A Conversation with Incoming Acting Dean Stephanie Moulton

Published Date March 30, 2026

News Type Public Address

Stephanie Moulton, professor and associate dean for faculty and research at the John Glenn College of Public Affairs, will become acting dean May 1. Her two-year appointment follows the March 23 announcement from Ohio State University President Ravi V. Bellamkonda naming Dean Trevor Brown as interim executive vice president and provost for a two-year term, pending approval by the university’s Board of Trustees.

She shares her thoughts about her new position and her dedication to the Glenn College and the university’s land-grant mission.

What excites you about being the new acting dean at the Glenn College?

The Glenn College is truly a unique place. I joined the then-Glenn School in January 2009 as a new assistant professor. The school was newly created in 2006 from a merger of the John Glenn Institute and the university’s School of Public Policy and Management and was poised for growth. I was hired in the first wave of new faculty for the school as the seventh faculty member (by the way, now we have 25 faculty!).

Sen. John Glenn had an office in the building at the time, and it was not unusual to see him in the third-floor kitchen or to ride the elevator with him at the end of the day. Sen. Glenn’s commitment to public service truly permeated the entire building and all the people — faculty, staff and students — who are the life of the building. I’ve been to a lot of different public affairs schools around the country, and our culture — and our shared commitment to public service — is one of a kind and is the backbone that gives us our strength.

There is a quote from Sen. Glenn that hangs up in one of our stairwells that reads: “We are more fulfilled when we are involved in something bigger than ourselves.” That is the fundamental essence of the Glenn College experience — pursuing something bigger than yourself and doing so with humility and a commitment to serve.

Read the official announcement about Trevor Brown’s appointment as interim executive vice president and provost.

I provide that background because it is essential to why I accepted the call to serve our college as acting dean. It’s also why I am excited about our future and what we can accomplish together over the next few years. We’ve established a strong foundation and are poised to build our capacity in strategic areas of impact. For example, through our Washington, D.C., programs, professional development programs, experiential learning courses and internships, and external research partnerships, our students, faculty and staff impact the world outside the walls of the university every day. This type of public impact is central to our purpose as a college of public affairs and is part of our university’s land-grant mission. As acting dean, I am excited to build on this foundation to expand our college’s collective capacity for public impact, positioning our college to be a front door for nonprofit and government partners at the local, state and federal levels.

Why is the Glenn College’s dedication to Ohio State’s land-grant mission important to you?

I am a strong believer in public education and the transformative potential of public, land-grant research universities. Land-grant universities have a responsibility to the physical places where they are located — to give back to their state and local communities. They do this in multiple ways, from providing access to educational opportunities for residents from all backgrounds and walks of life; to delivering affordable dental, health and veterinary care to areas of the state that would otherwise go without care; to assisting nonprofit organizations, industry and government agencies with workforce development needs. As Ohio State pursues excellence in research, discovery and innovation as a top-tier research institution, it is critical that we not lose sight of our land-grant mission and that we pursue excellence for the benefit of our community, not simply ourselves.

At the Glenn College, our mission is grounded in a commitment to public service, inspiring and developing leaders who take the call to serve on behalf of something bigger than themselves, even when it is hard.

I am continuously inspired by our faculty, staff, students and alumni and their embodiment of public service in mindset and action.

Our faculty are not just building the next big theory but are using their research skills and expertise to inform solutions to messy public problems. We attract outstanding staff committed to a mission of public service, not just their jobs. Our students’ passion to improve our world inspires all of us every day. And our graduates are leading in government, nonprofit organizations and communities — tackling complex challenges, strengthening institutions and changing lives.

As a college of public affairs within a larger university ecosystem, we serve as a hub for public impact — helping government, nonprofit organizations and our communities thrive. That focus makes this a uniquely purposeful place.

How did you become interested in public affairs?

When I was an undergraduate student, I didn’t realize there was such a thing as public affairs. I wanted to do something to reduce poverty and address wealth disparities, so I majored in social work. My senior year, I interned with a housing nonprofit organization and was hired shortly after as a program manager, where I stayed for five years.

The Journey Toward Home

Incoming Acting Dean Stephanie Moulton leads a program called Power of Home, which provides ongoing support and access to resources to Ohio first-time homeowners.

Nearly every research project or partnership I’ve undertaken can be traced back to an experience I had during those five years — from standing on the porch of a first-generation homeowner facing foreclosure, to sitting across the table from a young mother struggling under the weight of credit card debt, to helping an older adult navigate their finances after the death of their lifelong partner. Through these encounters, I realized that I wanted to affect change at the system level — which required a different perspective. This is when I discovered public affairs. While still working at the nonprofit, I started an in-career master’s degree in public policy and management and found my calling. To me, public affairs provided a framework to make sense of the systemic challenges I experienced as a social worker, and it provided actionable tools to address those challenges.

Tell us a little about your research background and research interests.

Advancing Housing Solutions

Learn more about incoming Acting Dean Stephanie Moulton’s academic career.

Most of my research focuses on the causes and consequences of wealth inequality and household financial distress. I pay particular attention to the role of housing, given that homeownership is the primary source of wealth for most Americans — and is often the only source of wealth for lower-income households. I work closely with nonprofit and government organizations, such as the Ohio Housing Finance Agency, in my research. I find that I ask much better questions and produce more useful work when I deeply understand the context and talk to the real experts who are delivering programs and implementing policies for communities. It is important to me that the research I produce is of value to and useful for the world outside of academia, including the people who are carrying out policies and programs.

What do you consider to be your greatest professional accomplishments?

I honestly have to say my students. There is nothing that I am more proud of in my nearly two decades as a professor than the students I’ve been blessed to work with along the way. It brings me tremendous joy to learn about students who are working in a state government agency, or who lead strategy for a national nonprofit organization, or who are interning at a federal reserve bank, or who have decided themselves to go on and pursue — and succeed in — an academic career.

How would you describe your leadership style? What do you hope to bring to the college in your new role?

Folks who know me know that I have a lot of passion and energy. I’ve learned over the years that to be a force for good, that passion and energy needs to be focused. Otherwise, it leads to burnout — for myself, but also for people around me! I will bring that same focused energy and passion to this new role as acting dean for the college. I also care deeply about others and bring that care to my leadership. When I was a social worker, I signed a code of ethics that required us to affirm “the inherent dignity and worth of every person.” This value is fundamentally core to how I approach leadership and life. Even if we disagree on serious topics like politics or religion, each person has inherent worth and deserves to be treated with dignity. And, each of us — including me — also has immense capacity for change. Thus, it is important to make space for each other to grow. I hope to lead by creating the conditions where others can grow.