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Faculty & Associates

CORE FACULTY

Max Stephenson
Director

MAX STEPHENSON, JR. (Abbreviated CV) (Full CV)

Research Areas:

  • Nonprofit/NGO governance, leadership, management & civil society
  • Public policy & policy theory
  • Peacebuilding, international development & democratization
  • Environmental politics, policy & planning

Areas of Expertise:

  • Economic & Community Development
  • Democracy & Civil Society
  • Disaster Governance
  • Governance and Public Management
  • International Economy & Development
  • Public and Social Policy
  • Social & Political Theory
  • Urban & Rural Policy and Planning
Mary Beth Dunkenberger
Deputy Director

MARY BETH DUNKENBERGER (CV)

Research Areas:

  • Connections between social programs, economic & community development
  • Organizational & program assessments
  • Policy & program innovations
Melony Price-Rhodes
Senior Program Director

MELONY PRICE-RHODES (Retired) (Photography Collection) (CV)

Research Areas:

  • Child welfare, revenue maximization, foster care and child protective services
  • Federal, state, and local policies and regulations affecting select areas of child welfare
  • Interagency Collaboration
  • Contracting
  • Interagency Public Policy
  • Organizational Development
  • Capacity Building
  • Program Assessments and Evaluation
  • Data and Project Management

Areas of Expertise:

  • Governance and Public Management
  • Health & Health Policy
  • Local and State Governance  
  • Organizational Theory & Development  
  • Public and Social Policy  
David Moore
Associate Director for Strategic Partnerships

DAVID MOORE (CV)

Research Areas:

  • Nonprofit/NGO governance, leadership, management and civil society
  • Public policy & policy theory
  • Early childhood & workforce development
  • Organizational development & capacity building

Areas of Expertise:

  • Economic & Community Development
  • Democracy & Civil Society
  • Governance and Public Management
Elizabeth Allen
Senior Program Research Associate and Data Specialist

ELIZABETH ALLEN (CV)

Research Areas:

  • Data and project management, analytics and program evaluation
  • Assist with budgeting and tracking/reporting of sponsored research activity
  • Assist with sponsored research proposals and project activities

Areas of Expertise:

  • Economic & Community Development    
  • Governance and Public Management
  • Health & Health Policy    
  • Housing
  • Public and Social Policy
Lara Nagle
Community-Based Research Manager

LARA NAGLE (CV)

Research Areas:

  • Mixed methods program and project evaluation
  • Cross-sectoral partnerships and social capacity building
  • Sustainable and resilient communities

Areas of Expertise:

  • Economic & Community Development
  • Democracy & Civil Society
  • Environment & Sustainability
  • Urban & Rural Policy and Planning  
Laura York
Research Associate

LAURA YORK (CV)

Research Areas:

  • Community Health & Program Development
  • Substance Use Disorder in the Geriatric Community
  • Brain Health in the Geriatric Community

RESEARCH ASSOCIATES

Andrea Briceno Mosquera
Post Doctoral Scholar

Research Interests:

  • Policy-making process
  • Administrative burdens doing policy implementation
  • Street-level bureaucracy behavior
  • The intertwined between immigration policy and the take-up of social programs
Ariel Otruba
Non-Resident Research Associate, Faculty Member, Arcadia University

Ariel Otruba (CV)

Research Interests: 

  • Political Violence 
  • Forced Displacement, Migration, and Border Conflict 
  • Human Rights, Peacebuilding, and International Development 
  • Political Ecology 
  • Infrastructure and Urban Planning
  • Feminist Research Methods
Bryce Hoflund
Research Scientist, Food Systems Policy Workgroup

BRYCE HOFLUND (CV

Research Interests:

  • Food Policy
  • Food Safety Regulation
  • Health Care Regulation
  • Health Care Policy
  • Network Organizations
  • Network Management and Leadership
Kim Horn
Research Scientist

KIMBERLY HORN (CV

Research Interests:

  • Public Health
  • Community Engagement and Collaboration
  • Opioid Epidemic
Lyusyena
Non-Resident Senior Research Associate

LYUSYENA KIRAKOSYAN (CV

Research Interests:

  • Inclusive entrepreneurship
  • Disability rights
  • Critical disability theory
  • Social in/exclusion 
  • UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 
  • Democratic citizenship 
  • Paraolympics 
  • Community change 
  • Human rights
Neda Moayerian
Non-Resident Research Associate, Assistant Professor, University of Tehran

NEDA MOAYERIAN (CV)

Research Areas:

  • Culture, Tourism and Community Development
  • Globalization and Identity
  • Participatory Governance
  • Education and Empowerment
Vanessa Guerra
Non-Resident Research Associate, Assistant Professor of Urban and Environmental Planning, University of Virginia's School of Architecture

VANESSA GUERRA (CV

Research Interests:

  • Urban informality
  • Urban resilience
  • Spatial justice
  • Co-production
  • Cognitive urbanism
  • Latin American cities

PROJECT ASSOCIATES

LAURA NELSON (CV)
Non-Resident Project Associate; Director of Quality at Northeast Kingdom Human Services, Inc. 

