School Leadership

Meet the leadership team at the Humphrey School, including Dean Nisha Botchwey, guiding the institution's mission to educate and empower leaders for the common good.

Dean Nisha Botchwey

Nisha Botchwey, PhD, began serving as dean of the Humphrey School of Public Affairs in January 2022. 

Previously, Botchwey served as associate dean for academic programs at Georgia Tech Professional Education. In that role she was responsible for developing academic programs, overseeing all academic offerings and curriculum, and leading outreach and student affairs. She played a key role in leading Georgia Tech’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Botchwey was also a tenured associate professor in Georgia Tech’s School of City and Regional Planning, and director of the School’s Healthy Places Lab. She was on the Georgia Tech faculty from 2012 to 2021, and also served as an adjunct professor at Emory University’s School of Public Health. Previously, Botchwey taught at the University of Virginia’s Department of Urban and Environmental Planning from 2003 to 2011.

Botchwey's research and teaching have been at the nexus of environmental and health policy and the built environment, with a special focus on youth engagement and health equity. Over her career, she has been awarded more than $16 million from leading agencies and foundations as principal investigator or co-PI on more than 30 grant-funded projects.

Botchwey is co-editor of Making Healthy Places, Second Edition: Designing and Building for Well-Being, Equity, and Sustainability and co-author of Health Impact Assessment in the United States. She is the convener of a national expert panel on interdisciplinary workforce training between the public health and community design fields, and has authored numerous articles, book chapters, scientific presentations, and workshops. 

The impact of Botchwey's public health and social justice work was recognized in 2021 with the prestigious Dale Prize for Excellence in Urban and Regional Planning, and in 2016 by the White House Council on Women and Girls. Botchwey also serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Planning Education and Research.

She has earned many other distinctions, including an NSF ADVANCE Woman of Excellence Faculty Award, a Hesburgh Award Teaching Fellowship from Georgia Tech, the Georgia Power Professor of Excellence Award, and a Rockefeller-Penn Fellowship from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Nursing. 

Botchwey earned a master’s degree and PhD in urban planning from the University of Pennsylvania, a master’s degree in public health from the University of Virginia, and an AB from Harvard University. Read more about Dean Botchwey. 

Associate Dean for Research Yuan (Daniel) Cheng

Yuan (Daniel) Cheng, PhD, has been a member of the Humphrey School faculty in the Leadership and Management area since 2018. As associate dean for research, Cheng serves as the primary point of contact for the Humphrey School's research faculty and center directors, and provides guidance on research policies, grant funding opportunities, research ethics, and other matters that support the School's research enterprise. 

He also represents the Humphrey School in University research leadership groups and works to strengthen collaboration among faculty, research centers, and external partners to advance impactful scholarship. 

Cheng's research examines public management and collaborative governance, with a focus on how government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and communities work together to deliver public services. His scholarship explores government-nonprofit relationships, civic engagement, cross-sector collaboration, and evidence-based policymaking, with an emphasis on improving public sector performance, designing more inclusive grant-making programs, and increasing the policy impact of academic research. 

In addition to his role as associate dean for research, Cheng is an associate professor and McKnight Presidential Fellow at the University of Minnesota. Read more about Associate Dean Cheng.

Associate Dean for Faculty Yingling Fan

Yingling Fan, PhD, has been a faculty member in the School's urban and regional planning area since 2008. As associate dean for faculty, she plays a crucial role in setting faculty recruitment and retention strategies, contributing to the strategic direction of the School, and representing the School within the University of Minnesota community. 

Fan's research focuses on urban land use, transportation planning, and the impacts of urban planning on human health and social equity. Her influential work spans a wide range of topics, including public transportation development, emotional well-being in cities, and community-engaged transportation equity research. 

She is a leading thinker on putting human well-being and people’s lived experience at the center of urban policy and planning for building sustainable, healthy, and just communities.

Fan is also a successful inventor and entrepreneur. She is the lead inventor of the Daynamica technology, an innovative app-based system that measures human behavior and well-being. The technology was granted a US Patent in 2017, and the following year Fan co-founded Daynamica, Inc., a company serving academic researchers and government agencies that are interested in human data in daily life settings. Read more about Associate Dean Fan. 

Assistant Dean for Graduate Education Diana Beck

Diana Beck was appointed assistant dean in August 2021. She has been with the Humphrey School since August 2018, serving as the director of academic programs. 

She leads the development, implementation, and evaluation of our academic programs; works closely with the directors of graduate studies, faculty, staff, students, and other stakeholders to advance curricular innovation, leverage emerging trends and best practices in professional student education; and supports key curricular initiatives including around equity and inclusion and engaged learning.

She also represents the School at university-wide meetings, such as the Professional Education Council and the Council of Graduate Associate and Assistant Deans. Read more about Assistant Dean Beck.

Senior Strategic Advisor, Meagan Pierluissi

As Senior Strategic Advisor, Meagan Pierluissi serves as a strategic thought partner to the Dean and provides leadership across the Humphrey School's priorities. Working closely with the Dean and senior leadership team, she helps shape strategy, align cross-functional initiatives, and translate the School's vision into coordinated action. 

Meagan leads strategic planning and execution across a broad portfolio that includes executive communications, alumni engagement and stewardship, organizational effectiveness, and major initiatives. She works collaboratively across academic and administrative units to strengthen alignment, improve decision-making, and advance the School's mission and strategic priorities. 

Since joining the Humphrey School in 2021, Meagan has helped guide the School through significant organizational change, leadership transitions, and growth. Her work has strengthened strategic planning and execution, enhanced collaboration across the School, and supported initiatives that deepen engagement with alumni, donors, policymakers, and community partners. 

Before joining the Humphrey School, Meagan held leadership roles in strategic communications and public affairs in higher education and government. She is a veteran of the Army National Guard, where she served as a Public Affairs Officer. Read more about Meagan.