Ann Cotten is the Director of the Schaefer Center for Public Policy at the University of
Baltimore. The Schaefer Center is an applied research unit within the School of Public
Affairs with a mission to bring the knowledge and expertise of the university community
to bear in solving the problems faced by government and non-profit organizations. The
Center’s work focuses on program evaluation, opinion research, strategic management
and performance measurement, and management consulting.
Cotten has more than 18 years of professional experience in the areas of strategic
planning, performance measurement, program evaluation, survey research, focus group
moderation, and public sector management. Her recent public sector management
projects include the development of a workforce plan for a major state agency and the
development of workload standards for the Maryland Department of Human Resources’
Family Investment Administration case managers. Cotten also served as a coinvestigator
on a study of legislative efforts to combat obesity which culminated in a
nationally cited Obesity Report Card. She has conducted strategic management training
in the Schaefer Center’s Managing for Results Training program since 1997. She has
facilitated the development of strategic plans and performance measurement plans for
numerous state agencies. She is also a frequent presenter on the Balanced Scorecard.
Dr. Cotten is the president (2005-2006) of the Maryland Chapter of the American
Society for Public Administration. She received her Doctorate in Public Administration
from the University of Baltimore and is a Certified Public Accountant. She is a
contributing author to an upcoming book entitled, Obesity, Business and Public Policy.