Pope “Mac” McCorkle III
“The Sanford School faculty aren't just academics. Within a few moments of talking with any of your professors, you begin to realize that they are drawing on a vast wealth of actual policymaking experience.”
Public Policy Graduate Program Staff
Director of Graduate Studies, Master of Public Policy Program
Pope “Mac” McCorkle served as an issues consultant to political candidates, state governments, and various organizations for the over two decades. After starting McCorkle Policy Consulting in 1994, he worked for state and federal candidates in North Carolina as well as 28 other states.
Mac has published articles on politics and public policy in such academic journals as the Journal of Law and Politics and the Journal of the Historical Society as well as such magazines as Columbia Journalism Review and Commonweal. He graduated from Princeton magna cum laude in history and Duke Law School with honors, clerked on United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (1984-85), and practiced law for a number of years in Raleigh with the firm founded by former Duke President Terry Sanford.
Mac currently oversees the Sanford MPP program, works with staff and students on curriculum issues, and teaches courses on the politics and ethics of public policy.
Phone: 919.613.4390 Email: mac.mccorkle@duke.edu
Director of Student Services and Program Development
Helene works with current students and the Director of the MPP Program in support of the Master of Public Policy Program.
From matriculation through graduation, Helene interacts with current MPP students to provide support services. She coordinates orientation and graduation events, serves as a liaison between the MPP Program and University agencies to include the bursar and registrar; provides course and academic career advice to students. Helene represents student needs to the program, faculty, Sanford administration, and University officials. Students are encouraged to view her office as a gateway to addressing their concerns.
Prior to relocating to the Triangle in 2001, Helene taught middle and high school English at Ursuline Academy in Wilmington, DE. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary English Education/Communications from Temple University in 1991. Before joining the MPP Program, Helene worked in Duke University’s Master of Arts in Teaching Program. Providing support to MPP candidates continues Helene’s commitment to enhancing students’ learning experiences.
Phone: 919.613.9207 Email: helene.mcadams@duke.edu
Director of Admissions & Financial Aid
Jessica travels around the country and world to recruit the best students for Sanford's master's programs.
Prior to joining Duke in 2010, she served as Associate Director of Admissions for Georgetown University's Master of Science in Foreign Service (MSFS). She also worked for Georgetown University's Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship (CNDLS) and the State University of New York at Binghamton's Career Development Center. Jessica holds a B.A. in Comparative Literature and a minor in Asian and Asian American Studies from the State University of New York at Binghamton. She earned her M.A. in English from Georgetown University. Prior to moving to North Carolina, she lived in NY, London, and DC.
Phone: 919.613.9205 Email: MPPadmit@duke.edu
Program Coordinator, Data Management and Financial Aid
Sarah performs duties in support of the Master of Public Policy (MPP) Program. She manages information flow regarding admissions, matriculation, student careers, and degree completion. She also assists MPP students with financial aid.
Sarah has been working at the Sanford School since 2005. She holds a degree in History from California State University, Fresno.
Phone: 919.613.9204 Email: sarah.danielson@duke.edu
Director of Graduate Studies, PhD in Public Policy Program
PhD Economics, Harvard University, 1999
Jacob Vigdor is Professor of Public Policy and Economics at Duke University, and a Faculty Research Fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research. He received a B.S. in Policy Analysis from Cornell University in 1994 and a Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard University in 1999.
His research interests are in the broad areas of education policy, housing policy, and political economy. Within those areas, he has published numerous scholarly articles on the topics of residential segregation, immigration, housing affordability, the consequences of gentrification, the determinants of student achievement in elementary school, the causes and consequences of delinquent behavior among adolescents, teacher turnover, civic participation and voting patterns, and racial inequality in the labor market. These articles have been published in outlets such as The Journal of Political Economy, The Review of Economics and Statistics, The Journal of Public Economics, The Journal of Human Resources, and The Journal of Policy Analysis and Management.
Phone: 919.613.9226 Email: jacob.vigdor@duke.edu
Program Coordinator, PhD in Public Policy Program
Marylu is responsible for the overall coordination and operation of the PhD in Public Policy program. She works with the Director of Graduate Studies to continue to assess and develop the program.
Marylu assists in the recruitment and admissions process as well as financial services and budget management. She serves at the main liaison between the Sanford School and the Duke Graduate School.
Marylu comes to Sanford with 20 years of administrative experience at Duke.
Phone: 919.613.9214 Email: PPPhD@duke.edu
Professor of Public Policy and Sociology and Associate Dean for Academic Programs
Elizabeth Frankenberg is a professor in the Sanford School of Public Policy and the Department of Sociology at Duke University. Her research focuses on three thematic areas: the ways in which the health and social service environment shape the well-being of individuals, the ways that interactions among family members influence well-being, and how individuals respond to changes induced by unexpected events such as economic crises and natural disasters. Frankenberg has directed several large-scale longitudinal surveys in Indonesia, including the Indonesia Family Life Survey and the Study of the Tsunami Aftermath and Recovery. At the Sanford School Elizabeth oversees the academic programs, works with students and staff on curriculum issues and student advising, and teaches Survey Methods and Management. She has an M.P.A from Princeton University, and a Ph.D. in demography and sociology from the University of Pennsylvania.
Phone: 919.613.9311 Email: e.frankenberg@duke.edu
Assistant Dean, Academic Programming and Student Affairs
Michael provides strategic leadership for several Sanford School academic initiatives and oversees administrative support for the various degree programs. Before joining Sanford, Michael worked as a legislative assistant for health care issues in the US House of Representatives, as a program manager for a large AIDS service organization, and as chief operating officer for the UNC Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases. Michael earned his MPA with an emphasis on nonprofit management at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte followed by work in health law and policy at the UNC School of Public Health. In addition to his Sanford administrative duties, Michael has an interest in the intersection of the public health and nonprofit sectors and remains actively engaged in public health research and leadership.
Phone: 919.613.9227 Email: michael.case@duke.edu
