Biography

Zhirong "Jerry" Zhao was the Gross Family Professor in public and nonprofit management, before he resigned from his tenured position at the Humphrey School in June 2021. As an affiliate faculty member, he serves an advisory role in Institute for Urban & Infrastructure Finance (IURIF), which he founded within the Humphrey School in 2017. 

Jerry holds a PhD in Public Administration from the University of Georgia and earned bachelor's and master's degrees in Urban Planning from Tongji University (China). His research focuses on public budgeting and finance, in particular how local governments generate sufficient revenue under ever-increasing constraints; how state and local fiscal structures affect the pattern and effectiveness of public service delivery; and how public and nonprofit organizations interact with each other in budgetary and service decision making.

Jerry has published in Public Administration Review, Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, Public Management Review, American Review of Public Administration, Urban Studies, Journal of Urban Affairs, Public Finance Review, Public Money & Management, Public Budgeting and Finance, Municipal Finance Journal, and Chinese Public Administration Review, etc., and has worked on funded projects supported by the Minnesota Legislature, Minnesota Department of Transportation, and the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.

Jerry was named the Humphrey School's Instructor of the Year in 2009 and 2013. He served as the Director of Graduate Degree (DGS) for the Master of Public Policy (MPP) program during 2017-2021.

Education

PhD in Public Administration (University of Georgia, 2005)