Resources Faculty & Staff Directory Faculty & Staff Directory A B C D E F G H L M N O P R S T W Z Facet Last Name - Directory Faculty Batten Advisory Board Board (-) Staff Facet Person Type - Directory Social Psychology Domestic Policy & Politics International and Global Affairs Leadership Facet Area of Focus - Directory National Security Policy Center Center for Effective Lawmaking Global Policy Center Social Innovation @ UVA Facet UVA Partner - Directory Budget & Finance National Security Policy Center Academic Affairs Information Technology Dean’s Office Development Global Policy Center Center for Effective Lawmaking External Affairs Social Innovation @ UVA Student & Alumni Services Facet Batten Department - Directory Colin Achilles Associate Director, Center for Effective Lawmaking cachilles@virginia.edu 434-243-7180 Colin Achilles is the Associate Director of the Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL), a joint partnership between the Batten School and Vanderbilt University. He is the manager of day-to-day operations at CEL. Read full bio Shawn Anderson Assistant Director of Student Services lla2av@virginia.edu Garrett Hall Shawn Anderson is the Batten School's Assistant Director of Student Services and is responsible for advising undergraduate and graduate students in their co-curricular and service-related endeavors, as well as organizing school-wide student programming. Anderson is currently working towards a doctorate in Higher Education Administration at the University of Virginia, where his key focus is student development. Read full bio Eliza Broaddus Assistant Director of Development ebroaddus@virginia.edu 434-924-7978 2420 Old Ivy Road, Advancement Office 258 Read full bio Allison Carter Faculty Communications Specialist alb3v@virginia.edu 434-924-7064 Garrett Hall Allison Carter is the Faculty Communications Specialist. Read full bio Anne Carter Mulligan Director of Undergraduate Admissions acm8k@virginia.edu 434-982-2583 Garrett Hall 106 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 James R Cathro Director of Finance and Administration jrc2jc@virginia.edu 434-982-6761 Read full bio Jeff Chidester Executive Director of External Affairs jchidester@virginia.edu 434-924-7330 Garrett Hall 107 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 Amanda Crombie Assistant Dean for Academic Programs am3de@virginia.edu 434-243-9976 Garrett Hall L054 Amanda Crombie is the Batten School’s Assistant Dean for Academic Programs and is responsible for academic advising, course scheduling and enrollment as well as curriculum management for the School. Read full bio Erin Durney Tor Director of Communications erin.tor@virginia.edu 434-243-8443 Erin Durney Tör is a strategic communications professional with experience leading high-impact communications and marketing teams in the public and private sectors. Read full bio Nikitha Edunuri Salesforce Application Manager ne2y@virginia.edu Read full bio Adam Felder Director of Data Analytics amf5ka@virginia.edu 434-243-1130 Garrett Hall L032 Read full bio George Foresman NSPC Executive Director & Senior Advisor gwf3n@virginia.edu George Foresman has over three decades of leadership experience in government and business. While serving as Virginia’s homeland security secretary, Foresman was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as undersecretary at the Department of Homeland Security. Read full bio Lyangela Gutierrez Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Postdoctoral Research Associate lyangela.gutierrez@virginia.edu Garrett Hall Read full bio Ben Hartless IT Manager bh4hb@virginia.edu (540) 460-7676 Garrett Hall L029 Read full bio Gerald Higginbotham Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Postdoctoral Research Associate ghigginbotham@virginia.edu Garrett Hall Read full bio Steve Hiss Director of Career Services and Alumni Engagement steven.hiss@virginia.edu 434-924-2456 Garrett Hall 203 A lifelong public servant, Steve’s interest in the Batten School not only stems from his own career in the public service, but also the former and current Batten students with whom he has worked in his position as the Commander of the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps at the University of Virginia. Read full bio Courtney Leistensnider Assistant Director of Admissions crl4sn@virginia.edu 434-243-2428 Garrett Hall 106 Courtney Leistensnider is the Assistant Director of Admissions, handling many admission operations at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, including planning recruitment events and prospective student visits. Read full bio Craig Lindqvist Associate Dean for Administration csl3g@virginia.edu (434) 243-7528 Craig Lindqvist serves as the Associate Dean for Administration at the Batten School where he oversees the school's business affairs, planning, finances, personnel, technology, facilities, and other non-academic functions. Read full bio Jennifer Ludovici NSPC Director of Operations and Research Initiatives jll4m@virginia.edu (804) 564-5021 Read full bio Brandy Marsh Senior Business Services Specialist bam5x@virginia.edu (434) 996-2643 Brandy Marsh is a Senior Business