AP-NORC Center Experts

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Lesley Turner

Associate Professor
University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy

Lesley J. Turner is an Associate Professor at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, faculty research fellow of the National Bureau of Economic Research, and CESifo research affiliate. Her research broadly considers the roles that government should play in providing, financing, and regulating education. Recent work examines how the incentives built into the current structure of the financing of higher education affects students and colleges, and the implications these responses have for students’ educational attainment, labor market outcomes, and financial wellbeing. She served as Senior Advisor in the Office of the Under Secretary and Office of the Chief Economist at the U.S. Department of Education in 2022 and as an education fellow in the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee in 2018-19. Prior to joining the University of Chicago, Dr. Turner was an Associate Professor of Economics at Vanderbilt University and Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Maryland. She holds a joint B.A./M.P.P. program from the University of Michigan and a Ph.D. in Economics from Columbia University.

Lesley Turner

Associate Professor
University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy

Lesley J. Turner is an Associate Professor at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, faculty research fellow of the National Bureau of Economic Research, and CESifo research affiliate. Her research broadly considers the roles that government should play in providing, financing, and regulating education. Recent work examines how the incentives built into the current structure of the financing of higher education affects students and colleges, and the implications these responses have for students’ educational attainment, labor market outcomes, and financial wellbeing. She served as Senior Advisor in the Office of the Under Secretary and Office of the Chief Economist at the U.S. Department of Education in 2022 and as an education fellow in the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee in 2018-19. Prior to joining the University of Chicago, Dr. Turner was an Associate Professor of Economics at Vanderbilt University and Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Maryland. She holds a joint B.A./M.P.P. program from the University of Michigan and a Ph.D. in Economics from Columbia University.

Ethan Bueno de Mesquita

Dean and Sydney Stein Professor
University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy

Ethan Bueno de Mesquita is the Dean and Sydney Stein Professor at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, and a Faculty Associate in the University of Chicago Department of Political Science.

A leading political scientist whose research applies game theoretic models to the study of conflict, political violence, national security, and electoral politics, he has also written extensively on methodological issues in the social sciences. He writes and advises leaders in the public and private sectors on both national security matters and issues at the intersection of technology and society.

Prior to assuming the role of dean in 2025, Ethan served as Interim Dean and Deputy Dean of the Harris School since 2011, as chair of the Pearson Institute Advisory Council, and as co-chair of Harris’ Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Board. He is a member of the board of directors of the Empirical Studies of Conflict Project. Additionally, he served on the steering committee responsible for establishing the PhD in Political Economy and was a member of the Obama Presidential Center Faculty Partnership Advisory Committee.

He is the author or co-author of Political Economy for Public Policy, Theory and Credibility, and Thinking Clearly with Data (all from Princeton University Press) as well as many articles in both political science and economics. He has also written for outlets such as Foreign Policy, the Boston Review, the Harvard Business Review, War on the Rocks, the Chicago Tribune, the National Interest, and others. His research has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the Office of Naval Research, and the United States Institute of Peace.

Before joining the University of Chicago faculty in 2007, Ethan was a faculty member in the political science department at Washington University in St. Louis and was a Lady Davis Fellow and visiting faculty member at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Center for the Study of Rationality and Department of Political Science. Ethan is an alumnus of the University of Chicago, AB’96, and earned his MA (2000) and PhD (2003) in political science from Harvard University.

Ethan Bueno de Mesquita

Dean and Sydney Stein Professor
University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy

Ethan Bueno de Mesquita is the Dean and Sydney Stein Professor at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, and a Faculty Associate in the University of Chicago Department of Political Science.

A leading political scientist whose research applies game theoretic models to the study of conflict, political violence, national security, and electoral politics, he has also written extensively on methodological issues in the social sciences. He writes and advises leaders in the public and private sectors on both national security matters and issues at the intersection of technology and society.

Prior to assuming the role of dean in 2025, Ethan served as Interim Dean and Deputy Dean of the Harris School since 2011, as chair of the Pearson Institute Advisory Council, and as co-chair of Harris’ Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Board. He is a member of the board of directors of the Empirical Studies of Conflict Project. Additionally, he served on the steering committee responsible for establishing the PhD in Political Economy and was a member of the Obama Presidential Center Faculty Partnership Advisory Committee.

He is the author or co-author of Political Economy for Public Policy, Theory and Credibility, and Thinking Clearly with Data (all from Princeton University Press) as well as many articles in both political science and economics. He has also written for outlets such as Foreign Policy, the Boston Review, the Harvard Business Review, War on the Rocks, the Chicago Tribune, the National Interest, and others. His research has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the Office of Naval Research, and the United States Institute of Peace.

