Andrea M. Headley, an associate professor at the McCourt School, received the award from the Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management (APPAM) for her notable contributions to public policy and the field of safety and justice.
Associate Professor and Director of McCourt’s Evidence for Justice Lab, Andrea Headley will be recognized at the upcoming 2026 APPAM Fall Research Conference as the 26th recipient of the David N. Kershaw Award and Prize.
The David N. Kershaw Award recognizes professionals under 40 who have made significant contributions to public policy analysis and management. The award was named for David N. Kershaw, Mathematica’s first president, who helped guide the establishment of APPAM before his death from cancer at age 37. The recognition was created in his memory in 1983; Mathematica and APPAM jointly administer the award.
Headley’s research examines how factors at the organizational, managerial and individual levels influence criminal justice practices and the delivery of public services, particularly regarding inequities and disparities. Her past studies have covered topics such as relationships between police and the communities they serve, racial gaps in use-of-force incidents, body-worn camera programs, efforts at police reform and gender dynamics within police departments. Her current work examines the use of artificial intelligence in the justice system.
Her research has been published in journals including the Journal of Policy Analysis and Journal of Public Administration Review and Theory, Public Administration Review, The American Review of Public Administration, and Journal of Criminal Justice and has been funded by the American Institutes for Research, the Department of Justice, the National Science Foundation, McCourt’s Tech & Public Policy Center and Ohio State University’s Drug Enforcement and Policy Center.