Services Specialist with the Frank Batten School. She joined Batten in 2020, bringing her administrative experience in various UVA and commercial roles to the team. Brandy specializes in all aspects of Workday financials and grant management. She's the proud parent of five awesome children and a lifelong resident of the Charlottesville area. Read full bio Naseemah Mohamed Postdoctoral Research Associate, Global Policy Center egu8ng@virginia.edu Garrett Hall Naseemah Mohamed is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy and the Global Policy Center at the University of Virginia. Her research is focused on the relationships amongst education, media, race, global politics, and violence in decolonial movements in Southern Africa in the 20th century. Read full bio Cindy H. Moore Business Services Manager chm3b@virginia.edu 434-982-2033 Read full bio Jennett V. Murphy Faculty Affairs Manager jennett.murphy@virginia.edu Garrett Hall L042 Read full bio Kristine Nelson Assistant Director of Undergraduate Academic Programs knelson@virginia.edu 434-924-9282 Garrett Hall L050 Read full bio Brendan Novak Associate Director of Social Innovation @ UVA bnovak@virginia.edu Garrett Hall L020B Read full bio Claire Oto NSPC Senior Policy Analyst wcv9qx@virginia.edu Claire Oto is a policy researcher and writer at the NSPC. She also coordinates the Center’s internship program. Prior to joining Batten, she was a communications specialist at the U.S. Department of Energy. Claire earned an M.P.P in Space and National Security from George Washington University and holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California San Diego. Read full bio Mark Outten Director of Information Technology and School Systems wmo4b@virginia.edu Garrett Hall L015 Mark was most recently the Director of Technology for the Orange County Public Schools in Orange, VA, has over 20 years of education-related technology leadership and management experience, worked in private industry for a Hewitt Associates, and is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force. He brings a wealth of strategic and practical education technology experience to Batten. Read full bio Jieun Pai Postdoctoral Research Associate jpai@virginia.edu Jieun Pai is a postdoctoral research associate at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia. Pai researches social hierarchy and conflict resolution to provide insight into how people can satisfy their need for status in teams and organizations harmoniously. Her work challenges the assumption that status conflict is a battle over rank with winners and losers. Read full bio Jay T. Pence Assistant Director of Facilities and Operations jpence@virginia.edu 434-982-1920 Garrett Hall L031 Read full bio John Robinson NSPC Director of Academic Programs djr6nf@virginia.edu John Robinson is the NSPC’s Director of Academic Programs. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses focused on national security, including Innovating for Defense, an experiential course that pairs student teams with sponsors from the Department of Defense (DoD) to solve real-world national security problems. His research interests include international security and naval affairs. John holds a Ph.D. in Politics from the University of Virginia, and a M.A. from the U.S. Naval War College. Read full bio Jill Rockwell Senior Assistant Dean for Student and Career Services jill.rockwell@virginia.edu 434-924-7950 Garrett Hall 204 Jill oversees the administrative units of student affairs, and career services, working with the other members of the student services team to strengthen students’ co-curricular and career-related experiences at the Batten School. Read full bio Charles J. Rush Senior Director, Finance and Administration cjr4f@virginia.edu 434-982-6561 Garrett Hall 202 Read full bio Tamera Shaw Social Psychology Lab Manager Read full bio Linda Sherck Associate Director of Development gjv5xh@virginia.edu 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 Katie Straight Assistant Director of Graduate Academic Programs kaw6f@virginia.edu 434.243.1357 Garrett Hall LO52 Katie Straight joined Batten following 15 years of diverse, cross-sector non-profit, international NGO, and consulting experience. Her previous work in global development and poverty reduction was largely focused on stakeholder management and communications, capacity development, strategic program design, and impact evaluation. Straight is passionate about supporting adult learning, strategic and sustainable organizational growth, and organization-wide leadership development. In concert with her role as Assistant Director of Graduate Academic Programs, Straight serves as an adjunct lecturer of global development policy at Batten. Read full bio Logan Stundal Postdoctoral Research Associate, Global Policy Center kbn9zk@virginia.edu Read full bio Kerra K. Thurston Executive Assistant to the Dean kaykay@virginia.edu 434-924-0828 Garrett Hall 200 Read full bio Laura Toscano Associate Director of Social Entrepreneurship lt2km@virginia.edu 434-243-3728 Garrett Hall L020B Read full bio Starrie Williamson Assistant Director of Web Design and Development starrie@virginia.edu 434.243.1759 Starrie Williamson is a native of the Mid-atlantic region of the United States and has worked at design agencies, educational software companies, and universities in Philadelphia, Washington D.C. and Charlottesville, VA. Read full bio Weishan Zhang Lab Manager and Research Assistant wszhang@virginia.edu Weishan works with SoBaD and JADE Labs in the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. She earned her Post-Baccalaureate in Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. Her research interests lie in social psychology and behavioral science. Read full bio
