Stephanie Puello, Ph.D.
Hello and thank you for visiting my website! I am a recently minted Ph.D. from the University of Colorado Denver School of Public Affairs and an incoming Assistant Professor of Public Administration at the University of Miami (as of fall 2024).
My research agenda seeks to interpret and help address how public policy and administration shape the political capital and civic standing and identity of targeted groups. I am interested in how such mechanisms inform patterns of engagement and political participation, perceptions of citizenship and social belonging, public trust, and collective action. I am also interested in questions concerning macro public administration, political representation, Black politics, and radical conceptions of justice.
My research areas of interest include:
Civic/political participation and activism
Voting rights and election administration
Citizen-state interactions
Policy feedback
Administrative and racialized burdens
Public opinion and policy
Public sector ethics
Social and higher education policy
Political and bureaucratic representation
Dissertation Research
My dissertation examines how state voting rights restoration laws for formerly incarcerated citizens are interpreted among their beneficiaries in Florida and Kentucky, and the extent to which they mobilize proximal (neighborhood) voter turnout. I also explore how perceptions vary among local election officials with respect to their role, levels of administrative burden, and views on policy merit and effectiveness. I seek to understand how these perceptions relate to their public engagement efforts in response to policy change.
My dissertation is directed by Dr. Mary E. Guy. This research is supported by the MIT Election Data and Science Lab's (MEDSL) Evolving Election Administration Landscape Project and the National Civic League's (NCL) Pforzheimer Fellows Program.
Education
Doctor of Philosophy - Public Affairs (Expected May 2024)
University of Colorado Denver, School of Public Affairs
Certificate - Quantitative Methods in Social Research (ICPSR Program)
University of Michigan, Institute for Social Research
Master of Arts - Higher Education Administration
University of Denver, Morgridge College of Education
Bachelor of Arts - Political Science
Florida International University, School of International & Public Affairs
Honors College
Minor: Criminal Justice
Undergraduate Certificate - Law, Ethics, and Society
Florida International University, College of Arts, Sciences, and Education
Selected Presentations & Panel Discussions
