Josh Testa

Josh joined Heinz College in 2018 and currently works as the Senior Associate Director of Organizational Research and Data Analytics, where he oversees the college's strategic research efforts utilizing data analytics and quantitative research methods.

Prior to joining Heinz, Josh worked as a policy analyst in the Office of Research and Education Accountability in the Tennessee General Assembly, located in Nashville, Tennessee. His work and research focused primarily on the intersection of higher education policy, finance, and performance.

Josh holds a PhD (2020) and MA (2013) in Public Policy and Policy Analysis from Kent State University and a BA (2011) in Political Science and Government from Pennsylvania State University. Josh's dissertation, titled "Accountability in Higher Education: How Administrators Respond to Performance-Based Funding and Why it Matters," examines whether and how state-level policies tying college and university funding to institutional performance influence administrative behavior within and across institutions. His research builds on the public management literature and finds that, despite the policies being premised as a way to improve college and university performance, there is little evidence showing they influence managerial decision-making within colleges and universities.