Ph.D. in political science, Boston College; M.P.A. in public administration, University of Pennsylvania; B.A. in political science, Indiana University of PA; B.A. in history, Indiana University of PA
Maria McCollester (she/her) is a political scientist at the RAND Corporation. McCollester's educational and professional experience coalesces around institutional and organizational development, coordination, and governance, especially within the U.S. federal government and military, legislative, legal, policy, and regulatory analysis, and historical research. Her broad research interests include public administration and governance, environmental policy, national and homeland security, bureaucracy, and the legislative process. Prior to coming to RAND, McCollester completed her Ph.D. in Political Science at Boston College. Her dissertation research focused upon the development of of the United States' federally protected public land system and its connection to presidential and Congressional power. Preceding and during her time at Boston College, McCollester worked for a number of governmental agencies and non-profit organizations, including as a policy analyst with the Government Accountability Office.
McCollester, Maria, Michelle E. Miro, and Kristin Van Abel, Building Resilience Together: Military and Local Government Collaboration for Climate Adaptation, RAND Corporation (RR-3014-RC), 2020
Ligor, Douglas C., Shawn D. Bushway, Maria McCollester, Richard H. Donohue, Devon Hill, Marylou Gilbert, Heather Gomez-Bendaña, Daniel Kim, Annie Brothers, Melissa Bauman, Barbara Bicksler, Rick Penn-Kraus, and Stephanie J. Walsh, Criminal History Record Information Sharing with the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency: Education and Training Materials for State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Partners, RAND Corporation (RR-A846-1), 2022
Edwards, Kathryn A., Maria McCollester, Brian Phillips, Hannah Acheson-Field, Isabel Leamon, Noah Johnson, and Maria C. Lytell, Compensation and Benefits for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Workers: A Comparison of the Federal Government and the Private Sector, RAND Corporation (RR-4267-OSD), 2021
McGovern, Geoffrey, Maria McCollester, Douglas C. Ligor, Sheng Tao Li, Douglas Yeung, and Laura Kupe, The Role of Intellectual Property in U.S. Homeland Security, RAND Corporation (RR-3039-DHS), 2019
