Thessalia (Lia) Merivaki, PhD, Director
Professor Merivaki is Thomas S. Foley Distinguished Professor of Government and Director of Thomas S. Foley Institute of Public Service and Public Policy at Washington state University. Professor Merivaki joins Washington State University from her previous position at Georgetown University, where she was an associate professor with joint appointments at the McCourt School of Public Policy and the Massive Data Institute. Professor Merivaki’s research interests lie at the intersection of institutional communications, digital information, and election science, with particular emphasis on voter behavior, political communication, and trust in election integrity. She is a co-founder of the Digital Trust Lab at the Massive Data Institute and is and currently a non-resident fellow at the Center for Democracy & Technology and serving on the editorial team of the Disability Policy Foundry.
Richard Elgar, PhD, Associate Director
Richard Elgar has been with the Foley Institute since 2006. He received a PhD in Political Science from Washington State University in 2019. His research focuses on economic and gender inequality in Latin America. He also serves as the Executive Director of the Pacific Northwest Political Science Association.
Foley Interns (Fall 2026)
- Madison Binek
- Collin Banister
- Sarah Molloy