Announcing Academic Leadership Transitions at McCourt

April 2023

Dear McCourt Students,

As we enter the final weeks of the Spring semester, I am pleased to share a number of upcoming academic leadership transitions at the McCourt School that will take place before classes being next fall:

• Adam Thomas will serve as the new Faculty Director of our Master in Public Policy (MPP) program. A member of our faculty since 2010, Adam teaches courses in quantitative methods, microeconomics, and thesis development. In his new role, Adam will oversee the MPP curriculum and program administration. The McCourt School is deeply grateful to Barbara Schone for her outstanding leadership of the MPP program over the last 11 years. This transition will allow Barbara to focus on her growing role as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.

• After a year-long sabbatical at Sciences Po in Paris, Michael Bailey will return to his role as Faculty Director of our Data Science for Public Policy (DSPP) program. Thank you to Dayanand Manoli for his dedicated interim leadership of the DSPP program. In addition, we are searching for a DSPP Associate Faculty Director, who will focus on technical and professional development.  

• Leslie Evertz will transition into a new role as Director of Strategic Initiatives. Her portfolio will include efforts to grow our programs and our portfolio of scholarships, and other strategic initiatives. We are recruiting for a new Associate Dean for Student Affairs, and Leslie will make the transition to her new role when we have filled that position. I am grateful to Elena Damaskos, who will step down from her role as Director of Strategic Initiatives, for many of her contributions to the McCourt community.

Please join me in congratulating these colleagues on their new roles, and in thanking them for their service to the McCourt School.

Best,

Dean Maria