Meet the Faculty

Dr. David Smailes is the Program Coordinator and Advisor for the Master of Public Administration program and an Associate Professor in the Political Science Department at Framingham State University. Dr. Smailes received his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and his B.A. from the College of Wooster in Ohio. His research interests include American political history, public administration, the presidency and American political thought. Prior to joining the Framingham State community, Dr. Smailes taught at Westfield State University (where he served as department chair and program director for the MPA program) and Regis College. 

Areas of specialization: American politics (including all three branches of government), public administration, political theory and American political history.

Originally from Spain, Ivan Fernandez graduated from Framingham State University in 1999 with a B.A. in Economics and Mathematics. He later graduated from Brandeis University with a degree in International Economics and Finance.

In 2002 Ivan joined Fidelity Investments where he worked with large corporations such as PepsiCo, Ford Motor Company, and Colt Firearms. In 2004, Ivan returned to Spain to head up a series of projects for a leading transportation and logistics company with operations across  the European Union. In 2006 he joined Blue Cross Blue Shield, where he continues to manage all product reporting and analytics.

Ivan has been a visiting lecturer of Economics and Finance at FSU since 2002. He has taught undergraduate macroeconomics and microeconomics at other schools, too. He currently teaches Financial Management, Managerial Science, and Quantitative Analysis for Administrators. He also teaches multiple Finance courses at Hult International Business School in Cambridge.

Eric Gustafson teaches the Grantsmanship and Development course in the MPA program. He received his MA in political science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and has more than 15 years of experience in fundraising and grantwriting in both the public and nonprofit sectors. He currently serves as Executive Director of Development and Alumni Relations at Framingham State University and as Executive Director of the Framingham State University Foundation, Inc. He is an active member of the Council for Advancement in Support of Education (CASE), the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), and the Planned Giving Group of New England (PGGNE). He is a Past President of the AFP Central Massachusetts Chapter. He has presented at a number of conferences sponsored by CASE and other professional organizations.

Andrew teaches the Compensation & Performance Management course. He is a Senior Survey Account Manager for Pearl Meyer in Wellesley, MA.  At Pearl Meyer he manages a portfolio of compensation surveys across multiple industries.
Prior to his time at Pearl Meyer, Andrew worked for Shaw’s Supermarkets performing several roles including, Customer Service Manager, Systems Trainer, and Human Resources Administrator.
Andrew has an undergraduate degree in Communications and Journalism from Suffolk University and a Master’s Degree in Human Resources Management from Framingham State University. He is an active member of WorldatWork and holds a Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) designation.  He has presented at WorldatWork’s Total Rewards Conference and his work has been published in WorkSpan Magazine.

Mark Inman teaches Risk Management and Fiscal Analysis as well as a variety of courses for the MBA Program.

David Kassel received his MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and has over 30 years of experience working in government and the media in Massachusetts and other states. He is currently a communications consultant to the Massachusetts Coalition of Families and Advocates (COFAR, Inc.), a statewide, nonprofit advocacy organization for persons with developmental disabilities and their families and guardians.  Kassel was formerly Chief of the Management Division of the Massachusetts Office of the Inspector General, an independent state agency that prevents and detects waste, fraud, and abuse in governmental projects and programs.  At the OIG, he was a lead researcher and co-author of several reports on governmental partnerships, contracting issues, and construction projects. 

The second edition of David’s book, Managing Projects in the Public Sector: A Strategic Framework for Success in an Era of Downsized Government, was published in September 2016 by Routledge.

He has taught policy analysis, public budgeting and financial management, and related courses at Framingham State and at other colleges and universities in Massachusetts.

Dr. Flo Lucci joined the M.P.A faculty in 2018 and teaches MGMT 934 Management and Leadership as well as PADM 981 Personnel Administration in the Public Sector.

She initially spent her professional career in private companies as well as the non-profit sector working in human resources and marketing management. Her background also includes working in the employment and training systems at the municipal, state and federal levels. Since 2001, she has been on the full-time faculty (Business Administration) at Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester, MA.

Her research interests include intercultural communication & competence, social entrepreneurial ventures, global business incubation, non-profit management challenges, the cost & impact of healthcare to American industry and geo-economic impacts of climate change. Her dissertation research focused on the value of study abroad in relation to post graduate employability which was motivated by her experiences abroad such as Rotary International Group Study Exchange Program in Northern Italy & a RADIX faculty exchange program in The Netherlands. She participated in short term study abroad programs in Switzerland, Sweden and Denmark. She also taught abroad summers in Israel (2007 & 2009) and Poland (2015) as well as Russia as a Fulbright Sr. Scholar (2018). Dr. Lucci feels it is critical to travel, work abroad and experience other cultures to truly give her students a diverse and inclusive perspective. She commits to creative pedagogical methods in this ever-expanding technological environment. 

Sara Mulkeen teaches Strategic Marketing for Nonprofit Organizations - one of the elective courses within the MPA program. She earned her bachelor's degree from Framingham State and spent several years as a local journalist and editor at The MetroWest Daily News. Sara came back to Framingham State in 2012 as the Manager of Digital Communications & Interactive Media and continues to serve in this position within the university's Marketing Department. She also earned her MPA at Framingham State.

Sara provides freelance marketing and public relations services to a number of public and private sector organizations, including a global travel company and local police union. She has also served as a member of the City of Framingham Board of License Commissioners since 2017.