A core objective of the Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy is to promote research on legislative oversight to deepen understanding of its role in democratic governance. We launched our Oversight Fellowship Program in 2021. We are pleased to now announce our 2024/25 Levin Center Oversight Fellows.
We look forward to supporting our fellows in their scholarly work.
Jason Juffras – Senior Analyst – Office of DC Auditor
Jason Juffras is a senior analyst at the Office of the District of Columbia Auditor, where he has designed and led evaluations of education, human services, and public safety programs. He presently serves on the executive committee of the National Legislative Program Evaluation Society. Jason holds a Ph.D. in public policy administration from George Washington University and has served as adjunct professor at GWU and Virginia Tech.
Jason’s fellowship work will examine case studies in three policy fields across six states on the combined efforts of state legislature oversight units – committees, audit offices, and other analytic bureaucracies – to develop a robust body of evidence about legislative oversight as a system.
COL Heidi Demarest – Professor & Deputy Head – United States Military Academy
Heidi Demarest is Deputy Head and Associate Professor of American Politics. A 2001 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, she completed her Ph.D. at Harvard University in 2011. Heidi served as the Director of the American Politics Program from 2015-2019 and as the U.S. Military Academy’s Liaison Officer to the Department of the Army in the Pentagon in 2018-2019. Her research interests include defense budgeting, defense acquisition practices, bureaucratic politics, and the interaction between the Army and Congress.
Heidi’s fellowship work will focus on a historical analysis of legislative action to curb the executive branch in implementing appropriations to explore whether congressional oversight is sufficient to set clear boundaries and retain the power of the purse.
Connor Dye – Post-Doctoral Research Fellow – Center for Public Opinion Research at University of Texas San Antonio
Connor Dye is a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow with research interests in congressional oversight, bureaucratic politics, regulatory policy, and agenda setting. Before entering academia, Connor worked as a Case Manager at the veteran law firm, Bergmann and Moore, LLC. He earned his Ph.D. and master’s degree in political science from the University of Texas at Austin.
Connor’s fellowship proposal develops the idea that committees use oversight to proactively manage how the bureaucracy responds to emerging and evolving problems in the political system. His analysis will focus on: (1) why committees perform proactive oversight; (2) how committees interact with the bureaucracy during proactive oversight; and (3) how proactive oversight influences public policy.
