Dean's Notebook - William Howell, School of Government & Policy

William Howell is inaugural Dean of the School of Government and Policy at Johns Hopkins University, where he also holds an appointment in the Department of Political Science. William has written widely on separation-of-powers issues and American political institutions, especially the presidency. He currently is working on research projects on separation of powers issues, the institutional foundations of effective government, and emergent threats to democracy.

William’s most recent book (with Terry Moe) is Trajectory of Power: The Rise of the Strongman Presidency, which was published by Princeton University Press in August 2025. He also is the author or co-author of numerous other books, including: Presidents, Populism, and the Crisis of Democracy (University of Chicago, 2020); Relic: How the Constitution Undermines Effective Government–And Why We Need a More Powerful Presidency (Basic Books, 2016); The Wartime President: Executive Influence and the Nationalizing Politics of Threat (University of Chicago Press, 2013); Thinking about the Presidency: The Primacy of Power (Princeton University Press, 2013); While Dangers Gather: Congressional Checks on Presidential War Powers (Princeton University Press, 2007); Power without Persuasion: The Politics of Direct Presidential Action (Princeton University Press, 2003); The Education Gap: Vouchers and Urban Schools (Brookings Institution Press, 2002); and textbooks on the American presidency and American Politics. His research also has appeared in numerous professional journals and edited volumes.

William is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a member of the American Academy of Sciences and Letters, a 2023 Guggenheim Fellow, and a former fellow at the Center for Advanced Studies in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University. He is the recipient, among other academic awards, of the Legacy Award for enduring research on executive politics, the William Riker award for the best book in political economy, the D.B. Hardeman Prize for the best book on Congress, the Richard Neustadt award for the best book on the American presidency, and the E.E. Schattschneider Award for the best dissertation in American Politics. His work has been supported by such foundations as the National Science Foundation, the Smith Richardson Foundation, the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, the Democracy Fund, the MacArthur Foundation, and the Bradley Foundation. He has written for a wide variety of media outlets, including the Boston Review, Prospect Magazine, Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, and Education Next.

Before coming to Johns Hopkins, William was a faculty member in the Harris School of Public Policy and Department of Political Science at the University of Chicago, the government department at Harvard University, and the political science department at the University of Wisconsin. In 2000, he received a PhD in political science from Stanford University. 

Brian J. Feldman represents the 15th Legislative District in the Maryland State Senate. In 2022, Senate President Bill Ferguson appointed Senator Feldman as Chair of one of only four standing committees in the Senate that reviews bills, The Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee. He also serves as a member of the Executive Nominations Committee. Additionally, he is the Senate’s representative on the Maryland Economic Development Commission and the Maryland Commission on Climate Change. At the national level, Brian represents Maryland on the Southern States Energy Board and is a member of two task forces for the National Conference of State Legislatures – The Executive Committee Task Force on State and Local Taxation and The Energy Supply Task Force.

Senator Feldman’s tenure in the General Assembly has been distinguished by his successful sponsorship of legislation to promote Maryland’s biotechnology sector, create green jobs while reaching renewable energy goals, advocate for individuals with developmental differences and update and modernize Maryland’s corporate, business and insurance laws. Previously, Brian was the Vice Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, chaired its Energy and Public Utilities Subcommittee and was at the center of the debate on health care coverage for Marylanders and controlling the cost of prescription drugs. He also was the Senate Chair of the Maryland Health Insurance Coverage Protection Commission.

Prior to being elected to the Maryland State Senate, Brian was a member of the Maryland House of Delegates, serving on the House Economic Matters Committee and chairing its Banking, Economic Development, Science and Technology Subcommittee. Additionally, Brian was appointed to the leadership position of House Parliamentarian, served as the House Chair of the Joint Information Technology and Biotechnology Committee and Chair of the Montgomery County House Delegation.

As the only Attorney/CPA in the Maryland General Assembly, Senator Feldman practices law outside the legislature, specializing in tax litigation and tax controversies. He was previously employed by PriceWaterhouse and the U.S. Department of Justice, Tax Division, where he was a three-time recipient of the Justice Department’s prestigious “Outstanding Attorney Award.”

Brian received a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Penn State University, a Juris Doctor from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, and a Master’s Degree in Government from Johns Hopkins University. He has also served as an adjunct professor teaching graduate courses in state policymaking and health care at both Johns Hopkins and the University of Maryland. Numerous honors and awards have been conferred on Brian for his work in the Legislature. The complete list can be found here.

Currently, Brian sits on the Board of Directors for the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.