John Bretting is a Faculty Member, College of Public Policy, UTSA- Downtown Campus. Prior to accepting the post at UTSA he was a member of the faculty of the School of Public Administration and Department of Political Science, The University of New Mexico. Here he co-founded the Institute of Public Policy's Survey Research Center. He has Ph. D. in Political Science from the University of Houston. Before attending graduate school he was the Executive Director of an urban parks and open space non-profit - The Park People, Inc., Houston, Texas, Urban and Community Planner for the City of Houston, Texas, and was a Neighborhood Planner for the U.S. Department of Interior.

Dr. Juanita M. Firestone is a Professor of Sociology in the Division of Social and Policy Sciences at UTSA. She received a B.S., cum laude, from Black Hills State University in May 1979, a M.A. in Sociology from The University of Texas at Austin December 1982, and a Ph.D. in Sociology from The University of Texas at Austin in May 1984.

Dr. Firestone has 20 years experience in the sociology of gender and the military as well as survey research, quantitative analysis and computer applications (both mainframe and microcomputer). She has developed and managed all aspects of research projects including initial grant proposal, designing research instruments, selecting analysis techniques, and use of a variety of computer applications to organize, analyze and report data. She has worked on several community survey projects the most recent of which focuses on the general physical and mental health and the economic viability of families in San Antonio. Research specializations encompass issues related to public policies associated with sexual harassment and intimate partner abuse as well as the needs of individuals living with HIV disease and AIDS. Recent studies include (1) the relationship between strategies used to respond to sexual harassment and perceptions of the success of strategies chosen, (2) the extent to which social/familial support structures may mitigate the individual power dynamics which are associated with intimate partner violence, and (3) factors associated with engaging in unprotected sex among individuals living with HIV disease and AIDS.

Dr. Gilbert is an Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Texas at San Antonio. His research interests focus adult corrections, correctional privatization, juvenile delinquency, violence and white-collar crime. Since 1992 he has been conducting a longitudinal study of a privatized jail in a small south Texas community. This case study examines the impact of one county's policy decision to exchange a public jail monopoly for a private jail monopoly upon jail operations and the community. This research will become the basis of a book.

Before joining UTSA, Dr. Gilbert had over 20 years of experience in corrections as a manager, trainer, consultant and researcher. He has held several high level administrative positions within military and civilian correctional agencies. Dr. Gilbert has served as an adjunct instructor to the National Academy of Corrections and as a consultant to the National Institute of Corrections on numerous occasions. He has published many articles and chapters on justice related topics. Dr. Gilbert holds a Doctor of Public Administration degree from Arizona State University (1990).

Dr. Richard J. Harris is a Professor of Sociology in the Division of social and Policy Sciences at UTSA. He received a B.A., with honors, from Macalester College in May 1971, a M.A. in Sociology/Demography from Cornell University September 1974, and a Ph.D. in sociology/Demography from Cornell University in September 1976.

Dr. Harris has over 20 years of experience in social demography, demographic techniques and quantitative analysis and computer applications (both mainframe and microcomputer). He has developed and managed all aspects of research projects including initial grant proposal, designing research instruments, selecting analysis techniques, and use of a variety of computer applications to organize, analyze and report data. Research includes studies on high school dropouts, school finance inequities in Texas, family and occupational changes in Texas, the economic and social aspects of undocumented migration, and the impact of sexual harassment on individuals. Current studies examine: (1) gender, race and ethnic differences with respect to perceptions about sexual harassment (2) needs and behaviors of individuals living with HIV disease and AIDS and (3) analysis of perceptions about health status using survey data from the General Social Surveys 1972-1996.

Amy Jasperson is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at UTSA. She received a B.A., magna cum laude, from Wellesley College in Massachusetts where she was also a Phi Beta Kappa graduate. In 1999, she received a Ph.D. in Political Science, specializing in American and Comparative Politics with a minor in Political Psychology, from the University of Minnesota. She has also completed the Ohio State University Summer Institute in Political Psychology, the University of Michigan/ICPSR summer program in research methods, and the Campaign Management Institute program at American University.

Dr. Jasperson's research interests focus on the impact of mass media on attitude formation and change. She has published work on the media's influence on public opinion during the Persian Gulf War and during the government shutdown/budget debate. Her recent work looks at the relationship between advertising and news and its impact on public opinion during political campaigns. She has analyzed media's impact on races at the U.S. Senate, presidential, and local city level. In addition, she is trained in multiple research methods and has worked on several projects as a survey research and focus group consultant. In addition, Dr. Jasperson has taught political science courses in the Masters Program in Political Science and the undergraduate program and Honors program since 1999. She teaches courses in American politics, mass media and public opinion, political psychology, campaign communication, and campaign management. In Spring 2001, Dr. Jasperson was awarded the President's Distinguished Achievement Award in Recognition of Excellence in Core Curriculum Teaching.

Dr. Merrifield is an Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Texas at San Antonio, a position he has held since 1987. He has published one book and over 30 articles in his primary teaching and research fields of International Trade, the Environment, Natural Resource Management, Urban and Regional Economics, and Public Choice, especially K-12 School Reform. Dr. Merrifield received a BS in Natural Resource Management from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 1977, a MA in Economic Geography from the University of Illinois in 1979, and a PhD in Economics from the University of Wyoming in 1984.

Dr. Arturo Vega was the Interim Director of MRPI during 2000 and is an Associate professor of Political Science in the Division of Social and Policy Sciences at UTSA. He received a B.A., magna cum laude, and a M.A. from St. Mary's University here in San Antonio in Political Science in 1981 and 1983, respectively, and his doctoral degree from the University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma in 1990, where he served as a fellow at Carl Albert Congressional Research Center. As part of his Carl Albert Fellowship, Dr. Vega also served as an American Political Science Association congressional fellow in the U.S. Congress in 1987. While in Washington, Dr. Vega worked with the Offices of the Honorable Esteban Torres of California and acted as legislative staff with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. In 1993, Dr. Vega also worked as a legislative assistant for Texas State Senator Frank Madla.

Dr. Vega has 10 years experience in political science research and teaching. At UTSA, he teaches courses on American Political Institutions, with a specialization in the U.S. Congress, legislative politics and immigration public policies. He also teaches courses in ethnic and racial politics, state and local politics, public policy and research methods. Since the early 1990s, Dr. Vega has been a faculty associate of UTSA's Survey Research Lab, which has undertaken annual surveys of attitudes and perceptions of San Antonians on topical issues and concerns. He also serves as Associate Director of the MRPI and was a co-investigator in the 1998 "Real City" project in collaboration with the San Antonio Express-News and the "1999 Cesar Chavez Survey" also with the Express-News.

Dr. Vega's research focuses primarily on institutional and legislative behavior and political representation. His recent publications include studying the effects of gender and ethnicity on the Texas State Legislature and in the U.S. Congress. Of late, his research agenda has focused on the impacts of the voting rights act on political representation in San Antonio, Texas.

Dr. William A. Vega is a Professor of Psychiatry, at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Jersey. He was also the founding Director of the MRPI.