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Olha Krupa, PhD
Program Director, Masters of Public Administration Program
Biography
Olha Krupa is an associate professor and a policy researcher at Seattle University’s Institute of Public Service. She completed her BA degree in international business in Ukraine and an MPA and a Ph.D. degree in public finance and public affairs at Indiana University, Bloomington. Tax policy is her expertise: she studies equity in property tax assessments, state and local government reform, and K-12 school finance. Dr. Krupa participates in various research projects as a data analyst. Most recently, she held a visiting scholar appointment at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy Research and a data analyst contract on a charitable giving study by the Giving USA Foundation. During her professional formation, she received continuous, significant support from Indiana University, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, Open Society Institute, and the US Department of State.
Why teaching in the MPA program: The explicit social justice focus of Seattle University means I can translate common finance concepts to an enthusiastic and curious group of learners. I feel as if I can help them understand and improve public sector programming.
Brief bio: Olha Krupa describes herself as a public finance researcher, teacher, and data analyst. After working in consulting and finance, she spent the last decade teaching at Seattle University’s MPA and BPA programs. She aspires to make public finance and budgeting accessible, understandable, and helpful for all public sector professionals in the Puget Sound area.
Courses Taught
She teaches required courses in the MPA and BPA programs including Financial Management, Budgeting in the Public Sector, Government Finance, and Capstone in Public Service.
Student interest areas: She particularly enjoys working with students designing their original research on public school finance, helping them understand how to use research to create strong public policy on issues they care about, write op-eds, and use social media to draw attention to those issues.
Why she teaches in the MPA program: “Seattle U’s MPA program has outstanding students. We engage in complex topics that begin with incomplete information and oh-so many parameters and then deliver efficient solutions that center on humanity and justice. Our students arrive with courage, creativity, and care for each other, making my teaching a truly rewarding experience”.
Publications
Olha has published papers and special reports on property tax assessment, local government administration and reform, and charitable giving in Public Finance Review, State Tax Notes, and International Journal of Property Tax Assessment and Administration journals. These can be accessed here. She also appears in the local media interpreting the Russian invasion of Ukraine.