Colin Achilles Associate Director, Center for Effective Lawmaking cachilles@virginia.edu 434-243-7180 Colin Achilles is the Associate Director of the Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL), a joint partnership between the Batten School and Vanderbilt University. He is the manager of day-to-day operations at CEL. Read full bio
Shawn Anderson Assistant Director of Student Services lla2av@virginia.edu Garrett Hall Shawn Anderson is the Batten School's Assistant Director of Student Services and is responsible for advising undergraduate and graduate students in their co-curricular and service-related endeavors, as well as organizing school-wide student programming. Anderson is currently working towards a doctorate in Higher Education Administration at the University of Virginia, where his key focus is student development. Read full bio
Eliza Broaddus Assistant Director of Development ebroaddus@virginia.edu 434-924-7978 2420 Old Ivy Road, Advancement Office 258 Read full bio
Allison Carter Faculty Communications Specialist alb3v@virginia.edu 434-924-7064 Garrett Hall Allison Carter is the Faculty Communications Specialist. Read full bio
Anne Carter Mulligan Director of Undergraduate Admissions acm8k@virginia.edu 434-982-2583 Garrett Hall 106 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
Jeff Chidester Executive Director of External Affairs jchidester@virginia.edu 434-924-7330 Garrett Hall 107 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
Amanda Crombie Assistant Dean for Academic Programs am3de@virginia.edu 434-243-9976 Garrett Hall L054 Amanda Crombie is the Batten School’s Assistant Dean for Academic Programs and is responsible for academic advising, course scheduling and enrollment as well as curriculum management for the School. Read full bio
Erin Durney Tor Director of Communications erin.tor@virginia.edu 434-243-8443 Erin Durney Tör is a strategic communications professional with experience leading high-impact communications and marketing teams in the public and private sectors. Read full bio
Adam Felder Director of Data Analytics amf5ka@virginia.edu 434-243-1130 Garrett Hall L032 Read full bio
George Foresman NSPC Executive Director & Senior Advisor gwf3n@virginia.edu George Foresman has over three decades of leadership experience in government and business. While serving as Virginia’s homeland security secretary, Foresman was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as undersecretary at the Department of Homeland Security. Read full bio
Lyangela Gutierrez Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Postdoctoral Research Associate lyangela.gutierrez@virginia.edu Garrett Hall Read full bio
Gerald Higginbotham Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Postdoctoral Research Associate ghigginbotham@virginia.edu Garrett Hall Read full bio
Steve Hiss Director of Career Services and Alumni Engagement steven.hiss@virginia.edu 434-924-2456 Garrett Hall 203 A lifelong public servant, Steve’s interest in the Batten School not only stems from his own career in the public service, but also the former and current Batten students with whom he has worked in his position as the Commander of the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps at the University of Virginia. Read full bio
Courtney Leistensnider Assistant Director of Admissions crl4sn@virginia.edu 434-243-2428 Garrett Hall 106 Courtney Leistensnider is the Assistant Director of Admissions, handling many admission operations at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, including planning recruitment events and prospective student visits. Read full bio
Craig Lindqvist Associate Dean for Administration csl3g@virginia.edu (434) 243-7528 Craig Lindqvist serves as the Associate Dean for Administration at the Batten School where he oversees the school's business affairs, planning, finances, personnel, technology, facilities, and other non-academic functions. Read full bio
Jennifer Ludovici NSPC Director of Operations and Research Initiatives jll4m@virginia.edu (804) 564-5021 Read full bio
Brandy Marsh Senior Business Services Specialist bam5x@virginia.edu (434) 996-2643 Brandy Marsh is a Senior Business Services Specialist with the Frank Batten School. She joined Batten in 2020, bringing her administrative experience in various UVA and commercial roles to the team. Brandy specializes in all aspects of Workday financials and grant management. She's the proud parent of five awesome children and a lifelong resident of the Charlottesville area. Read full bio
