Lara Brown will serve as the permanent director of the Graduate School of Political Management, the University announced Tuesday.

Brown had been serving as interim director since last July after the previous director Mark Kennedy left to become president of the University of North Dakota. Before her promotion, Brown worked as an associate professor and director of the school’s political management program starting in 2013, according to the release.

“Not only am I excited about the opportunity to continue our school’s work of educating the next generation of leaders and promoting cutting-edge political research, but I am looking forward to connecting with our more than 4,000 alumni to build a stronger GSPM community,” Brown said in the release.

Officials said last year that a search would be conducted to find a permanent director for the school. A formal search was never announced.

Previously, Brown taught political science at Villanova University as an assistant professor and worked for the U.S. Department of Education under President Bill Clinton. She studied at the University of California, Los Angeles, according to the release.

Brown plans to continue publishing books as a director. She will be releasing a book called “Campaigning for President 2016: Strategy and Tactics” with GSPM Professor Emeritus Dennis Johnson in 2018. She also produced the first study of aspiring presidents from the 1790s through to modern times.

Brown is frequently cited in the political press and was part of the University’s coverage of former FBI Director James Comey’s blockbuster Congressional hearing last month.

“Director Brown has worked tirelessly to raise the profile of GSPM and is a key component of its growing success,” Ali Eskandarian, the dean of the College of Professional Studies, which oversees GSPM, said in the release. “We look forward to her continued leadership.”