GPI Team

Meet the staff of the Global Policy Institute at Loyola Marymount University

	Michael A. Genovese, President \| Global Policy Institute Michael A. Genovese earned a Ph.D. from the University of Southern California in 1979. He currently holds the Loyola Chair of Leadership Studies, is a professor of political science, and is Director of the Institute for Leadership Studies at Loyola Marymount University. In 2006, he was made a Fellow at the Queens College, Oxford University. In 2015, he was named President of the Global Policy Institute.
	Dr. Gene Park, Senior Fellow and Interim Director \| Global Policy Institute Gene Park's research interests include comparative and international political economy; Japanese foreign policy and politics; and the politics of monetary policy, public spending and taxation. He also has a broad interest in East Asian security. His most recent co-authored book is "Taming Japan's Deflation: The Debate over Unconventional Monetary Policy" (Cornell University Press, 2018). An earlier book, "Spending without Taxation: FILP and Politics of Public Finance," was published in 2011 (Stanford University Press). He earned a B.A. in Philosophy from Swarthmore College and Ph.D. in Political Science from University of California Berkeley. He is an avid tennis player.
	Gabriele Magni, Director \| Global Policy Institute An associate professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations, Magni teaches classes on comparative and European politics, political economy, and LGBTQ politics. His scholarly work explores how economic and identity factors interact to shape political preferences and voting behavior in advanced democracies. Magni’s research on the political consequences of economic inequality, immigration, and LGBTQ politics has been published in several top peer-reviewed academic journals including the American Political Science Review, the American Journal of Political Science, the Journal of Politics, and the British Journal of Political Science. His expertise has been sought-out and featured in The Washington Post, Politico, The New Republic, and The New York Times, among other academic and non-academic venues. A first-generation college student, Magni grew up in Italy, obtained his Ph.D. from UNC-Chapel Hill, and completed a postdoc at Princeton University before coming to LMU to join the BCLA faculty in fall 2019.
	Theophilus Essilfie, Graduate Assistant \| Global Policy Institute Theophilus Essilfie is pursuing his master’s in Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Innovation from the College of Business Administration at Loyola Marymount University. Theo is an international student who grew up in Awutu-Bawjiase in the Central Region of Ghana. He pursued a Bachelor of Commerce (BCOM) degree, at the University of Cape Coast (UCC). After graduation, he completed his national service as a Teaching Assistant at the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Small Enterprises Development (CESED) at UCC. He joined the United Bank for Africa (UBA) in Ghana as a Relationship Officer in the corporate banking wing. Alongside his professional roles, he also served as a teacher at a children’s home in his hometown and ventured into entrepreneurship by establishing a small-scale business.

	Michael A. Genovese, President \| Global Policy Institute Michael A. Genovese earned a Ph.D. from the University of Southern California in 1979. He currently holds the Loyola Chair of Leadership Studies, is a professor of political science, and is Director of the Institute for Leadership Studies at Loyola Marymount University. In 2006, he was made a Fellow at the Queens College, Oxford University. In 2015, he was named President of the Global Policy Institute.
	Dr. Gene Park, Senior Fellow and Interim Director \| Global Policy Institute Gene Park's research interests include comparative and international political economy; Japanese foreign policy and politics; and the politics of monetary policy, public spending and taxation. He also has a broad interest in East Asian security. His most recent co-authored book is "Taming Japan's Deflation: The Debate over Unconventional Monetary Policy" (Cornell University Press, 2018). An earlier book, "Spending without Taxation: FILP and Politics of Public Finance," was published in 2011 (Stanford University Press). He earned a B.A. in Philosophy from Swarthmore College and Ph.D. in Political Science from University of California Berkeley. He is an avid tennis player.
	Gabriele Magni, Director \| Global Policy Institute An associate professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations, Magni teaches classes on comparative and European politics, political economy, and LGBTQ politics. His scholarly work explores how economic and identity factors interact to shape political preferences and voting behavior in advanced democracies. Magni’s research on the political consequences of economic inequality, immigration, and LGBTQ politics has been published in several top peer-reviewed academic journals including the American Political Science Review, the American Journal of Political Science, the Journal of Politics, and the British Journal of Political Science. His expertise has been sought-out and featured in The Washington Post, Politico, The New Republic, and The New York Times, among other academic and non-academic venues. A first-generation college student, Magni grew up in Italy, obtained his Ph.D. from UNC-Chapel Hill, and completed a postdoc at Princeton University before coming to LMU to join the BCLA faculty in fall 2019.
	Theophilus Essilfie, Graduate Assistant \| Global Policy Institute Theophilus Essilfie is pursuing his master’s in Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Innovation from the College of Business Administration at Loyola Marymount University. Theo is an international student who grew up in Awutu-Bawjiase in the Central Region of Ghana. He pursued a Bachelor of Commerce (BCOM) degree, at the University of Cape Coast (UCC). After graduation, he completed his national service as a Teaching Assistant at the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Small Enterprises Development (CESED) at UCC. He joined the United Bank for Africa (UBA) in Ghana as a Relationship Officer in the corporate banking wing. Alongside his professional roles, he also served as a teacher at a children’s home in his hometown and ventured into entrepreneurship by establishing a small-scale business.