Professor Folz retired from the University of Tennessee in July 2022 where he taught public financial administration, public management, state politics, and research methods.  He was Director of the Master of Public Policy and Administration program at UT from its inception in 2012 through 2021. Currently, he serves as Adjunct Professor for the Baker School where he teaches the Public Financial Administration seminar for MPA and MPP students.

During his long career at UT, Folz directed the Tennessee Legislative Internship Program, served as an editor for the State and Local Government Review, and founded and served as faculty advisor to numerous student organizations including the UT chapter of the International City and County Management Association and Pi Alpha Alpha, the National Honor Society for graduates of Public Affairs and Administration programs.

He has authored numerous articles in professional journals, including the Public Administration Review, the State and Local Government Review, the Social Science Quarterly, the American Review of Public Administration, the Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Public Works Management and Policy, the Pollution Prevention Review, the Public Administration Quarterly, Judicature, the Public Productivity Review , and the International Fire Service Journal of Leadership and Management, among others.  Professor Folz is co-author of Managing America’s Small Communities: People, Politics and Performance (2005) published by Rowman and Littlefield and author of Survey Research for Public Administration (1996) by Sage Publications.  Recently, he worked with a team of consultants with the UT Municipal Technical Advisory Service to analyze and evaluate efforts by the Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s office to reduce residential fire mortalities in the state.