Michele Claibourn is an assistant professor of public policy at the Batten School and Director of Equitable Analysis for The Equity Center at UVA.  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.

Emily Barksdale is a 2021 MPP graduate, justice advocate, and former educator who currently resides in Richmond, Virginia. A native West Virginian, Barksdale spent 7 years teaching middle school in Dallas, TX after graduating with high honors from Furman University in 2012. She began working as a Budget and Policy Analyst for the Virginia Department of Planning and Budget in fall 2021. In her free time, she enjoys reading, traveling, karaoke, and spending time outside.

Brendan Boler is an 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. 

Kimberly Jenkins Robinson is a professor of law, education and public policy at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. Robinson is a national expert who speaks domestically and internationally about educational equity, equal educational opportunity, civil rights and the federal role in education. Her work proposes innovative legal and policy solutions to ensure that all children receive equal access to an excellent education.

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.

Sarah Alexander is the Energy and Coastal Policy Advisor to Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. of Louisiana. Previously, Sarah served as a Professional Staff Member for the House Energy and Commerce Committee supporting the Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Materials Subcommittee and the Energy, Climate, and Grid Security Subcommittee. Prior to the Hill, Sarah worked as a Director at Mindset, a bipartisan advocacy and advisory firm in Washington, DC. Sarah joined the BAAB in 2021 to reengage with the Batten School and strengthen the connection between Batten alumni and current Batten students. She strongly believes in the importance of career support, alumni networking, and philanthropic endeavors and is thrilled to serve as Vice Chair this year. Sarah graduated from UVA in 2019 with a BA in Public Policy and Leadership from Batten and a minor in French. While at UVA, Sarah danced as a professional trainee with the Charlottesville Ballet, and she still takes ballet classes several days per week with the Washington Ballet. 

Daniel Sater (MPP ‘12) is a higher education policy analyst for the University of North Carolina System Office. He previously served as a senior fiscal analyst in the non-partisan Fiscal Research Division of the North Carolina General Assembly. As a board member he plans to focus on developing networks to provide job opportunities to current students and alumni. He was the first Batten alum hired by his current and previous employers and has helped multiple Batten alums launch their careers in North Carolina.

Brian Siegel is a Principal in Deloitte Consulting's Government and Public Services practice, with more than 25 years of public sector consulting experience focusing on a variety of strategy and management issues, including financial management, procurement, technology, and shared services. 

Kenneth Redd has been the senior policy director at the National Association of College and University Business Officers since 2008. Previously, he worked on the Council of Graduate Schools and was the Director of Research and Policy Analysis for the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators.

Irma Palmer has more than a decade of experience working at the intersection of policy, politics and communications. Most recently, she was then-U.S. Senator Kamala Harris’s speechwriter, and previously her roles included Director of Constituent Services and Traveling Press Secretary for then-Governor of Virginia Terry McAuliffe.