SPSA Staff
Mark Hurwitz
Executive Director
Dr. Mark S. Hurwitz, who received his Ph.D. in Political Science from Michigan State University and his J.D. from Brooklyn Law School, currently is a Professor of Political Science at Western Michigan University (WMU) in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Dr. Hurwitz previously served as a Program Officer at the National Science Foundation (NSF), where his portfolio extended across the agency, including in the Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure and the Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences. At NSF he also had responsibility in Working Groups for Navigating the New Arctic, Cyberinfrastructure for Sustained Scientific Innovation, Disrupting Operations of Illicit Supply Networks, and Science of Broadening Participation. At WMU he has served in the Office of Research and Innovation and in the Office of the Provost. He also acted as Editor in Chief of Justice System Journal.
Dr. Hurwitz has published his research on American Politics and Judicial Politics in leading political science and law journals, including American Political Science Review, Journal of Politics, Political Research Quarterly, State Politics & Policy Quarterly, and Social Science Quarterly, and he is the recipient of research grants from both public and private funding agencies, including NSF and the National Institute of Justice.
Jared McDonald
Conference Manager
Jared McDonald an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science and International Affairs at the University of Mary Washington, where he teaches courses related to American government, political behavior, public policy, and research methodology. Dr. McDonald earned his Ph.D. in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland, College Park and his B.A. from The George Washington University. He is the author of Feeling their Pain: Why Voters Want Leaders Who Care (Oxford University Press, 2024) and co-author of Citizens of the World: Political Engagement and Policy Attitudes of Millennials across the Globe (Oxford University Press, 2023). His research has been published in The Journal of Politics, Public Administration Review, Political Behavior, Electoral Studies, The International Journal of Public Opinion Research, Gender & Politics, Politics, Groups, & Identities, and The Journal of Experimental Political Science.
Patricia Brown
Director of Finance
Patricia Brown is currently the Director of Finance for the SPSA. She received her bachelor’s degree from Castleton University in Castleton, Vermont in 1990. Pat’s major was Business Administration/Accounting with a minor in English. Pat became a full-time SPSA staff member in June 2012. She performs the day-to-day accounting functions, membership management and SPSA historian. Pat is the first voice that you hear when you call the office.
