University of Delaware President Dennis Assanis and Provost Robin Morgan have announced a national search for the next dean of the University’s Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration and the appointment of a search advisory committee.

Maria Aristigueta, who is currently dean of the Biden School and Charles P. Messick Chair of Public Administration, is planning to retire at the conclusion of the 2021-22 academic year.

“We are seeking a dynamic and innovative leader, with a strong commitment to scholarship and engagement with policy, to guide the Biden School’s critical development and growth during this extraordinary time of challenge in our society,” Assanis said. “With the University’s strong and historical foundation of public policy research, service and education, the UD community is energized to accelerate both opportunity and impact as we launch the search for our next dean.”

A search advisory committee is being co-chaired by Dan Smith, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and professor of budget and financial management, and Laura Desimone, professor and director of research in the College of Education and Human Development.

Serving on the committee are

• Nina David, associate professor in the Biden School and director of the Energy and Environmental Policy Program
• Greg Dobler, assistant professor in the Biden School  and in the Department of Physics and Astronomy
• Katie Fitzpatrick, associate professor and director of the Master of Public Policy Program in Biden School
• Jim Kendra, professor in the Biden School and director of the Disaster Research Center and the Disaster Science and Management Program
• Cathy McLaughlin, executive director of the Biden Institute
• Steve Metraux, associate professor in the Biden School and director of the Center for Community Research and Service
• Andrea Pierce, Unidel Helen Gouldner Chair of the Environment and associate professor in the Biden School
• A.R. Siders, assistant professor in the Biden School, the Department of Geography and Spatial Sciences, a core faculty member of the Disaster Research Center and an affiliate of the School of Marine Science and Policy
• Kami Silk, chairperson of the Department of Communication and Edward F. and Elizabeth Goodman Rosenberg Professor of Communication
• Jessica Sowa, professor in the Biden School
• Chris Williams, professor of wildlife ecology, director of the Waterfowl and Upland Gamebird Center, president of the University Faculty Senate and co-chair of the University of Delaware Sustainability Council

The firm of Education Executives, LLC, which specializes in higher education leadership searches, will be assisting with the search.

The nationally ranked Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration prepares students with the knowledge, skills and values necessary to engage in research and public service activities to improve the quality of life in communities around the world. Faculty, staff, students and alumni create and use interdisciplinary, nonpartisan research and empirically based analysis to inform effective decision-making and policy and to improve leadership and administration. The Biden School offers three undergraduate degrees – in organizational and community leadership, public policy, and energy and environmental policy; master’s degrees in disaster science and management, energy and environmental policy, public administration, public health, public policy, and urban affairs and public policy; and doctoral degrees in disaster science and management, energy and environmental policy, public policy and administration, engineering and public policy, and education and social policy.