Before joining the University of Chicago faculty in 2007, Ethan was a faculty member in the political science department at Washington University in St. Louis and was a Lady Davis Fellow and visiting faculty member at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Center for the Study of Rationality and Department of Political Science. Ethan is an alumnus of the University of Chicago, AB’96, and earned his MA (2000) and PhD (2003) in political science from Harvard University.

Lindsey Witt-Swanson

Senior Research Director
NORC
Phone: (312) 256-1154

Lindsey is a senior research director at NORC’s Public Affairs & Media Research department. With extensive experience in designing and managing projects of varying sizes and complexities, she is an expert in a wide range of data collection methodologies, including web, phone, paper, and in-person data collection.

Throughout her career, Lindsey has managed numerous public opinion projects with both regional and national scopes. She served as the project manager for the Religion Benchmarks Study for the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) Survey Center on American Life to understand changes in religion over the course of the pandemic. Currently, Lindsey is the project manager for the National Recreational Boating Safety Survey, a five-year project with the United States Coast Guard aimed at measuring recreational boating aspects at the national and state levels.

In addition to her project management roles, Lindsey is dedicated to advancing the field of survey research. She has published scholarly work in peer-reviewed journals and regularly presents research at conferences. Lindsey is also actively involved with the Midwest Association for Public Opinion Research (MAPOR) Executive Council, having served as secretary/treasurer and member-at-large and currently serving as associate conference chair. Before joining NORC, she spent eleven years conducting survey research at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln, working with academics, state government agencies, and nonprofit organizations.

Lindsey Witt-Swanson

Senior Research Director
NORC
(312) 256-1154

Lindsey is a senior research director at NORC’s Public Affairs & Media Research department. With extensive experience in designing and managing projects of varying sizes and complexities, she is an expert in a wide range of data collection methodologies, including web, phone, paper, and in-person data collection.

Throughout her career, Lindsey has managed numerous public opinion projects with both regional and national scopes. She served as the project manager for the Religion Benchmarks Study for the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) Survey Center on American Life to understand changes in religion over the course of the pandemic. Currently, Lindsey is the project manager for the National Recreational Boating Safety Survey, a five-year project with the United States Coast Guard aimed at measuring recreational boating aspects at the national and state levels.

In addition to her project management roles, Lindsey is dedicated to advancing the field of survey research. She has published scholarly work in peer-reviewed journals and regularly presents research at conferences. Lindsey is also actively involved with the Midwest Association for Public Opinion Research (MAPOR) Executive Council, having served as secretary/treasurer and member-at-large and currently serving as associate conference chair. Before joining NORC, she spent eleven years conducting survey research at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln, working with academics, state government agencies, and nonprofit organizations.

Emily Alvarez

Deputy Director
AP-NORC
Phone: (312) 802-5653

Emily is a senior research scientist and deputy director of the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. She has more than a decade of experience in measuring public opinion on a broad range of topics including environmental and energy policy, parenting and education, trust in government, and elections. She has a particular interest in distilling complex research findings for dissemination to stakeholders, journalists, and the broader public. She also serves as a member of NORC’s Institutional Review Board.

Emily holds a MA in Political Science from Northwestern University.

Emily Alvarez

Deputy Director
AP-NORC
(312) 802-5653

Emily is a senior research scientist and deputy director of the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. She has more than a decade of experience in measuring public opinion on a broad range of topics including environmental and energy policy, parenting and education, trust in government, and elections. She has a particular interest in distilling complex research findings for dissemination to stakeholders, journalists, and the broader public. She also serves as a member of NORC’s Institutional Review Board.

Emily holds a MA in Political Science from Northwestern University.

Sam Ori

Executive Director, EPIC; Executive Director, Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth
EPIC

Sam Ori is the Executive Director at the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth as well as the Executive Director at the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC). He was formerly the Executive Director of the Becker Friedman Institute. From 2013 to 2015, he served as Executive Vice President at Securing America’s Future Energy (SAFE), a Washington, DC-based organization dedicated to reducing American oil dependence in order to enhance economic and national security. From 2007 to 2013, Sam led SAFE’s policy work on a variety of topics, ranging from global oil and natural gas markets to transportation technology. Prior to joining SAFE, Sam spent four years working in the federal government at the Broadcasting Board of Governors and Department of State, including at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, India.

Sam Ori

Executive Director, EPIC; Executive Director, Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth
EPIC

Sam Ori is the Executive Director at the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth as well as the Executive Director at the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC). He was formerly the Executive Director of the Becker Friedman Institute. From 2013 to 2015, he served as Executive Vice President at Securing America’s Future Energy (SAFE), a Washington, DC-based organization dedicated to reducing American oil dependence in order to enhance economic and national security. From 2007 to 2013, Sam led SAFE’s policy work on a variety of topics, ranging from global oil and natural gas markets to transportation technology. Prior to joining SAFE, Sam spent four years working in the federal government at the Broadcasting Board of Governors and Department of State, including at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, India.