Research Interests:

  • Motherhood at the intersection of substance use disorder and justice involvement
  • Gendered approaches to substance abuse treatment
  • Policy and barriers surrounding reentry for parents

CHRIS ELAM
FRU CSA Case Analyst

Responsibilities:

  • Maintains comprehensive knowledge of complex State and County regulations and policies on the VA Uniform Assessment Instrument
  • Analyzes the VA Uniform Assessment Instrument applying State and County processes and procedures, and entering information into multiple data information management systems for youth in receipt of services funded by the Fairfax-Falls Church Children’s Services Act
  • Ability to research, obtain, interpret and integrate information from many sources
  • Researches, analyzes and prepares statistics and information to be included in contract deliverables and reporting requirements to university, Federal, County and State agency stakeholders

VICKIE GRAZIOLI
Medicaid Case Analyst

Responsibilities:

  • Maintains comprehensive knowledge of complex Federal, State and County laws, rules, and regulations and County polices and processes for Title XIX (Medicaid) funding
  • Interprets and applies State and County policies and procedures for Title XIX funding for youth in receipt of services funded by the Fairfax-Falls Church Children’s Services Act
  • Performs case management activities related to determining initial and continuing Title XIX eligibility for youth in receipt of services funded by the Fairfax-Falls Church Children’s Services Act
  • Performs activities as the County's primary point of contact with the private provider community regarding youth placed in Medicaid approved facilities
  • Ability to research, obtain, interpret and integrate information from many sources
  • Researches, analyzes and prepares statistics and information to be included in contract deliverables and reporting requirements to university, Federal, County and State agency stakeholders

CLAUDIA MALENICH
Court Specialist

Responsibilities:

  • Maintains comprehensive knowledge of complex Federal and State laws, rules and regulations for Title IV-D funding
  • Performs activities related to establishing Judicial Support Orders (JSOs) at the Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court (JDRDC) on behalf of Fairfax County Department of Family Services (DFS) with the goal of establishing a Judicial Support Order(s) (JSO) for each child entering foster care
  • Instructs appropriate FRU, County and State staff, DFS Child Protective Services (CPS), Foster Care and Adoption (FC&A), and VA Division of Child Support Enforcement (DCSE) attorneys, management and staff to take appropriate case management action regarding Title IV-D
  • Ability to research, obtain, interpret and integrate information from many sources
  • Researches, analyzes and prepares statistics and information to be included in contract deliverables and reporting requirements to university, Federal, County and State agency stakeholders

ERIN MOONEY
Case Analyst

Responsibilities:

  • Maintain comprehensive knowledge of complex Federal and State laws, rules and regulations, and County policies and procedures for Title II (Social Security), Title XVI (Supplemental Security Income)
  • Expertise in assessing and evaluating functional limitations based on medical and/or mental health records.  Maintains expertise in physiological and mental health impairments. 
  • Performs case management activities related to determining initial and continuing Title II and Title XVI eligibility for youth in receipt of foster care services
  • Researches, analyzes and prepares statistics and information to be included in contract deliverables and reporting requirements to university, Federal, County and State agency stakeholders
  • Ability to research, obtain, interpret and integrate information from many sources

BRIAN SALAZAR ZAMORA
FRU CSA Case Analyst

Responsibilities:

  • Maintain comprehensive knowledge of complex State laws, rules and regulations for parental contributions for youth in receipt of services funded by the Fairfax-Falls Church Children’s Services Act (CSA)
  • Primary point of contact for agencies supporting the Fairfax/Falls Church Children’s Services Act parental contribution processes and related activities for youth in receipt of services funded by the Fairfax-Falls Church CSA
  • Ability to research, obtain, interpret and integrate information from many sources
  • Researches, analyzes and prepares statistics and information to be included in contract deliverables and reporting requirements to university, Federal, County and State agency stakeholders