School names Interim Directors for School of Social Work and Public Finance Research Cluster

ATLANTA—The Andrew Young School of Policy Studies has named Peter Lyons interim director for the School of Social Work and Laura Wheeler interim director for the Public Finance Research Cluster. Their appointments begin July 1.

Professor Lyons, who returned to his faculty position in the school of social work in 2019 after serving 10 years in the university’s administration as associate provost, vice provost and dean of Georgia State’s Perimeter College at Georgia State, will serve one year in the position formerly held by Distinguished University Professor Brian Bride, who joined the School of Social work as director in 2014. Bride will remain at the university as professor.

Wheeler is associate director of the Public Finance Research Cluster’s Center for State & Local Finance (CSLF). As interim director, she will oversee all research units affiliated with the cluster: CSLF, Fiscal Research Center and International Center for Public Policy. The cluster’s former director, Professor Jorge Martinez-Vazquez, recently retired.

“We are thrilled to be able to rely on the skills and knowledge of two extraordinary individuals long affiliated with our college while we conduct a search for those who will lead these units into the future,” said Dean Sally Wallace. “We appreciate their dedication to the college and look forward to the unique new leadership they will each bring to these units.”