Nuri Heckler

Nuri Heckler serves as an Associate Research Professor at the University of Connecticut while also holding a courtesy appointment. In parallel, he is Co-Editor-in-Chief of Administrative Theory & Praxis and Director of Data Analytics for the Mayor’s Office of Children and Families in the City of Philadelphia, leading a team that supports thousands of municipal workers with evidence-based research on child welfare, juvenile justice, education, and family supports.

Educated at the City College of New York (B.A. Philosophy, 2005), the University of Denver (J.D., 2008), and the University of Colorado Denver (Ph.D. Public Affairs, 2019), he previously held a tenured Associate Professorship at the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s School of Public Administration, where he was recognized as an award-winning teacher and served as Second Vice President of the Faculty Union.

His research agenda integrates administrative law with empirical methodologies to examine governance structures in federal agencies, municipalities, and nonprofit organizations, all oriented toward advancing social justice. He has published extensively in flagship journals such as the Journal of Public Administration Research & Theory (J-PART), Nonprofit & Voluntary Sector Quarterly, Administrative Theory & Praxis, Public Integrity, Urban Affairs Review, and Journal of Public Administration Education, as well as in various law reviews. Current work in progress explores the intersection of child welfare, intergenerational trauma transfer, and social justice within modern municipal government.

When not immersed in research or policy analytics, Nuri enjoys baking award-winning cookies, bicycling to Philadelphia’s breweries and restaurants, and spending time with his two teenagers and two small dogs.