WASHINGTON, D.C. – 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
Adjunct Professor, University of Connecticut School of Public Policy
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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