World-Class Faculty
Our students learn from and collaborate with our world-class faculty, whose professional engagements and scholarship spans public administration, management, policy, and human services. They are inspiring mentors, and their expertise and research play a vital role in public policy and program development, both locally and globally.

Junfeng Wang, Ph.D
School of Public Management & Policy Director
Associate Professor & Director of the School of Public Management & Policy
Areas of Interest: Environmental policies, Nonprofit leadership, and MPA education
Tenured and Tenure-track Faculty

Bob Blankenberger, Ph.D.
Professor
Areas of Interest: Public Policy, Higher Education, & Program Implementation

Beverly Bunch, Ph.D.
Professor
Areas of Interest: Capital Financing, Intergovernmental Fiscal Relations, & State & Local Government budgeting

B.J. Fletcher
Assistant Professor
Areas of interest: Public policy, food policy and food systems, phenomenology, Social Constructionism, Social Construction of Target Populations Theory, urban policy, smart cities, sustainability policy, science and technology policy, AI in the public sector, public policy analysis, program evaluation, and administrative ethics.

Richard Funderburg, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Areas of Interest: State & Local Economic
Development Policy, Community Planning

Youngjin Kang, Ph.D.
Associate Professor & HMS Academic Lead
Areas of Interest: Child and Family Studies

Arwi Kriz, D.P.A.
Associate Professor
Areas of Interest: Public Budgeting & Finance, Fiscal Policy & Economic Growth, Government Efficiency Measurement

Gary Reinbold, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Areas of Interest: U.S. Social Policy & International Poverty & Development

Matthew Sprong, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor and & DPA Program Lead
Areas of Interest: Substance Abuse Disorders

Suyang Yu Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Areas of Interest: disaster response, public organizations’ adaptation to climate change.
Affiliated Faculty

J. Travis Bland, Ph.D.
Interim Dean, College of Health, Science, & Technology
Areas of Interest: Public Management, Ethics, & Organizational Health & Design

Ty Dooley, Ph.D.
Interim Dean, College of Public Administration & Education
Areas of Interest: Social Justice, Program Evaluation, Housing Policy, Policing and Community Development
with a focus on the impact of public policy on marginalized population

Kenneth Kriz, Ph.D.
Interim Vice Chancellor Finance and Administration
Areas of Interest: Subnational Debt, Economic & Revenue Forecasting, & Behavioral Public Finance
Emeritus Status

Will Miller, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus
Areas of Interest: Public Policy, Desegregation, Citizen Participation

Denise Bockmier-Sommers, Ed.D.
Professor Emerita
Areas of Interest: Supervisory Competencies, Organizational Diversity
Betsy Goulet, DPA
Clinical Assistant Professor Emerita
Area of interest: Child protection training