Naseemah Mohamed Postdoctoral Research Associate, Global Policy Center egu8ng@virginia.edu Garrett Hall Naseemah Mohamed is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy and the Global Policy Center at the University of Virginia. Her research is focused on the relationships amongst education, media, race, global politics, and violence in decolonial movements in Southern Africa in the 20th century. Read full bio
Jennett V. Murphy Faculty Affairs Manager jennett.murphy@virginia.edu Garrett Hall L042 Read full bio
Kristine Nelson Assistant Director of Undergraduate Academic Programs knelson@virginia.edu 434-924-9282 Garrett Hall L050 Read full bio
Brendan Novak Associate Director of Social Innovation @ UVA bnovak@virginia.edu Garrett Hall L020B Read full bio
Claire Oto NSPC Senior Policy Analyst wcv9qx@virginia.edu Claire Oto is a policy researcher and writer at the NSPC. She also coordinates the Center’s internship program. Prior to joining Batten, she was a communications specialist at the U.S. Department of Energy. Claire earned an M.P.P in Space and National Security from George Washington University and holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California San Diego. Read full bio
Mark Outten Director of Information Technology and School Systems wmo4b@virginia.edu Garrett Hall L015 Mark was most recently the Director of Technology for the Orange County Public Schools in Orange, VA, has over 20 years of education-related technology leadership and management experience, worked in private industry for a Hewitt Associates, and is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force. He brings a wealth of strategic and practical education technology experience to Batten. Read full bio
Jieun Pai Postdoctoral Research Associate jpai@virginia.edu Jieun Pai is a postdoctoral research associate at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia. Pai researches social hierarchy and conflict resolution to provide insight into how people can satisfy their need for status in teams and organizations harmoniously. Her work challenges the assumption that status conflict is a battle over rank with winners and losers. Read full bio
Jay T. Pence Assistant Director of Facilities and Operations jpence@virginia.edu 434-982-1920 Garrett Hall L031 Read full bio
John Robinson NSPC Director of Academic Programs djr6nf@virginia.edu John Robinson is the NSPC’s Director of Academic Programs. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses focused on national security, including Innovating for Defense, an experiential course that pairs student teams with sponsors from the Department of Defense (DoD) to solve real-world national security problems. His research interests include international security and naval affairs. John holds a Ph.D. in Politics from the University of Virginia, and a M.A. from the U.S. Naval War College. Read full bio
Jill Rockwell Senior Assistant Dean for Student and Career Services jill.rockwell@virginia.edu 434-924-7950 Garrett Hall 204 Jill oversees the administrative units of student affairs, and career services, working with the other members of the student services team to strengthen students’ co-curricular and career-related experiences at the Batten School. Read full bio
Charles J. Rush Senior Director, Finance and Administration cjr4f@virginia.edu 434-982-6561 Garrett Hall 202 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
Katie Straight Assistant Director of Graduate Academic Programs kaw6f@virginia.edu 434.243.1357 Garrett Hall LO52 Katie Straight joined Batten following 15 years of diverse, cross-sector non-profit, international NGO, and consulting experience. Her previous work in global development and poverty reduction was largely focused on stakeholder management and communications, capacity development, strategic program design, and impact evaluation. Straight is passionate about supporting adult learning, strategic and sustainable organizational growth, and organization-wide leadership development. In concert with her role as Assistant Director of Graduate Academic Programs, Straight serves as an adjunct lecturer of global development policy at Batten. Read full bio
Logan Stundal Postdoctoral Research Associate, Global Policy Center kbn9zk@virginia.edu Read full bio
Kerra K. Thurston Executive Assistant to the Dean kaykay@virginia.edu 434-924-0828 Garrett Hall 200 Read full bio
Laura Toscano Associate Director of Social Entrepreneurship lt2km@virginia.edu 434-243-3728 Garrett Hall L020B Read full bio
Starrie Williamson Assistant Director of Web Design and Development starrie@virginia.edu 434.243.1759 Starrie Williamson is a native of the Mid-atlantic region of the United States and has worked at design agencies, educational software companies, and universities in Philadelphia, Washington D.C. and Charlottesville, VA. Read full bio
Weishan Zhang Lab Manager and Research Assistant wszhang@virginia.edu Weishan works with SoBaD and JADE Labs in the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. She earned her Post-Baccalaureate in Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. Her research interests lie in social psychology and behavioral science. Read full bio