IPPRA is Exceptional

• Very few groups, either at OU or nationally, combine rigorous scholarship with meaningful real-world policy impact the way IPPRA does. Our work results in impacts that extend far beyond individual projects to shape policy systems for years to decades.

• Our success is grounded in:

  • Our people, whose talent, creativity, and commitment drive everything we do.

  • Our culture, which values both scholarly rigor and meaningful real-world impact.

  • Our partnerships, which are sustained through collaboration, responsiveness, and long-term relationships.

My Journey at IPPRA

My Journey at IPPRA

Why I Want to Be IPPRA’s Next Director

I am deeply invested in what we have built

• Our mission, people, and partnerships mean a great deal to me

• I want to preserve and strengthen what makes IPPRA special

My Vision for the Future of IPPRA

1. Sustain Our Impact and Upward Momentum

Established strengths:

• Internal Research: We conduct policy-relevant research through projects led within IPPRA, often in collaboration with partners. This work sustains our research pipeline and advances knowledge on complex policy challenges.

  • Examples: projects with NOAA, DOE, and the Oklahoma State Energy Office.

• External Leadership: We also convene researchers, policymakers, and practitioners across departments, institutions, and sectors, and often lead large collaborative initiatives. Through partnerships and collaboration, we help translate research into action and strengthen OU’s leadership in addressing complex policy challenges.

  • Examples: NSF Engine and EDA proposals and multiple EPSCoR initiatives.

1. Sustain Our Impact and Upward Momentum

Opportunities for growth:

• Continue to balance and sustainably grow our research portfolio and leadership in large collaborative initiatives.

• Enabled by stable, predictable support from the OVPRP.

2. Strengthen Alignment with OVPRP Priorities

Established strengths:

• Deep expertise in extreme weather, energy, and national security policy, anchored by long-standing research programs and partnerships.

  • Examples: projects with NOAA (OAR/NWS), DOE, and Sandia National Laboratories.

2. Strengthen Alignment with OVPRP Priorities

Opportunities for growth:

• Expand work in health policy, particularly through collaboration with partners on the OU Health Campus.

  • Department of Health Administration and Policy

  • Center for Health Outcomes, Policy, and Economics Research

• Further develop the extreme weather portfolio through strategic collaboration with OVPRP initiatives.

  • Collaboration with MITRE.

• Deepen the national security portfolio, as supported by secure data infrastructure.

  • Current and future work with SNL, and possibly the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).

3. Deepen Relationships with Partners

Established strengths:

• Strong partnerships with federal agencies and growing collaborations with state agencies and foundations.

3. Deepen Relationships with Partners

Opportunities for growth:

• Deepen partnerships with state policymakers, agencies, and local governments—including the City of Oklahoma City—to increase the real-world impact of IPPRA research in Oklahoma.

  • I want IPPRA to be the first place state and local policymakers and decision-makers turn for high-quality policy research.

• Expand collaboration with the private sector to address areas where industry priorities intersect with public policy challenges.

  • Ongoing dialogue with Oklahoma City Innovation District (OKCID).

Thank You