Giordono joins sociology professor Mark Edwards in co-leading the innovative OSU Policy Analysis Lab
Leanne Giordono
By Colin Bowyer, Communications Manager - April 2, 2026
As the new Associate Director of the OSU Policy Analysis Lab (OPAL), Leanne Giordono, Ph.D. ‘18, will bring over 20 years of experience as a program evaluator and analyst to the vibrant student-operated social science lab.
Since 2013, OPAL has offered opportunities for students to conduct important applied policy research addressing real, systemic issues with independent partners in the public and private sector. Giordono will be joining Mark Edwards, professor of sociology, in co-leading the lab as it continues to take on external clients in the region. Giordono joined the faculty at the School of Public Policy (SPP) in Winter 2026. In addition to co-leading OPAL, Giordono is also an associate professor of teaching and will be offering regular contributions to the SPP graduate program.
What drives your interest in studying public policy and contributing to public policy decisions?
For as long as I can remember, I have believed in the capacity of government and other non-government actors, such as non-profits, philanthropists, and even private industry, to influence peoples’ lives and environments, both by making policy decisions that both directly impact their lives and by shaping the conditions in which they live. I recognize that government decisions yield positive outcomes only under selected conditions, and that’s where the study of public policy comes in—we have the opportunity to learn about the impacts of public policy (what outcomes occur in the wake of public policy decisions) as well as the public policy process (when/how/why do particular policy outcomes occur). In fact, my training began in the former with an M.P.A. from Princeton University, where I studied policy analysis, i.e., assessing alternative policy decisions on the basis of their likely impacts, followed by more than a decade conducting program evaluation, i.e., analyzing the impacts of policy decisions and related programming. In 2014, I returned to graduate school for my Ph.D. with the OSU School of Public Policy, where I pivoted toward research on the policy process, i.e., researching the conditions and factors that affect the policy decisions themselves.
We live in a complex society where public policy can and must be leveraged to address the “wicked problems” of today’s world, from climate change to homelessness to artificial intelligence. The study of public policy gives us the tools to address some of these issues through evidence-based decision-making, though admittedly, not all problems are public policy problems (and that distinction is also an important component of the study of public policy). Perhaps more importantly, however, is the opportunity for public policy to support ongoing discourse about what we want our future to look like.
You’ve conducted both academic/scholarly research and more applied/client-focused analysis. What can you tell us about the distinction between these two approaches to generating evidence about the public policy process and/or impacts?
There is considerable overlap between scholarly research and applied analysis, but they differ in important ways. Scholarly research is generally intended to contribute new and generalizable knowledge (e.g., developing and testing theory). Scholars who conduct academic research are often responsible for identifying gaps in knowledge, generating the research questions that can address them, and conducting relevant research. They often have considerable freedom to develop a broad research agenda and follow the leads that arise in the course of conducting their research, and peer-reviewed journal articles are often the main result of their research activities. Applied analysis is typically more “client-focused,” often informed by the organization or agency that solicited the research (e.g., regarding research questions, theory and/or methods), or else conducted to produce information about a specific situation or policy problem for a more general (public) audience. Both approaches can be conducted using rigorous and discipline-specific methods, and both can yield a variety of products, although scholarly research tends toward peer-reviewed journal articles, while applied analysis tends toward reports for client consumption and/or broad distribution, often described as “grey” literature. Both approaches are valuable for contributing to public policy that serves people and the world around us.
Tell us about your research interests and your work in progress.
From a policy process perspective, I am most interested in how/why and under what conditions that policy changes, especially for low-income or other disadvantaged populations, and under changing economic and environmental conditions. I have conducted policy process research in the area of social/safety net policy and also environmental/energy policy, including community and individual responses to extreme events. Most recently, I published a scoping review article that explored the overlap between the US government safety net and responses to extreme events and climate change. My applied research has broader substantive coverage, with several recent program evaluation projects related to OSU Extension & Engagement outreach programming (e.g., fire, food systems and agriculture), as well as new projects with OPAL in transportation and rural health.
I sometimes tell my classes that my superpower is that I am a generalist. This means that I have lots of interests and the capacity to jump onto different types of projects, often spanning boundaries between disciplines. The downside to my superpower is that I often spend a lot of time on the steep part of the learning curve and have fewer opportunities to “go deep” into specific topics and methods. The upside is that I’ve had to the opportunity to participate in projects across a variety of substantive areas, using multiple methods and with a wide variety of collaborators.
What are you looking forward to in joining the team at OPAL?
OPAL is, as its name implies, a jewel of the School of Public Policy, so I’m joining a line of strong leaders and students who have built its reputation for conducting high-quality analysis over the years. I’m excited to continue and grow that legacy, while also considering strategies for taking OPAL to the “next level.” The best part for me, though, is getting the opportunity to work closely with students on a wide variety of research and applied analysis projects that offer both experiential learning and exposure to potential career paths in the context of important and policy-relevant work that is intended to impact Oregonians and the broader region.