Mirya R. Holman
I am an Associate Professor in the Hobby School for Public Affairs at the University of Houston.
My research interests focus on American politics and public policy, with a focus on state and local politics, gender and politics, the politics of criminal justice, research methods, and environmental politics.
I write books about the failures of local democracy and local inequality. My first book, Women in Politics in the American City examines the effect of women mayors and city council members on urban politics. I edited a volume on gender and political ambition: Good Reasons to Run. My book on county sheriffs with Emily Farris, The Power of the Badge examines the role of sheriffs in creating and maintaining inequality in the United States. My next book, The Hidden Face of Local Power, evaluates the role that appointed boards play in maintaining inequality in local politics. I also wrote Gendered Jobs and Local Leaders, a book with Rachel Bernhard on the gendered-occupational pathways to local office.
I've been widely published in both academic journals and in the popular press, including NPR, the New Yorker, the Atlantic, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and others.
Want to know how to pronounce my name? Here's me saying it!
I write a newsletter focused on academic success. You can sign up for it here.
Right now, I'm researching local political corruption, gender, race, and political engagement, the role of legal education in shaping political ambition, sheriffs in the United States, gender and political communication, and the pathways to political office, as well as a variety of other projects (always more projects!).