Mario Scalora is the new director of the University of Nebraska Public Policy Center. Marjorie Kostelnik, interim senior vice chancellor for academic affairs, announced the appointment June 2.
Scalora, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln professor of psychology, will assume the director’s post Aug. 15, pending approval by the Board of Regents.
The Public Policy Center provides assistance to policymakers and researchers on a wide range of public policy issues via policy-oriented research, consulting, data collection and analysis, program evaluation and management, as well as strategic planning and facilitation. Center researchers are from a range of disciplines, including business, economics, family and consumer sciences, law, political science, psychology and sociology.
As the center’s chief administrative officer, Scalora will lead in developing and strengthening relationships both internal and external to the university, pursuing collaborative opportunities, marketing the center’s services and securing funds to support the organization’s mission of promoting excellence in policy by providing state-of-the-art research and consulting services to governments and communities, especially in Nebraska.
“Mario will be a strategic advocate for the center and partner to campus priorities,” Kostelnik said. “He is committed to increasing the visibility of the center and identifying new opportunities for research partnerships, and he shares the staff’s passion for outreach, public policy and interdisciplinary collaboration.”
Scalora has been an instructor and researcher at UNL since 1997, during which time he has worked closely with the university’s clinical training and law-psychology programs. His research has focused on various aspects of targeted violence, including threat assessment and management, counterterrorism, school violence and workplace violence. He also studies psychological factors relevant to national security-related deterrence and intelligence analysis.
Scalora also collaborates with federal, state and local agencies. His research portfolio has leveraged a range of federal and state funding sources to facilitate research, training and program development activities in areas of violence assessment and prevention. He also is a consultant to law enforcement agencies and universities regarding threat assessment and safety issues.
“I wish to thank Chancellor Ronnie Green and Vice Chancellor Kostelnik for their confidence in granting me this opportunity,” Scalora said. “I look forward to helping continue the exemplary outreach work done by the Public Policy Center.”
Scalora will succeed Alan Tomkins, who is stepping down as the center’s director to join the National Science Foundation. Tomkins has been on leave since 2014, and Nancy Shank will continue as the center’s acting director until August.
