Conversation with Authors: Professors Lael Keiser and Susan Miller

Lael R. Keiser is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science and in the Truman School of Public Affairs at the University of Missouri, where she teaches courses on public policy and public administration. Her research focuses on policy implementation in public agencies with a focus on Social Security Disability, Veterans Disability Compensation, and public education. She has published articles in journals such as the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, Journal of Public Policy and Management, Public Administration Review, the American Political Science Review and the American Journal of Political Science. In 2013 she was awarded the Rita Mae Kelly Award by the American Society for Public Administration, given for research contribution to gender-related issues, as well as the Herbert Simon Award by the Midwest Political Science Association given for significant contributions to the scientific study of bureaucracy. She also won the 2013 National Academy of Public Administration/Wilder School award for scholarship in social equity. She has received the Herbert Kaufman Award for the best paper presented in public administration at the American Political Science national conference three times (1998, 2001, 2009). Keiser serves on the editorial board for the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory and is a former member of the Executive Council, Public Administration Section of the American Political Science Association (APSA). She recently served as Program Chair, Public Administration Section for the APSA 2013 national conference. Keiser completed her Bachelor of Arts in political science at Lawrence University and her master’s degree and PhD in political science from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. Susan M. Miller is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of South Carolina. She teaches courses on public administration, public policy, and American political institutions. Her research explores the implications of institutional design for public policy formulation and implementation. Her work has been published in journals such as the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, Legislative Studies Quarterly, and Publius: The Journal of Federalism. Miller received her B.A. in political science and philosophy from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale in 2005 and her Ph.D. in political science from the University of Missouri in 2010. Read the report Collaboration between Government and Outreach Organizations: A Case Study of the Department of Veterans Affairs