Johns Hopkins begins search for inaugural dean of new School of Government and Policy

Johns Hopkins University has launched an international search for the person who will lead its new School of Government and Policy in Washington, D.C., assembling a search committee chaired by Provost Ray Jayawardhana to select the school's first dean.

The search committee has been tasked with identifying "an outstanding and dynamic inaugural dean who will set the vision for the School of Government and Policy and shape it into a vital community and engine of discovery, impact, and action," Johns Hopkins University President Ron Daniels wrote in a message to the Hopkins community today.

"We have the highest aspirations for this school to leverage the immense talent across the university—as well as the transformative opportunity that comes with its location at the Hopkins Bloomberg Center in Washington, D.C.—and emerge as a leader in developing innovative, data-driven approaches to policy changes and effective government."

The School of Government and Policy, JHU's 10th academic division, is projected to serve 200-250 graduate students and offer coursework and other educational opportunities for undergraduate students. The first cohort will matriculate in the fall of 2026.

The school will build on the university's nearly 150 years of leadership in research and discovery while drawing on existing complementary strengths in science and technology, medicine and public health, and international affairs. It will prepare the next generation of leaders and public servants to pursue evidence-based solutions to society's greatest challenges through an approach that:

• Embeds science, data, and the role and impact of technology in the curricula
• Gives students the tools they need to think strategically and creatively about policy and government innovations designed to meet the needs of the people and communities they serve + Emphasizes the urgent need for cross-functional skills and capabilities at all levels of government and in bridging public, non-profit, and industry sectors

Over the next five years, the school will hire 35 full-time faculty. A number of these faculty will hold cross-appointments to divisions across Johns Hopkins, to support opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration and strong ties with the university's Baltimore campuses.

The search for the school's inaugural dean will be aided by the executive search firm, Isaacson, Miller, which will work closely with the search committee to develop a candidate pool and support the process. Input and confidential nominations can be shared with the search firm via the search website.

Search committee roster

Ray Jayawardhana (Chair)
Provost
Johns Hopkins University

Kerry Ates
Executive Vice President and Chief of Staff
Johns Hopkins University

Chris Bauman
Senior Associate Dean for Finance and Administration
Carey Business School

Francesco Bianchi
Louis J. Maccini Professor of Economics
Krieger School of Arts and Sciences

Beth Blauer
Associate Vice Provost for Public Sector Innovation
Associate Professor of Practice, Carey Business School

Benjamin Ginsberg
David Bernstein Professor of Political Science
Chair, Center for Data Analytics, Policy, and Government
Krieger School of Arts and Sciences

Hahrie Han
Stavros Niarchos Foundation Agora Institute Professor of Political Science
Inaugural Director of the SNF Agora Institute
Krieger School of Arts and Sciences

Fernando Mena-Carrasco
PhD Student and SAMHSA/ANA Doctoral Fellow
School of Nursing

Mary Miller
JHU Board of Trustees

Sarah O'Hagan
JHU Board of Trustees
Member, School of Advanced International Studies Board of Advisors

Keshia Pollack Porter
Professor and Bloomberg Centennial Chair, Department of Health Policy and Management
Bloomberg School of Public Health

Gary Roughead
JHU Board of Trustees

Lainie Rutkow
Vice Provost for Interdisciplinary Initiatives
Professor of Health Policy and Management, Bloomberg School of Public Health and School of Advanced International Studies

Charles Scheeler
Trustee, Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Medicine
Chair, Johns Hopkins Bayview Board of Trustees

Jeremy Shiffman
Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Global Health Policy
Bloomberg School of Public Health and School of Advanced International Studies

Robbie Shilliam
Professor and Chair, Department of Political Science
Krieger School of Arts and Sciences

Jim Steinberg
Dean, School of Advanced International Studies