The Baker School Welcomes Nine New Faculty
The Baker School Welcomes Nine New Faculty
Knoxville, TN (August 21) — The University of Tennessee Howard H. Baker Jr. School of Public Policy and Public Affairs (Baker School) welcomed nine new faculty members this month, strengthening its mission to prepare the next generation of public problem solvers.
These new additions bring a wide spectrum of expertise – including public administration, political theory, public finance, international affairs, nuclear security, and emergency management. From rising scholars and accomplished practitioners to nationally recognized academic leaders, the Baker School continues to build a dynamic and varied intellectual community.
“The faculty we are building represents a powerful blend of seasoned public leaders and dynamic academic scholars,” said Marianne Wanamaker, dean of the Baker School. “Their expertise reflects our commitment to real-world impact and academic excellence. As we continue to grow, this faculty will mentor the next generation of public problem solvers and drive forward the ambitious research agenda already underway across the school and our research centers.”
David Arceneaux, an assistant professor, has expertise in national security, international conflict, and nuclear policy. He previously served as a Rossetti Senior Research Fellow at the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Institute for Future Conflict. He has briefed and collaborated with institutions including U.S. Strategic Command, NATO, and the Hague Centre for Strategic Studies. He will also contribute to the work of the Center for National Security and Foreign Affairs. Arceneaux holds a PhD in political science from Syracuse University.
Zachary German, an assistant professor in the Institute of American Civics (IAC), is an expert in American political and constitutional thought, early modern thought, statesmanship, political culture, politics and religion, and constitutional design. He teaches political thought, constitutionalism, and leadership courses, emphasizing American civic life. He most recently taught at Arizona State University. German holds a PhD in political science from the University of Notre Dame.
Mike Gutierrez, an associate teaching professor specializing in public administration and emergency management, has professional experience in local, state, and federal government. He has previously taught at Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Nova Southeastern University, and Lamar University. Gutierrez is a former Army Ranger and U.S. Army veteran and holds a PhD in public administration and management from the University of North Texas.
Nathan Jeschke, a visiting lecturer, has expertise in hazard mitigation and local government. He has taught research methods and environmental policy courses and contributed to numerous collaborative studies on disaster resilience, public health response, and policy change. Jeschke holds a PhD in public affairs from the University of Colorado, Denver.
Yanan Li, a visiting lecturer, is an expert in social inequality and housing. She teaches graduate-level courses in research design and has previous experience teaching quantitative methods, public policy foundations, and urbanization at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Li holds a PhD in public affairs and community development from Rutgers University, Camden.
Morgan Marietta joins the IAC as a full professor. He studies the political consequences of belief, focusing on constitutional politics, political psychology, and facts in politics. He is the author of four books and served as the founding editor of the annual Supreme Court of the United States series at Palgrave Macmillan. Prior to joining the Baker School, Marietta served as a dean at the University of Austin, a department chair at the University of Texas at Arlington. Marietta holds a PhD in political science from the University of Pittsburgh.
James Patterson, an associate professor in the IAC, specializes in race, religion, and American political thought. He is also a regular subject-area expert for the media on contemporary religion and politics. Patterson has had works published in journals such as American Political Thought, Perspectives on Political Science, Political Science Reviewer, and Journal of Church and State. He is the author of Religion in the Public Square: Sheen, King, Falwell, and his next book, co-authored with Thomas Howe, examines the problems with postliberalism. He contributes articles to and hosts a podcast for Law & Liberty. Patterson holds a PhD in politics from the University of Virginia.
Jessica Sargent, a teaching assistant professor, specializes in political polarization, Narrative Policy Framework (NPF), trust, and optimistic realism. She also works in student-centered pedagogy to foster civil discourse. She is an expert in higher education and public administration. She has held faculty appointments at the College of Eastern Idaho, Idaho State University, and the College of Southern Idaho. She teaches courses on public policy and state and local government. Sargent holds a PhD in political science from Idaho State University.
John Stavick, an assistant professor, specializes in state tax administration and the consequences of budget-balancing decisions on the public workforce. He teaches public financial administration and has over a decade of experience in academic and applied public finance settings Prior to his academic career, Stavick was an economist at the Nebraska Department of Revenue and a fiscal analyst at OpenSky Policy Institute in Lincoln, Nebraska. He holds a PhD in public affairs from the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University.
Now in its third academic year, the Baker School offers a growing complement of academic programs, including a Bachelor of Science in Public Affairs, an online Master of Public Administration (MPA), and in-person MPA and Master of Public Policy (MPP) degrees. The school also provides an accelerated bachelor-to-master’s program and a dual MPA/MPP–Juris Doctor (JD) program in collaboration with the University of Tennessee College of Law.