The National Academy of Public Administration announced today that 42 leaders in the field of public administration have been elected to the 2025 Class of Academy Fellows. 

“It is an incredibly important time to be a public servant, and more critical than ever they lead by example, follow their oath of office and ensure we have a strong representative government that serves the people,” said James-Christian Blockwood, President & CEO of the National Academy of Public Administration. “The newly elected Academy Fellows joining as part of the 2025 Class have already had hugely impactful careers and will contribute to our ongoing mission to help achieve a more effective, efficient, accountable and transparent government.”

Induction of the new Fellows will occur during the Academy’s 2025 National Conference, which will take place November 2-4 at the National Academy of Sciences building, 2101 Constitution Ave. NW, in Washington, D.C. Fellows will attend a formal ceremony, and the conference will feature prominent Academy Fellows and other experts speaking on key national issues. The event is open to the public.

Selection of the Academy’s new Fellows follows a rigorous review of the individual’s contributions to the fields of public administration and policy. A Nominating Committee, selected by the Academy’s Board Chair, makes its recommendations to the full Fellowship, which then votes on those individuals nominated to be a Fellow. The individual must have a requisite number of votes before being elected. This year the Committee was co-chaired by Academy Fellows Kerry Neal and Naim Kapucu.

The 2025 Class joins more than 1,000 Academy Fellows, including former cabinet officers, members of Congress, governors, mayors and state legislators, as well as prominent scholars, business executives, nonprofit leaders, and public administrators.

Through its Fellows, staff and partners the Academy has played a major role in advancing the field of public administration and supporting government at the local, state and federal levels.

Below is the list of incoming Academy Fellows:

• GEOFF ABBOTT
  • Senior Faculty, Leadership & Organizational Effectiveness, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

• MICHAEL BARZELAY
  • Professor of Public Management, Department of Management, London School of Economics and Political Science

• SHAHJAHAN BHUIYAN
  • Professor of Public Administration & Associate Dean, School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, The American University in Cairo, Egypt

• CHRISTOPHER G. BOONE
  • Dean and C. Erwin and Ione L. Piper Chair, Sol Price School of Public Policy, University of Southern California

• MARLON I. BROWN
  • Director, Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs

• DIANA BURLEY
  • Senior Vice President of Research, The Brookings Institution

• JULIA CARBONI
  • Executive Director, William D. Ruckelshaus Center
  • Professor, Washington State University, School of Politics, Philosophy, and Public Affairs
  • Distinguished Scholar, University of Washington, Evans School of Public Policy and Governance

• YU-CHE CHEN
  • Director and Professor, School of Public Administration, College of Public Affairs and Community Service, University of Nebraska at Omaha
  • President-elect, Digital Government Society

• ROBERT CHRISTENSEN
  • George W. Romney Professor of Public and Nonprofit Leadership, Marriott School of Management, Brigham Young University

• KENNETH DIEFFENBACH
  • Executive Director, Pandemic Response Accountability Committee

• JOSHUA FRANZEL
  • Senior Executive and Director, Research and Data Analysis, National League of Cities

• J. RAMON GIL-GARCIA
  • Professor of Public Administration and Policy & Director of the Center for Technology in Government, University at Albany, State University of New York

• NEIL GIULIANO
  • President & CEO, Greater Phoenix Leadership
  • Former Mayor, Tempe, Arizona

• SUE GORDON
  • Director, Strategic Advisor, CACI International, Insight Partners

• MATT HART
  • Executive Director, Capitol Region Council of Governments

• MICHAEL HAYDEN
  • United States Air Force four-star general
  • Visiting Professor, Schar School of Policy and Government, George Mason University
  • Former Director, Central Intelligence Agency

• TANYA HEIKKILA
  • Professor, School of Public Affairs, University of Colorado Denver

• BRADLEY HEIM
  • Professor and Director, School of Public Administration, University of Central Florida

• VIRGINIA HUTH
  • President and Founder, Vanalytix LLC

• JAVIER E. INCLÁN
  • Assistant Inspector General for Management, Office of Inspector General, U.S. National Science Foundation

• SHIRLEY JONES
  • Managing Associate General Counsel, Office of General Counsel, U.S. Government Accountability Office

• KATY KALE
  • Former Deputy Administrator, U.S. General Services Administration

• GRAHAM KNAUS
  • Chief Executive Officer, California State Association of Counties

• ELIZABETH KOLMSTETTER
  • Former Chief People Officer, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency

• MATT LEIGHNINGER
  • Director, Center for Democracy Innovation, National Civic League

• CRAIG MAHER
  • Distinguished Professor, School of Public Administration, University of Nebraska Omaha

• DIANA MAURER
  • Director, Defense Capabilities and Management, U.S. Government Accountability Office

• JAMIE MORIN
  • Vice President of Defense Strategic Space and Executive Director of the Center for Space Policy and Strategy, The Aerospace Corporation
  • Former Director of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation, Department of Defense

• STEPHANIE MOULTON
  • Professor and Associate Dean for Faculty and Research, John Glenn College of Public Affairs, Ohio State University

• JANET NAPOLITANO
  • Former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security
  • Professor, Goldman School of Public Policy, University of California, Berkeley
  • Former Governor of Arizona

• JULIA NOVAK
  • Chief Executive Officer/Executive Director, International City/County Management Association

• BRYNT PARMETER
  • Professor of Practice and Phanstiel Chair in Leadership, Public Administration and International Affairs Department, Maxwell School, Syracuse University

• KSHEMENDRA PAUL
  • Former Information Sharing Governmentwide Lead, Federal Chief Architect, Chief Data Officer, and Assistant Inspector General 

• SUZANNE PIOTROWSKI
  • Professor, Director, School of Public Affairs and Administration, Transparency and Governance Center, Rutgers University

• SARA RINFRET
  • President-elect and Vice President, Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration
  • Director and Professor, Public Administration, Northern Arizona University

• SUE SCHWARTZ
  • President, American Planning Association
  • Planning Director, City of Greensboro

• ROBERT SHRIVER
  • Managing Director, Civil Service Strong and Good Government Initiatives, Democracy Forward

• BRYAN SLATER
  • Secretary of Labor, Commonwealth of Virginia

• CHARLES STEWART
  • Professor of Political Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Founder and Director, Election Data and Science Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

• CELESTE WATKINS-HAYES
  • Dean Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan

• KYLE WEDBERG
  • Senior Manager, Government Finance Officers Association

• ASIM ZIA
  • Professor of Public Policy and Computer Science, Department of Community Development and Applied Economics
  • Director, Institute for Environmental Diplomacy and Security
  • Co-Director, Social Ecological Gaming and Simulation Lab, University of Vermont

About the National Academy of Public Administration:

Chartered by Congress to provide nonpartisan expert advice, the Academy is an independent, non-profit, and non-partisan organization established in 1967 to assist government leaders in building more effective, efficient, accountable, and transparent organizations. Learn more at www.napawash.org

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