UCF’s School of Public Administration is starting off the 2025-26 academic year with a new face at the helm.
Bradley Heim, a professor of public affairs, has officially stepped into the role as the school’s new director. Heim joins UCF from Indiana University’s O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, where he most recently served as executive associate dean.
Although new to the school, Heim says he was already familiar with its profile and has interacted with faculty members at various conferences. When one of his former doctoral students shared news of the role’s opening with him, he was immediately drawn to the opportunity.
“UCF is clearly a university that's on the rise, and the School of Public Administration is full of great faculty, staff and students,” he says. “It has tremendous opportunities, so it seemed like an exciting prospect. Not only is it a role that interested me at an institution I respect, it’s also in a great location for myself and my family. Typically, in academia, you have to choose one or the other, and this was one of those rare cases where there’s a clear overlap.”
Heim holds a PhD in economics from Northwestern University, as well as a bachelor’s in economics and mathematical sciences from Johns Hopkins University. Prior to his time at Indiana University, one of Heim’s roles was serving as a financial economist for the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Tax Analysis. There and in his research, he’s used economic modeling and administrative data — along with econometric tools — to study the behavioral effects of tax and economic policies and how they can be improved.
Although his educational and research backgrounds focus largely on economic policy, its intersectionality with public affairs and policy means he is no stranger to the field of public administration.
“One of the things I like about the role of the school is the impact that it has on policy, administration and society,” he says. “We’re teaching students, and we’re conducting and publishing research. At the same time, we have a public-facing mission that allows us to take what we know to advise and prepare the next generation of public-service practitioners and policymakers in helping shape administrative policies and practices. The location in downtown Orlando certainly is a huge advantage to foster those relationships with the city, county and beyond.”
For Heim, being a leader means working alongside faculty and staff in collectively moving the needle forward through mentorship, elevating and amplifying a variety of research agendas, and expanding the school’s reach. Among his first order of business is meeting with them to gain a better sense of strengths and opportunities for growth.
“I'd like to increase our profile, reputation and ultimately the ranking of the entire school to make it the undisputed leader in Florida and beyond among public administration schools,” he says. “End to end, we are poised to be able to do that. Many public administration schools don't have undergraduate programs, so we’re already ahead of the game there. Additionally, given the college’s program portfolio, there are many opportunities for interdisciplinary cross-pollination that could help create a pipeline for attracting more undergraduate and graduate students to our programs.”
In gaining his bearings and preparing to kick off the new academic year with his team, Heim hopes to establish himself as an accessible leader, involved team player and creative-minded colleague.
“It’s exciting to be able to work on higher-level, strategic planning alongside faculty and staff that takes the big picture into account and spurs progress,” he says. “I'm looking forward to working together with everyone to get a sense of the possibilities at hand for setting faculty, staff and students up for success.”