Laura Bloomberg
Laura Bloomberg became dean of Humphrey School in June 2017 and previously had served as associate dean since January 2013. As the School’s principal academic officer she led efforts to launch a Master of Human Rights degree, support the global expansion of the School, establish a Foundations for Success summer prep program for all incoming students, create a national pipeline program for college students underrepresented in public affairs programs, and develop the Mandela Washington Fellowship program to support young leaders from countries across Africa. In response to a United States Presidential Commission request Bloomberg helped launch the nation’s first fully online program to develop leaders in the field of democratic election administration, which is now in its second year of operation at the Humphrey School.
Bloomberg serves on the executive council of the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA), considered the global standard in public service education. She chairs the Commission on Peer Review and Accreditation, which reviews and accredits public affairs degree programs in the United States and in a dozen countries across the globe. Bloomberg’s service to the University of Minnesota includes membership on the executive committees of the Hennepin-University Partnership, the Urban Research and Outreach Engagement Center, and the Center for Transportation Studies. She currently chairs the University’s Council of Research Associate Deans.
As a member of the Humphrey School graduate faculty Bloomberg has taught courses on leadership and management, educational innovation, and program evaluation. She has received several awards for teaching, including the Humphrey School students' award for Instructor of the Year (2010 and 2011). She also received a University of Minnesota Outstanding Faculty Member Award from the Council of Graduate Students (2011).
Bloomberg previously served as executive director of the Center for Integrative Leadership, a joint initiative of the Humphrey School, Carlson School of Management, School of Public Health and College of Education and Human Development. Prior to joining the Humphrey School in 2007, Bloomberg was a school district administrator and principal of a K-12 urban magnet school. From 1990-1996 she concurrently was an instructor and researcher in the College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota. Bloomberg has served as a locally elected school board member in Mahtomedi, Minnesota (1996-2004) and chaired the Association of Metropolitan School Districts.
Bloomberg's research and policy work focuses on community-based leadership, public value creation, cross-cultural dialogue and educational policy. Bloomberg has authored articles on creating public value, program evaluation, policy development, cross-agency leadership and collaboration, and educational policy analysis. The co-edited volume Public Value and Public Administration (Bryson, Crosby and Bloomberg, 2015) received a Best Book Award for research from the American Society of Public Administration.
Bloomberg has consulted on education policy initiatives with the provincial governments of Canada, graduate education programs in China, Tribal Councils of Indigenous Nations, the European Union, countries across Africa and the island country of Cyprus. She has worked with several states, federal agencies, and the National Governors Association to improve civic leadership and education systems across the United States.
Bloomberg holds a bachelor’s degree in special education from St. Cloud State University, master's degrees in psychometrics and educational psychology from Cornell University, and a PhD in educational policy and administration from the University of Minnesota.
