Truman School of Government and Public Affairs

Kathleen Miller is the Director of Academic Programs and Associate Teaching Professor in the Truman School of Public Affairs. She manages the Master of Public Affairs, graduate certificate, and Public Adminsitration and Policy BA programs. Her teaching includes the core MPA research methods courses, Regional and Economic Development, and Capstone. Prior to her role with the Truman School, Professor Miller spent 15 years as the program director for the Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI). RUPRI was created in the 1990s by a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators seeking to develop an external, nonpartisan policy research institute to address the rural differential impact of public policies and programs. RUPRI’s work covered a wide range of topics and a collaborative research and policy analysis approach, connecting leading scholars and practitioners to policymakers. In her role, Professor Miller had the opportunity to work on several key policy issues, including close work with Congressional Agriculture Committees and the USDA on rural issues with the Farm Bill. Professor Miller has been a leading expert on the relationship between which definition of “rural” the federal government uses and program effectiveness, working with RUPRI to prepare Congressional testimony on this topic.