Dr. Melinda R. Tarsi-Goldfien

Melinda R. Tarsi-Goldfien is a 2018 winner of the Presidential Award for Distinguished Teaching, and specializes in the field of American politics, with research interests in public opinion, local government and public administration. Dr. Tarsi-Goldfien is also the Chair of the Master of Public Administration Program. Her work has appeared in Journalism Practice; Armed Forces and Society; Politics, Groups, and Identities; Social Science Quarterly; and the Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics, among others. Her research has also been featured in the media on Salon.com, Bloomberg.com and the Washington Post’s blog, “The Monkey Cage.” Dr. Tarsi teaches courses on American politics and public administration. In addition to her academic work, she is also a member her town's finance committee, President of the Association of Town Finance Committees for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, an Executive Board Member of the MA Municipal Association, a member of the Local Government Advisory Council for the Commonwealth of MA, and the co-editor of the Finance Committee Handbook.