Experts in the News

Topic
Government Executive

The Incumbent: Bending the Bureaucracy

Trump’s management style contributes to high turnover within the administration, said Kathryn Dunn Tenpas, a nonresident senior fellow with Brookings’ Governance Studies and a fellow and secretary of the Governance Institute. Tenpas calculates that as of August 24, the turnover rate among 65 senior administration positions—Trump’s “A Team”—was 91%, significantly surpassing that of his five predecessors after a full term. “I think what’s unique about this administration is that the president himself tends to publicly fire a lot of his senior staff and humiliate them, and he also oftentimes leaves them looking incompetent,” Tenpas told Government Executive. “If there is a second term, that’s not going to change.”
Kathryn Dunn Tenpas
UVA Alumni Association

A New Biography of John F. Kennedy Might Calm Your Election Jitters

Even the most ardent John F. Kennedy aficionados couldn’t be blamed for exclaiming, “Really? Another biography of JFK?” At last count, all books on the 35th president total more than 40,000. But the number of biographies alone on Abraham Lincoln number over 16,000.
Barbara Perry
WUVA News

Miller Center’s Barbara Perry Discusses Ginsburg Legacy

As the nation mourned Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death, Barbara Perry — the Director of Presidential Studies at the Miller Center of Public Affairs — discussed the intensifying political battle over a vacancy on the Supreme Court ahead of November’s general election. Perry, whom WUVA last interviewed on the 2018 confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh, reflected on Ginsburg’s legacy and historic status as only the second woman appointed to the nation’s highest court.
Barbara Perry
Government Executive

The Rival: Rebuilding the Bureaucracy

“There are very few people who understand government better than Joe Biden,” said Chris Lu, who served as White House Cabinet secretary during the Obama administration before becoming deputy Labor secretary in the second term. “When you served in the U.S. Senate and have been in D.C. as long as he has, you understand the roles that federal agencies play.”
Chris Lu
CBS19

Dr. Barbara Perry reflects on Ruth Bader Ginsburg's life

As the country continues to mourn the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a member of UVA's Miller Center said they're upset to hear about her death. Ginsburg died from complications of pancreatic cancer on Friday night. Dr. Barbara Perry, director of presidential studies at the UVA Miller Center, said Ginsburg was a role model for her.
Barbara Perry