director of the Center for Economic and Policy Studies at UVA’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service. Shobe's current research includes emission market and auction design, environmental federalism, improved economic modeling of Virginia’s economy, state economic development incentives and state economic forecasting. Read full bio Shelly Smith Associate Professor of Nursing and Public Policy srp5k@virginia.edu (434) 924-1268 McLeod 4055 Shelly Porter Smith is an associate professor of nursing and public policy at Batten. Prior to her appointment at UVA, Smith mentored faculty scholars in legislative advocacy, proposal and grant writing, and authoring policy briefs and white paper as a Translational Research Fellow in Residence at VCU in addition to serving as director of nursing graduate programs. Smith is a long-time preceptor to UVA nurse practitioner master's students, and part of the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority’s nursing preceptor incentive program work group. Read full bio Ian H. Solomon Dean and Professor of Practice of Public Policy Garrett Hall 200 Ian H. Solomon is dean of the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, where he leads a multidisciplinary faculty in creating new knowledge and developing leaders who can solve humanity’s greatest policy challenges. Trained as a lawyer, Solomon is a devoted student and teacher of both negotiation and conflict resolution. Read full bio Allan Stam University Professor of Public Policy and Politics stam@virginia.edu 434-924-0828 Allan C. Stam is a University Professor of public policy and politics at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. His research focuses on the dynamics of armed conflict between and within states. Stam has also worked on several survey-based projects including surveys conducted in Russia, Rwanda, India and the United States. Read full bio Logan Stundal Postdoctoral Research Associate, UVA Humanitarian Collaborative kbn9zk@virginia.edu Logan Stundal is a postdoctoral research fellow at the UVA Humanitarian Collaborative at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia. His research focuses on political violence, armed conflict, and the intersection of public health and conflict including the spread of disease in war zones. Read full bio
Jay T. Pence Assistant Director of Facilities and Operations jpence@virginia.edu 434-982-1920 Jay Pence is the Assistant Director of Facilities and Operations at the Batten School, where he manages the execution and planning of the school's event portfolio, facility and space planning, and day-to-day operations. Prior to his current role Jay has worked in various roles related to student services, campus recreation and law enforcement. Read full bio
Andrew S. Pennock Associate Professor of Public Policy andrew.pennock@virginia.edu 434-243-1128 Andy Pennock is an associate professor of public policy at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. He serves UVA as the faculty director of Batten’s MPP orientation program, on Batten’s curriculum committee, and as an elected member of the Executive Council of the Faculty Senate. Pennock’s academic research examines public policy in the global economy as well as the scholarship of teaching and learning Read full bio
John Pepper Professor of Economics and Public Policy jvp3m@virginia.edu 434-924-3402 252 Monroe Hall John V. Pepper is a professor of economics and public policy at the Batten School and a professor of economics in the Department of Economics at the University of Virginia. His work examines identification problems that arise when evaluating a wide range of public policy questions including such subjects as health and disability programs, welfare policies (e.g., SNAP), and drug and crime policies. Read full bio
Daniel W. Player Associate Professor of Public Policy dwp2g@virginia.edu 434-243-0904 Garrett Hall L046 Dan Player is an associate professor of public policy at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. His research focuses on issues in education policy. His work has examined questions such as how teacher ability is recognized and rewarded in schools, whether teacher performance predicts turnover, and how teachers respond to working conditions. Read full bio
Nicolo Porto CAPS Therapist cqk8gh@virginia.edu 434-243-5150 Garrett Hall, L005 Nicolo Porto is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. He graduated from Marquette University in 2014 with a B.A. in Psychology and Sociology. Read full bio
Philip Potter Professor of Politics and Public Policy; Founding Director of the National Security Policy Center pbp2s@virginia.edu S183 Gibson Hall and NSPC, 134 10th St NW Philip Potter is a professor of politics and Founding Director of the National Security Policy Center at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia. He is also a University Expert with the National Ground Intelligence Center, US Army INSCOM. He has served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Politics and the Journal of Global Security Studies and is an Associate Principal Investigator for Time-Sharing Experiments in the Social Sciences (TESS). Read full bio
James Savage Professor of Politics and Public Policy jds2y@virginia.edu (434) 924-3750 Gibson S483 James D. Savage is a professor of politics and public policy at the Batten School and a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. His research and teaching focus on comparative budgetary, fiscal, and macroeconomic policy, with an emphasis on the United States, the European Union, Iraq and Japan. He is particularly interested in the development of macrobudgetary rules, procedures, and institutions in these countries, and how they influence fiscal outcomes. Read full bio
