The Graduate School of Political Management announced its new interim executive director, its first since 2022, last week, according to a University release.
Angela McMillen Ayres, an executive at nonprofit Tusk Fundraising, was named as the school’s interim executive director as it embarks on a search for a permanent director, according to the release. GSPM, which is housed under the College of Professional Studies, has been without a director since its former director Lara Brown, who served in the role from 2016 until 2022, left, which community members said earlier this year hurt the school’s viability.
“GSPM is uniquely positioned to make a difference in the political landscape, and I am honored to contribute my experience and vision to help us grow and thrive,” Ayres said in the release.
The school will begin a search for a permanent executive director in spring 2025, including student, faculty and staff perspectives during the process, according to the release.
Liesl Riddle, the dean of CPS, said in the release that Ayres is a “seasoned” leader and “dedicated” mentor to students in political management.
“Her commitment to fostering new talent within the political arena aligns seamlessly with GSPM’s mission to empower the next generation of political leaders,” Riddle said in the release.
Ayres, a former member of the GSPM Board of Advisors, is the CEO of Tusk Fundraising, an organization which aids nonprofits and Republican political campaigns in fundraising. She previously served as the executive director of the American Association of Political Consultants, a professional organization for individuals working in political consulting, communications and public affairs, according to the release.
Members of the board said earlier this year that the lack of a director hurt the school because it needs someone to lead the school in fundraising, recruiting students and growing the school’s visibility. The school’s enrollment fell 24 percent from 2022 to 2023, with 171 students enrolled in GSPM programs last spring.
Since the position was vacated in 2022, the board has been working to increase funding, recruitment and hire faculty amid six straight years of declining enrollment at the school. After Brown left the role, the board temporarily set up three subcommittees to oversee enrollment, hire adjunct faculty, update the school’s curriculum and build connections with other universities and employers.
This year, the school has revamped its public relations master’s degree program and restarted its Semester in Washington program under the direction of CPS administrators, like Riddle and Tobias Greiff, the associate dean for academic affairs at CPS.
