Faculty & Staff Directory

Leah Daniel is Batten’s Salesforce Manager. Prior to joining Batten, Leah was Senior Financial Analyst and Salesforce Administrator at UVA School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics. She brings years of database management experience to Batten from her role as database manager at both the Darden School Foundation (1997-2003) and the UVA Law School Foundation (2004-2017). Leah holds a B.S. from the University of South Carolina.

Read full bio
Alec Davis headshot

Alec Davis is the Lab Manager for the Culture, History, Identity, and Policy Lab and the Social Motivation Lab in the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy.

Read full bio
Heather Downs

Heather
Downs

Director of Academic Operations

Heather Downs joined Batten in December 2023 as the Director of Academic Operations. She has served UVA Athletics since 2013, most recently as the Executive Director of Student Development.

Read full bio
Brandy Marsh

Brandy
Marsh

Senior Business Services Specialist

Brandy Marsh is a Senior Business Services Specialist with the Frank Batten School. She joined Batten in 2020, bringing her administrative experience in various UVA and commercial roles to the team. Brandy specializes in all aspects of Workday financials and grant management. She's the proud parent of five awesome children and a lifelong resident of the Charlottesville area.

Read full bio
Cat McCue

Cathryn
McCue

Assistant Director of Communications

Cathryn McCue brings extensive communications, storytelling, public service, and policy experience to the Batten School from her prior roles at the UVA Office for Sustainability, Charlottesville-based environmental nonprofit organizations Appalachian Voices and Southern Environmental Law Center, and the Roanoke Times. She is an avid hiker and camper, and rides her bike to work more often than not.

Read full bio
Naseemah Mohamed

Naseemah
Mohamed

Postdoctoral Research Associate, UVA Humanitarian Collaborative
Minor Hall 227D

Naseemah Mohamed is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy and the UVA Humanitarian Collaborative at the University of Virginia. Her research is focused on the relationships amongst education, media, race, global politics, and violence in decolonial movements in Southern Africa in the 20th century. 

Read full bio
photo of Murphy

Jennett
Murphy

Assistant Director of Faculty Affairs
Garrett Hall L042

Jennett Murphy is the Assistant Director of Faculty Affairs at the Batten School and is responsible for supporting and managing processes to advance the success of the faculty.

Read full bio