Jonathan P. West earned his Ph.D. and M.A. in Political Science from Northwestern University and his B.S. in Political Science from the University of Utah.  He is a professor of Political Science and Director of the Masters of Public Administration program at the University of Miami.  For 28 years he has directed UM’s graduate MPA program, for 15 years he served as Chair of Political Science and for a year and half he was Interim Chair in the Department of International Studies.  Professor West’s research interests include public policy and administration, human resource management, productivity, local government, and ethics. He has published eight books and over 100 articles and book chapters.  His most recent books are co-edited with Bowman, American Public Service: Radical Reform and the Merit System (Taylor & Francis, 2007) and with Berman, The Ethics Edge (2nd ed., ICMA, 2006).  Other recent co-authored books are Berman, Bowman, and Van Wart, Human Resource Management:  Paradoxes, Processes and Problems (2nd ed., Sage, 2006) and The Professional Edge:  Competencies in Public Service (M. E. Sharpe, 2004).  The latter two books are currently being revised for the 3rd and 2nd editions, respectively.   For 10 years he has been the Managing Editor of Public Integrity, an ASPA journal co-sponsored by the International City/County Management Association, the Council of State Governments, the Ethics Resource Center and the Council on Governmental Ethics Laws.  His previous academic appointments were in the Department of Public Policy, Planning and Administration at the University of Arizona and in the Department of Political Science at the University of Houston.  Prior to his academic career, he served as a management analyst in the U.S. Surgeon General’s Office, Department of the Army, Washington, D.C. doing health-related research.  Professor West teaches MPA courses in human resource management, productivity improvement in the public and nonprofit sectors, public policy analysis and administration, politics and ethics, and ethical issues in government, nonprofits and business.

Michael E. Milakovich (Ph.D. Indiana; B.A. UC-Santa Barbara) specializes in: public management and productivity improvement, business-government relations, administration of justice, and healthcare management. He has authored or co-authored 12 books or monographs and published numerous articles, chapters, and reviews in referred journals such as the International Public Management Review, Public Performance and Management Review, American Review of Public Administration, American Political Science Review, Crime and Delinquency, Health Care Management REVIEW, Justice System Journal, National Productivity Review, National Civic Review, Public Administration, Quality Assurance and Utilization Review, and The Journal of Health and Human Resource Administration. His books include Improving Service Quality in the Global Economy (Auerbach Press, 2006), Public Administration in America 5th-10th Ed. w/ G. Gordon (Wadsworth/St. Martins Press, 1995-2010), Florida State and Local Government (Prentice-Hall, 1993), and U.S vs. Crime in the Streets w/T&T Cronin (Indiana University Press, 1981). He formerly served as MPA Director, University of North Carolina-Greensboro and Project Director for the University of Miami Institute for Quality in Manufacturing and Service. He is a Life Member of the American Society for Public Administration; serves as an expert witness in State and Federal courts; advises numerous public, private, non-profit and international organizations on policy analysis and quality improvement strategies; and is a member of several editorial boards. He has conducted global interdisciplinary research, consulted and lectured with numerous businesses, governments, and health care organizations in the United States as well as the Bahamas, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, England, Hungary, Germany, Japan, Martinique, Turkey, and Venezuela. Dr. Milakovich teaches the introduction to graduate public administration course and a course on total quality public service management.

Arthur M. Simon holds business and law degrees from the University of Miami (B.B.A & J.D.) and advanced degrees in public administration from Harvard University (M.P.A.) and Florida State University (Ph.D.). Besides his professional career as a practicing   attorney in Miami, Art Simon served six consecutive two-year terms in the Florida House of Representatives where he chaired committees on insurance, commerce, and human services. Thereafter, he worked eight years as a senior manager in the Florida Department of Banking and Finance, first as Director of the Division of Banking and then as Deputy Comptroller. Art Simon teaches courses in state and national government, public policy and administration, nonprofit organizations, administrative law, game theory, and political analysis. Formerly, Art Simon served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps.

Richard A. Brumback (Ph.D. in Public Administration, Florida State University; M.P.A. and M.A., Florida Atlantic University) is a practitioner and academic in Public Administration.  He is a Lecturer in Public Administration and Political Science at the University of Miami and a principal in the public management consulting firm of R.G.Orman & Co.  He has served as Planning Director for Vancouver, Washington; Director of Land Development, Office of the County Engineer, Palm Beach County, Florida; and as a member of  the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.  His publications include book chapters, monographs, and articles in several refereed journals such as,  Land Use Law and Zoning Digest, Forum for Applied Research and Public Policy, Urban Law and Policy. He is a member of Pi Alpha Alpha honorary society for Public Administration, American Society for Public Administration, American Political Science Association, and American Planning Association. He teaches public budgeting and financial management and the political environment of business for MPA students.

Dr. de Arrigunaga received the Doctorate of Public Administration from Nova Southeastern University in 1992; the Master's in Public Administration from Golden Gate University in 1975; and, the Bachelor of Science in Physics from Louisiana State University in 1962.

He completed a full 20 year career in the United States Air Force as a Command Pilot, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1982, having served in a variety of command and staff positions.

He was awarded numerous commendations for superior achievements. Among these are the Silver Star, two Distinguished Flying Crosses and 11 Air Medals for combat successes in Southeast Asia during the 1969-70 time period. Subsequently, he became an executive with the Miami-Dade County Government for 11 years, rising to the position of Asst. Director of the Miami-Dade Transit Agency in 1991.

In 1995, he moved to San Antonio, Texas, where he spent the next seven years as the Assistant General Manager of the VIA Metropolitan Transit Agency. Dr. de Arrigunaga returned to the Miami area in 2002, where he taught Political Science and Public Administration at the University of Miami, as well as at Nova Southeastern University, at both the graduate and undergraduate level. His fields of interest include Management, American Government, and Comparative Government. His dissertation addressed leadership and its impact on public sector productivity. In August, 2004, he was offered, and did accept, a position as a full time member of the faculty in the Political Science Department at the University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida. He is a Past President of the South Florida Chapter of ASPA, and is currently a member of the Board of Directors. He teaches MPA courses on organizational theory and behavior, project management and urban politics and administration.