SMU is proud to have faculty and a curriculum committee who are deeply committed to student success and focused on creating strong policy leaders through continually updated curriculum and hands-on coursework.

Our faculty and curriculum committee members bring a diverse range of expertise to the program. They have extensive backgrounds in different areas of policy including education, literacy, economics, political science and sustainability. Many hold leadership positions in the industry.

Connecting with our faculty members

In most cases, course instructors will respond to emails and messages within 48 business hours.

Faculty directory


Mea Ahlberg, Ph.D.

Public Policy and Administration (P.P.A.) Faculty and Curriculum Committee Member

Senior Lecturer, SMU Department of Economics


Amy Bantham

Master of Healthcare Administration (M.H.A.) Faculty


Eva Chiang, Ph.D.

Public Policy and Administration (P.P.A.) Lead Faculty and Academic Coordinator


Cassidy Cooper, Ph.D.

Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.) Faculty

Senior Evaluation Associate, The Institute for Veterans and Military Families, Syracuse University


Jill DeTemple, Ph.D.

Master of Healthcare Administration (M.H.A.) Committee Member


Molly K. Ellis, Ph.D.

Public Policy and Administration (P.P.A.) Faculty

Director of Strategic Initiatives, SMU Office of Faculty Success


Novin Ghaffari, Ph.D.

Public Policy and Administration (P.P.A.) Faculty

Statistician, Bureau of Transportation Statistics


Shane Goodwin

Master of Healthcare Administration (M.H.A.) Committee Member

Associate Dean, Cox School of Business and Professor of Practice


Ashraf Hegazy

Master of Healthcare Administration (M.H.A.) Faculty


Thomas Wm. Mayo

Master of Healthcare Administration (M.H.A.) Committee Member

Altshuler Distinguished Teaching Professor and Professor of Law


Justine Morina, MBA

Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.) Faculty

Senior Policy Director, Teacher & School Policy, ExcelinEd


Seema Mohapatra

Master of Healthcare Administration (M.H.A.) Committee Member

M.D. Anderson Foundation Endowed Professor in Health Law and Professor of Law, SMU Dedman School of Law


Thomas Osang, Ph.D.

Public Policy and Administration (P.P.A.) Curriculum Committee Member

Associate Professor of Economics


John Phillips, FACHE

Master of Healthcare Administration (M.H.A.) Committee Member


John Potter, MA

Master of Healthcare Administration (M.H.A.) Committee Member


Kim Nelson Pryor, Ph.D.

Public Policy and Administration (P.P.A.) Faculty

Director of Student Affairs Assessment and Analytics, SMU Office of the Senior Vice President


Meredith Richards, Ph.D.

Public Policy and Administration (P.P.A.) Curriculum Committee Member

Associate Professor of Education Policy


Kimberly Rutigliano

Master of Healthcare Administration (M.H.A.) Faculty

Senior Director and Portfolio Manager of Global Online and Continuing Education


Martin Stegemoeller, Ph.D.

Public Policy and Administration (P.P.A.) Faculty

Master Teaching Chair, St. Mark’s School of Texas


Amanda Taffy

Master of Healthcare Administration (M.H.A.) Faculty Lead


Anne Wicks, MBA

Public Policy and Administration (P.P.A.) Curriculum Committee Member

The Don Evans Family Managing Director, Opportunity and Democracy at George W. Bush Institute


Matthew Wilson, Ph.D.

Public Policy and Administration (P.P.A.) Curriculum Committee Member

Kairo Endowed Director of the Center for Faith and Learning

Associate Professor of Political Science