Inside Administrative Power

Posted November 9, 2025 in Faculty, Public Administration MPA & EMPA

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Students drawn to the Master of Public Administration — the graduate degree that prepares professionals for leadership in government and nonprofit settings — often look for faculty who can translate the complexities of policymaking into something usable. In this profile, Public Affairs PhD candidate Giovi Romero Sarubbi explores how Lecturer Sean W. Hadley does exactly that. His background in administrative law, legislative process, and high-level policy advising shapes a teaching approach that helps students understand how decisions are made, why rules evolve, and what it takes to build credibility in public service.

A Career Built Inside Government and Around It

Sean W. Hadley, JD/MS, is a Lecturer in Public Policy who brings deep expertise from years of advising state and federal officials on complex policy challenges, representing the interests of mission-driven nonprofit organizations. His teaching and research are grounded in an understanding of administrative law, legislative processes, and regulatory frameworks.

A generational opportunity awaits graduates to redefine the role of the administrative state…and this generation will help shape new governance models that better serve the public interest.
Sean W. Hadley

Teaching That Shows Students the Real Rules of the Field

Professor Hadley teaches Law & Public Policy and Foundations of Policy Analysis. Drawing on decades of professional experience, he brings real-world insights into the classroom, helping students understand the norms and expectations of working with high-level public officials. He also actively connects students with professionals in the field through his extensive network, enriching their academic and career trajectories.

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The Policy Questions He Thinks Matter Most

Hadley’s research centers on issues that define today’s public administration landscape:

The evolving tension between expanding executive authority and heightened judicial scrutiny of administrative rulemaking.
The implications of waning Congressional productivity, including the need for revised theoretical models to understand public policy development.
Investigating how state and local governance can pioneer regulatory frameworks in cutting-edge domains, particularly in emerging innovation economies like commercialized spaceflight.

Guidance He Gives Students Starting Out

For students planning for long-term public service, he stresses:

The critical importance of credibility, built through accurate, timely expertise supported by material research and analysis.
The value of career flexibility and preserving optionality.
The importance of personal-professional alignment in a public or non-profit role.The long-term benefits of developing a focused area of specialization.

Why Public Administration Is Entering a Transformational Period

Professor Hadley anticipates substantial changes in public administration over the next decade:

A generational opportunity awaits graduates to redefine the role of the administrative state. Traditional norms of agency work are being reimagined, and this generation will help shape new governance models that better serve the public interest.
For scholars of administrative power and policymaking, the coming years will demand imaginative thinking. While honoring historical frameworks, researchers must move beyond models that are losing relevance and advance new theoretical approaches that reflect changing realities.

Must-Reads for Future Public Administrators

To better understand the complexities of government agenda-setting, Professor Hadley often recommends the work of John Kingdon, whose research provides foundational insights into how issues gain traction within the policymaking process.