Directors
Directors at CURA contribute to the Center through engagement, collaboration, and support. They are active in CURA events and energetically seek out new CURA-related projects through their networks. Directors also collaborate with other University units under the CURA banner, as well as work closely with CURA staff to assist on projects as needed. Their support is critical to the Center’s mission to serve as a bridge across academia, industry, and the policy sector and integral to our goal of becoming the hub for urban issues at The Ohio State University.
- Harvey Miller (Director); Professor; Department of Geography
- Ningchuan Xiao (Associate Director); Professor; Department of Geography
Advisory Board
The CURA Advisory Board is comprised of seats allocated to organizations whose interests are aligned with ours. We consider these organizations to be key partners in the pursuit of our mission, and we believe the expert guidance provided by their representatives is critical to the success of our organization.
- College of Arts and Sciences: Janet M. Box-Steffensmeier, Interim Executive Dean and Vice Provost
- Social and Behavioral Sciences: Morton O'Kelly, Professor and Divisional Dean
- Sustainable and Resilient Economy Initiative: Elena Irwin, Faculty Director
- Translational Data Analytics Institute (representative TBD)
- OSU Libraries Research Commons: Joshua Sadvari, Program Manager and GIS Specialist
- John Glenn College of Public Affairs: Robert Greenbaum, Professor and Associate Dean for Curriculum
- Knowlton School of Architecture, City and Regional Planning section: Gulsah Akar, Associate Professor, PhD Program Chair and Graduate Studies Chair
- Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity (representative TBD)
- City of Columbus: Shoreh Elhami, Enterprise Data Architect & Citywide GIS Manager
- Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission: Aaron Schill, Director of Regional Data and Mapping