Abigail Scholer Batten Family Bicentennial Distinguished Leadership Professor of Public Policy hyf6dz@virginia.edu Garrett Hall 107 As of Fall 2023, Abigail Scholer is Batten Family Bicentennial Distinguished Leadership Professor of Public Policy at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia. Broadly, she researches the dynamic, complex, and often confounding world of human motivation and self-regulation: What makes us reach for the stars, huddle in a corner, get out of bed, help others, break our diets, save for retirement, follow rules, and color outside the lines? Scholer studies fundamental and basic processes related to goal pursuit, decision-making, social regulation, motivated social cognition, and behavior change, with an aim for understanding how these basic processes can be leveraged to address societal challenges and improve people’s lives. Read full bio
Beth Schueler Assistant Professor of Education and Public Policy beth_schueler@virginia.edu Ruffner Hall 268 Beth Schueler is an assistant professor of education and public policy at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. Schueler studies education policy, politics, and inequality with a focus on efforts to improve low-performing K-12 schools and districts. Read full bio
Todd S. Sechser Professor of Politics and Public Policy tsechser@virginia.edu S182 Gibson Hall Todd S. Sechser is a professor of politics and public policy at the Batten School and the Pamela Feinour Edmonds and Franklin S. Edmonds Jr. Discovery Professor of Politics at the University of Virginia. Sechser is also a Senior Fellow at UVA's Miller Center. His research interests include coercive diplomacy, emerging technologies, nuclear security and political violence Read full bio
Lauren Shepherd Chief of Staff to the Dean lds8n@virginia.edu Lauren Shepherd joined Batten in 2022, coming from Teach For America where she served as Managing Director, Chief of Staff to the Vice President of Executive Director Learning. Prior to that, she served as the Chief of Staff to the TFA Bay Area Executive Director and as Managing Director of Teacher Onboarding Strategy. Originally trained as a journalist, she has professional experience as a writer and reporter as well as many years involved in strategic and operational planning, project management, partnerships, and talent development. Read full bio
Jay Shimshack Professor of Public Policy and Economics jay.shimshack@virginia.edu 434-243-7318 Jay Shimshack is a professor of public policy and economics at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. Shimshack's research focuses on environmental regulation, environmental economics, corporate social behavior, and applied microeconomics for public policy. Read full bio
William Shobe Research Professor of Public Policy; Director, Center for Economic and Policy Studies, Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service shobe@virginia.edu 434-982-5376 William Shobe is research professor of public policy at the Batten School and the Director of the Center for Economic and Policy Studies at UVA’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service. Shobe's current research includes emission market and auction design, environmental federalism, improved economic modeling of Virginia’s economy, state economic development incentives and state economic forecasting. Read full bio
Shelly Smith Associate Professor of Nursing and Public Policy srp5k@virginia.edu (434) 924-1268 McLeod 4055 Shelly Porter Smith is an associate professor of nursing and public policy at Batten. Prior to her appointment at UVA, Smith mentored faculty scholars in legislative advocacy, proposal and grant writing, and authoring policy briefs and white paper as a Translational Research Fellow in Residence at VCU in addition to serving as director of nursing graduate programs. Smith is a long-time preceptor to UVA nurse practitioner master's students, and part of the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority’s nursing preceptor incentive program work group. Read full bio
Ian H. Solomon Dean and Professor of Practice of Public Policy Garrett Hall 200 Ian H. Solomon is dean of the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, where he leads a multidisciplinary faculty in creating new knowledge and developing leaders who can solve humanity’s greatest policy challenges. Trained as a lawyer, Solomon is a devoted student and teacher of both negotiation and conflict resolution. Read full bio
Allan Stam University Professor of Public Policy and Politics stam@virginia.edu 434-924-0828 Allan C. Stam is a University Professor of public policy and politics at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. His research focuses on the dynamics of armed conflict between and within states. Stam has also worked on several survey-based projects including surveys conducted in Russia, Rwanda, India and the United States. Read full bio
Logan Stundal Postdoctoral Research Associate, UVA Humanitarian Collaborative kbn9zk@virginia.edu Logan Stundal is a postdoctoral research fellow at the UVA Humanitarian Collaborative at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia. His research focuses on political violence, armed conflict, and the intersection of public health and conflict including the spread of disease in war zones. Read full bio