JR DeShazo Appointed Dean of Sanford School of Public Policy

JR DeShazo has been named the Joel L. Fleishman Dean of Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy, effective July 1, Provost Alec D. Gallimore announced Tuesday.

DeShazo (pronounced de-SHAY-zo) comes to Duke from the University of Texas at Austin, where he has served as dean of the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs since 2021. He is the J. J. “Jake” Pickle Regents Chair in Public Affairs and the Lyndon B. Johnson Centennial Chair in National Policy.

A distinguished scholar and public policy expert, DeShazo specializes in clean technology policy, environmental equity and environmental economics.

“I am thrilled to welcome JR DeShazo to Duke as the inaugural Joel L. Fleishman Dean of the Sanford School of Public Policy,” Provost Alec D. Gallimore said. “I am confident that JR brings the right combination of leadership, scholarly depth, and energy to lead Sanford into a new and exciting chapter, and I look forward to seeing his vision implemented for public policy teaching, research, and impact. My deepest appreciation goes to Manoj Mohanan for his thoughtful leadership and dedicated service as interim dean.”

Under DeShazo’s leadership, the LBJ School at UT Austin has grown its enrollment, increased research grants and expanded research output. Previously, DeShazo spent two decades at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he was the founding director of the Luskin Center for Innovation in the Luskin School of Public Affairs.

“With its world-class faculty, talented students, dedicated staff and accomplished alumni, the Sanford School is well positioned to tackle the most pressing policy challenges of the 21st century,” DeShazo said. “I am honored to lead this extraordinary community as we work together collaboratively to elevate Sanford’s educational, research and policy impacts even further.”

For more information, see the full story on the Office of the Provost website.