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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
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
Cecily Rodriguez
Associate Director of Research and Organizational Innovation

CECILY RODRIGUEZ (CV)

Research Areas:

  • Behaviorial health and wellness of migrant and refugee communities in the US
  • Language access in the healthcare sector
  • Strategic management in government

Areas of Expertise:

  • Public sector leadership and management
  • Intercultural development and communication
  • Language services implementation
Ciara Collins
Research Faculty and Program Director, Family Research Unit

CIARA COLLINS (CV)

Research Areas:

  • Foster Care and Adoption
  • Child Well-Being and Maltreatment
  • Behavioral Health
  • Trauma

Areas of Expertise:

  • Data and Project Management
  • Child Protective Service Agencies
  • Statistical and Data Analysis 
  • Clinical Experience   
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
Public Health Program and Policy Research Associate

LAURA TAYLOR (CV)

Research Areas:

  • Community Health & Program Development
  • Substance Use Disorder in the Geriatric Community
  • Brain Health in the Geriatric Community
Andrew Sharp
Senior Public And Community Engagement Manager and Lecturer

ANDREW SHARP (CV)

Research Areas:

  • Public and Community Engagement (sponsor programs)
  • Religion and the Environment
  • Global Ethics 
  • Interfaith Dialogue
  • Religion and identity formation

Areas of Expertise:

  • Public Administration (in practice)
  • International Studies
  • Eastern Christianity
  • Muslim-Christian Relations
  • Islamic Studies
  • Refugee Resettlement
Anne Walters
Applied Research Associate

ANNE WALTERS (CV)

Research Interests:

  • Organizational Development 
  • Workforce Development 
  • Program Evaluation
  • Policy Analysis

Areas of Expertise:

  • Asset Management
  • Public and Non-Profit Organizations
Andrea Briceno Mosquera
Research Scientist

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

RESEARCH ASSOCIATES

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
Bernice Owusu Brown
Research Scientist

BERNICE OWUSU-BROWN (CV)

Research Interests:

  • Health Disparities and Intersectionality
  • Economic Impact on Health Access
  • Gender Inequality and Health Outcomes
  • Healthcare Utilization and Gender
  • Impact of Gender Norms on Health Behaviors

Areas of Expertise:

  • Gender and Labor Market Dynamics
  • Health Economics and Health Policy
  • Economic Empowerment and Health Outcomes
  • Applied Econometrics
  • Data Analysis
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 (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

FAMILY RESEARCH UNIT

Brian Salazar Zamora
Assistant Project Director

BRIAN SALAZAR ZAMORA

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

CLAUDIA MALENICH (Retired)

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

VIOLA RUNIA

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
Vickie Grazioli
Medicaid Case Analyst

VICKIE GRAZIOLI

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
Chris Elam
Children's Services Act Case Analyst

CHRIS ELAM

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