Dr. Lili Peaslee is the Associate Director of the Madison Center for Community Development and a Professor in the Department of Political Science at James Madison University. Dr. Peaslee’s belief that universities have a responsibility to use their knowledge and resources to help improve the world around them is foundational to her work at MCCD and JMU more broadly. Her teaching and scholarship center on issues of poverty and inequality, particularly for underserved youth and communities. Her research includes work on mentoring and youth development, criminal justice policy, and university-community collaborations. Dr. Peaslee has extensive experience working with community-based organizations and local governments to evaluate federally supported programs and research grants, including projects funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and the U.S. Department of Education. She currently serves on the National Mentoring Research Board.

Dr. Peaslee received a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Vermont, a M.A. in Social Policy from Brandeis University, and a joint Ph.D. in Politics & Social Policy from Brandeis University. She has been at JMU since 2008, where she teaches in both the undergraduate Public Administration program and the Master’s in Public Administration program, offering classes on policy analysis, social welfare, and education policy. Dr. Peaslee commitment to engaged teaching and learning was recognized in 2023, when she was awarded the Carl Harter Distinguished Teacher Award. In 2018 she was the recipient of the Alger Family Faculty Award, which honors a faculty member who possesses a record of achievement in engaged learning, civic engagement, and community engagement.