Dr. Sara Rinfret

Dr. Rinfret is currently the President for NASPAA, and a Professor of Public Administration at NAU, directing the MPA program. With almost two decades of higher education administrative experience, she has served in a variety of roles (Acting Dean, Associate Vice Provost, Associate Dean, Department Chair, and MPA Director). Rinfret is a nationally recognized scholar in regulatory policy, environmental policy, women and public policy, the scholarship of teaching and learning, and public administration. To date, she has published 10 books, and more than 40 peer-reviewed articles, and several book chapters. She was a Fulbright Specialist in public administration and studied with scholars at the University of Aarhus (Denmark, 2016). She’s an award-winning teacher, served on the Executive Council for NASPAA, and regularly conducts site visits for accreditation and university program reviews. She holds an MPA from the John Glenn College of Public Affairs (Ohio State) and a PhD in political science from Northern Arizona University.