Susan M. Opp, PhD, is currently a Full Professor of Public Policy and Administration and Director of the Master of Public Policy and Administration (MPPA) program at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado. She is also a Fulbright Scholar to Mauritius for 2021-2022 where she is studying economic development and sustainability on the island nation. Dr. Opp is a community engaged scholar that focuses on questions of local sustainability, economic development, and urban affairs in her research, teaching, and community service activities. Since receiving her Ph.D. in 2007 from the University of Louisville, Dr. Opp has served as the director of a NASPAA accredited MPA program, founder and director of the Masters in Public Policy and Administration (MPPA) graduate program, graduate programs coordinator for the MA and PhD in political science, internship director, and a variety of other public service related work. Her research has appeared in a number of academic and professional outlets including Urban Affairs Review, Journal of Urban Affairs, Economic Development Quarterly, and Local Environment, to name a few. She is also the author or editor of five books- including one printed as part of the ASPA series on public administration and policy in (2013). She had the distinct pleasure of being one of the inaugural APSA “Pracademic Fellows” at the Environmental Protection Agency working in the Office of Policy in 2016- thanks, in large part, to the efforts of Dr. Beryl Radin.
