Welcome to our 2025-2028 Commissioners!

Under the guidance of the 2025-2026 Chair, Dr. Madinah F. Hamidullah, the Commission on Peer Review and Accreditation (COPRA) is pleased to announce the addition of five new Commissioners, who will be serving from 2025 to 2028.

Alexander C. Henderson, Marist University

Alexander C. Henderson is an associate professor in the Department of Public and Nonprofit Administration at Marist University. His current research focuses on front-line policy implementation in public and nonprofit organizations, rules and discretionary decision-making, personnel management, and collaboration and interorganizational relationships. Dr. Henderson previously served as a chief administrative officer, operational officer, director, and volunteer with several public safety and nonprofit organizations. His previous work with NASPAA includes service as a site visitor and site visit chair, and on the NASPAA / ASPA Distinguished Researcher Award and Best Dissertation Award committees.

Willow S. Jacobson, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Willow S. Jacobson is the Director of the Master of Public Administration program at the University of North Carolina and holds the Robert W. Bradshaw Jr. Distinguished Professorship in Public Administration and Government. A member of the School of Government faculty since 2003, she played a pivotal role in creating the Leading for Results Program in 2011, a statewide initiative designed to strengthen leadership capacity among North Carolina’s local government officials. She also contributed to the launch of the Public Executive Leadership Academy in 2005, helping shape its inaugural session and long-term impact. She earned her Ph.D. from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

In 2023, Jacobson was named a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, recognizing her contributions to the field and commitment to public service excellence. She serves on the editorial boards of the Korean Journal of Policy Studies, Public Personnel Management, and the Review of Public Personnel Administration. She is also a board member of the Section on Personnel Administration and Labor Relations within the American Society for Public Administration.  Prior to joining UNC, Jacobson taught in the MPA program at the University of Connecticut and worked on the Government Performance Project and the New Jersey Initiative at the Alan K. Campbell Institute.

Brent S. Steel, Oregon State University

Brent S. Steel is a University Distinguished Professor in the School of Public Policy at Oregon State University. He directed the Public Policy Graduate Program from 2003 to 2023, overseeing its expansion to include the Ph.D., Master, and Executive Master of Public Policy degrees, along with graduate certificates in Rural Policy, Energy Policy, and Public Policy Analysis. He also played a role in developing the B.S. and Minor in Public Policy. His administrative work has emphasized program growth, curriculum design, and widening access through on-campus and online options.

Steel’s research examines environmental politics, energy policy, rural community sustainability, and civic engagement, with publications in books and journals across these fields. He has mentored numerous doctoral and master’s students, supporting research in public policy, environmental science, and related disciplines. Internationally, he has served as a Fulbright Scholar in Russia, Botswana, and Canada, and has participated in teaching and research exchanges in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas.

Kendra Stewart, College of Charleston

Kendra B. Stewart is Professor of Political Science and Public Administration and Director of the Riley Center for Livable Communities at the College of Charleston. Her research interests include state and local government, food and environmental policy, and government communications. She is co-editor of a book entitled The Practice of Government Public Relations. The articles she has authored have appeared in various journals including Urban Affairs Review, Public Finance and Management, Journal of Public Affairs Education, Journal of Hunger and Environmental Nutrition as well as in various scholarly books.

Dr. Stewart is a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA), an independent, nonprofit, and non-partisan organization chartered by Congress to assist government leaders in building more effective, efficient, accountable, and transparent organizations. She was also elected to serve as President of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) for 2020-2021. Dr. Stewart has conducted political analysis for a variety of print, radio and television media, including Good Morning America, Fox News Channel, the Associated Press, The New Yorker, and National Public Radio. Prior to coming to the College of Charleston, she was a faculty member at Eastern Kentucky University and worked for the state of South Carolina.

Jinping Sun, California State University, Bakersfield

Dr. Jinping Sun is Professor and Chair of the Department of Public Policy and Administration at California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB). Her teaching and research interests focus on public budgeting and finance and policy analysis. She has published peer-reviewed journal articles in the Journal of Public Budgeting, Accounting, and Financial Management, California Journal of Politics and Policy, and Journal of Public Affairs Education. Dr. Sun is honored to be the recipient of the 2024-2025 CSUB Faculty Leadership and Service Award, which recognizes her outstanding contributions and service to the campus, community, and profession.