Staudt Named Fifth Dean of Pardee RAND

August 11, 2021

Pardee RAND Graduate School is pleased to announce that Nancy Staudt has been named the incoming Frank and Marcia Carlucci Dean of the Pardee RAND Graduate School and Vice President, Innovation at RAND, succeeding Dean Susan Marquis. Staudt will join the school and RAND on October 11.

Since 2014, Staudt has served as dean of the School of Law at Washington University in St. Louis. During her tenure, the School of Law became a #16 law school, recognized for the quality and impact of its teaching, research, and community service. As dean, she was responsible for 1,000 residential and online students, 250 faculty and staff, multiple cross-disciplinary centers, the library, and 200,000 square feet of space. She managed an operating budget of roughly $85 million, along with a $250 million endowment.

In making the announcement, Michael Rich, president and CEO of RAND, said, “Nancy joins Pardee RAND during an exciting time as we seek to transform the practice of graduate public policy education. Her experience at the helm of a nationally recognized law school will help guide this transformation and train a new generation of policy innovators and analysts who use evidence to solve the increasingly complex challenges facing our society.”

Staudt shared Rich’s enthusiasm. “Pardee RAND Graduate School has an amazing program, and its students, faculty, and alumni have done and continue to do great things. The more I learn about the school and its innovative transformation, the more I realize what a tremendous opportunity I have been given. I am eager to return to Southern California and support RAND’s continued efforts to promote excellence and innovation in the field of public policy analysis.”

Staudt is an experienced fundraiser. She led the Washington University School of Law capital campaign, which raised $89 million to increase scholarships for students, extend the school's clinical education program, and support faculty with named professorships. She also ran a university-wide fundraising initiative to advance development work through a heightened focus on the academic mission.

Beyond the law school, Staudt has been a celebrated leader at Washington University in broader university affairs. She cochaired a university-wide task force to advance diversity and promote a more inclusive campus environment, and coedited The Crisis of Race in Higher Education (2017), a collection of writings devoted to the social construction of race and ethnicity and issues of access, bias, and opportunity in the university environment. More recently, she helped launch a state-wide Task Force on Racial Justice to promote justice and equity.

Marquis commented, “I am truly excited for this appointment and the opportunities for the next era for Pardee RAND. Nancy and the school’s exceptional leadership team will do all good things. I am grateful for the work of the search committee, led by alum Jeffrey Wasserman, and appreciative of the time and care Michael Rich has taken in the search process.”

Rich also thanked Wasserman (cohort '85), who also previously served as assistant dean for Academic Affairs at Pardee RAND and vice president and director of RAND Health, and the many individuals at Pardee RAND and RAND who were on the search committee or contributed ideas and suggestions. The committee members included alumni Richard Bowman (cohort '06) and Jonathan Wong (cohort '12); Pardee RAND faculty Brien Alkire and Benjamin Preston; RAND senior policy researcher Julia Kaufman and managing director of human resources Lisa Henry; Jessica Kikuchi, executive director of development for Pardee RAND; and William Mayer, member of the Pardee RAND Board of Governors.

Prior to Washington University, Staudt was vice dean for faculty and academic affairs at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law and was the inaugural holder of the Edward G. Lewis Chair in Law and Public Policy. She also served as the founding codirector of USC's Schwarzenegger Institute of State and Global Policy.

She is a nationally recognized scholar in tax, tax policy, and empirical legal studies, having authored or coauthored numerous books and articles published in the country's leading journals and university presses. She earned her Ph.D. in public policy from the University of Chicago, Harris School of Public Policy, her J.D. from the University of Minnesota, and her B.A. from Ohio State University.

Rich noted, "Staudt emerged from a strong field of candidates who have been successful in different roles spanning policy, academia, communications, and executive leadership. Her experience in academic administration, her commitment to student learning and success, her record of involvement in civic activities, and her demonstrated alignment with RAND's mission and core values will enable her to continue to deepen the excellence of Pardee RAND and champion innovation at RAND."

He added, "Once again, I want to thank Susan, who is leaving Pardee RAND stronger than ever and well-equipped to continue empowering talented and highly motivated students for a new era of problem solving. I am grateful for her years of partnership and for her many, lasting contributions to RAND."