Associate Director for the Center for Social Innovation in the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia. She earned her B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Data Science from the University of Virginia. 

Regina Ford is the Business Services Specialist for the Batten School and supports multiple areas of our Finance and Business Servcies team.  She has extensive knowledge and experience as a fitness professional in health and wellness ranging from management to multi-faceted trainer and instructor. She also has more than 17 years of experience in the trade show industry. 

She earned her bachelor's degree in social work from Shippensburg University with a minor in psychology and art.

Nadirah joined the Batten School in 2024 as our Marketing/Communications Project Manager. A George Mason University graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in English, she brings years of experience crafting compelling narratives across digital, print and social platforms.

As assistant director of events and operations, Sean Michael supports the Batten School’s mission by ensuring the efficient planning and execution of key events and daily operations. Before joining Batten, he was assistant technical director at the Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Va., and previously toured nationally as an actor and deck manager, coordinating performances and technical operations in over 100 venues across 36 states, Toronto and off-Broadway.

John Robinson manages photo and video content for the Batten School. He brings 15 years of professional photo and video experience from projects all over the world, including eight years working with Batten as a contractor. John has a passion for visual storytelling and collaborating with wonderful people.

Kara Ross is the Research Lab Coordinator at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, where she manages day-to-day operations in the School's behavioral and experimental research lab and supports multiple faculty members with their research needs.

Phuong Le is a postdoctoral researcher at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. She studies the psychology of how people motivate themselves and others to obtain valued long-term goals. 

Hu Young Jeong is a postdoctoral fellow at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. Utilizing both quantitative and qualitative methodologies, he researches how individuals who have experienced collective violence make sense of their experiences and how these interpretations affect intergroup relations, conflict escalation, and resolution in global contexts.

Jon joins the Batten School from the Virginia Athletics Foundation where he has served for two years, most recently as Director of Major Gifts.

Originally from Georgia, Admissions Fellow Emily Edwards is a 2024 graduate from Furman University.