Russell W. Mills

Russell W. Mills, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at Bowling Green State University.  Prior to joining the faculty at BGSU, Mills worked as a policy analyst in the Office of Aviation Policy and Plans at the Federal Aviation Administration in Washington, D.C.

Incident Reporting Systems: Lessons from the Federal Aviation Administration’s Air Traffic Organization

Incident reporting systems are an integral part of many agencies’ operations. For example, the Veterans Health Administration collects data on incidences of errors made during surgeries, the Food Safety and Inspection Service collects data on incidences of errors in meat inspection plants, and the Occupational Health and Safety Administration collects data on incidences of work­place injuries.

The Promise of Collaborative Voluntary Partnerships: Lessons from the Federal Aviation Administration

Based on his extensive research on the three programs, Mills concludes that although the programs can be improved, they are making a worthwhile contribution to airline safety. Mills argues that collaborative voluntary partnerships should be viewed as a complement to agency regulatory activities rather than as a replacement for the traditional command-and-control approach to regulation.

Assistant Professor
Bowling Green State University
Department of Political Science 124 Williams Hall
Bowling Green, OH 44242-0001
United States
419-372-7329

Russell W. Mills, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at Bowling Green State University.  Prior to joining the faculty at BGSU, Mills worked as a policy analyst in the Office of Aviation Policy and Plans at the Federal Aviation Administration in Washington, D.C. from 2011-2012.  During his tenure at the FAA, Mills assisted in the development and analysis of reauthorization and appropriations legislation, conducted analysis of the Federal Contract Tower Program, developed and analyzed policy proposals related to NextGen implementation, and analyzed the implications of tax proposals to the Airport and Airway Trust Fund. 

Mills’ research interests include federal aviation policy, local economic development efforts, voluntary self-disclosure programs, performance management, and governance networks.  His 2011 co-authored article titled “Accountability in Governance Networks: Lessons From Hurricane Katrina” won the 2012 Marshall Dimock Award for the best lead article in Public Administration Review.  Additionally, Mills published an IBM Center for the Business of Government Report in 2010 titled “Voluntary Regulatory Partnership Programs with Industry: Lessons from the Federal Aviation Administration”.  

Mills holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Kent State University, a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Vermont, and a B.A. in Political Science from Westminster College in New Wilmington, PA.