Marc Farinella to join Chicago Harris as Chief Operating Officer

Marc S. Farinella (MA '87), a longtime political strategist and public policy specialist, will join the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy Studies as Chief Operating Officer beginning June 4.

Farinella joins Chicago Harris as the school undertakes a significant faculty expansion and a robust set of new public policy programs that will raise the visibility of the school and create new opportunities for students and faculty.

Recently, Chicago Harris has welcomed former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and former U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson as Distinguished Senior Fellows, helped launch the Institute of Politics, to be led by David Axelrod, currently a senior strategist for President Obama's re-election campaign, and facilitated the creation of the Energy Policy Institute at Chicago.

Farinella will report directly to Colm A. O'Muircheartaigh, Dean of Chicago Harris in this newly created position and work closely with the dean, staff, and faculty to develop a strategic plan for Chicago Harris and bolster the visibility and impact of its outward-facing activities. He will also oversee efforts to strengthen Chicago Harris's administrative capacity and capabilities which are critical to the mission of conducting policy-relevant research and preparing talented individuals to become leaders and agents of social change.

"Chicago Harris is entering an exciting new phase of growth. Having Marc join our team will help energize our students, faculty and staff around the many significant initiatives we have in the works," said Dean O'Muircheartaigh. "His public policy expertise and management experience will be a tremendous asset as we work to broaden our school's public policy impact."

Farinella has held senior leadership roles in both the policy and political arenas. He served as chief of staff for the Governor of Missouri and as North Carolina State Director for Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign. Earlier in his career he was a public policy analyst in the offices of the Illinois Attorney General and Illinois Comptroller before taking on his first campaign director position, managing a gubernatorial campaign in Oklahoma.

As president of Farinella & Associates, a consulting firm he founded in 1990, he has served as a senior strategic communications and campaign management advisor for U.S. senators and governors, including Senators Evan Bayh of Indiana, Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, Jean Carnahan of Missouri, and Harris Wofford of Pennsylvania, as well as Governors Mel Carnahan of Missouri, Christine Gregoire of Washington, Sila Calderon of Puerto Rico, and Bev Perdue of North Carolina.

Farinella earned his BA in political science and geography from Northwestern University and an MA in political science from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is also an alumnus of the University of Chicago, having earned a master's degree in public policy in 1987.

"I'm thrilled to come back to Hyde Park to work for one of the leading public policy schools in the nation. My master's degree in public policy from UChicago made an enormous difference in my own career over the past twenty-five years. It opened up professional opportunities in both government and politics that otherwise would not have been available to me," Farinella said.

"Now, I'll have the chance to help the next generation of public policy professionals develop the knowledge and skills they'll need to participate constructively in the policy-making process. Better public policy starts here at the Harris School, and I'm delighted to be a part of it."

As one of six professional schools at the University, Chicago Harris is part of a world-class intellectual community focused on research, innovation, and education. Established in 1988, the school fosters a spirit of cooperation and interdisciplinary collaboration at the University where students, faculty, public policy professionals, and others gather to address societal concerns.