The Center Welcomes New Fellows: Dr. Jessica Terman and Dr. Vinh Mai

Contact

For general inquiries, the P3 Center can be contacted at: [email protected]

Dr. Gifford, Center Director, can be contacted at: [email protected]

Phone: 703-993-2275
Fax: 703-993-8215

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The Center for Infrastructure Public-Private Partnership Policy is pleased to welcome two new senior fellows to its growing community: Dr. Jessica Terman and Dr. Vinh Mai join as Senior Research Fellows. Both bring valuable expertise that will enhance the Center’s mission to support innovative, effective, and inclusive infrastructure policy.

Dr. Jessica Terman is an Associate Professor in the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University, where she teaches public administration and research methods. As a Senior Research Fellow, she brings deep experience in public management, with a focus on the implementation of third-party governance tools such as intergovernmental grants and government contracting. Her current research explores how state and local governments design and implement energy efficiency and conservation policies. She has also published extensively on bureaucratic policymaking and procurement practices within state governments. Dr. Terman holds a PhD in Public Administration from Florida State University and a BA in Policy from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Dr. Vinh Mai, joining as a Research Fellow, is a Lecturer (Teaching) in Infrastructure, Economics, and International Development. Originally from Vietnam, Dr. Mai combines academic knowledge with practical insights into infrastructure challenges in developing economies. His research focuses on infrastructure financing and funding, Public-Private Partnerships (P3), the relationship between infrastructure investment and economic growth, the role and performance of state-owned enterprises (SOEs), and cost-benefit analysis of infrastructure projects. His work is driven by a commitment to sustainable and inclusive development, especially in resource-constrained settings.

The Center is proud to welcome Dr. Terman and Dr. Mai and looks forward to their contributions to its research, policy engagement, and thought leadership in infrastructure development.

Center Director Quoted in FundFire on BlackRock-Led Utility Acquisition with Canada Pension Fund

Contact

For general inquiries, the P3 Center can be contacted at: [email protected]

Dr. Gifford, Center Director, can be contacted at: [email protected]

Phone: 703-993-2275
Fax: 703-993-8215

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Dr. Jonathan Gifford, Director of the Center for Infrastructure Public-Private Partnership Policy, was quoted in FundFire‘s coverage of the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission’s approval of a BlackRock-led acquisition of Allete, parent company of Minnesota Power. Under the $6.2 billion deal, BlackRock’s Global Infrastructure Partners will take a 60% stake, with the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board holding the remaining interest. Dr. Gifford called the move a “new frontier” in utility financing, emphasizing the need for innovative capital strategies to meet private equity-level return targets.

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Center GRA Presented at 2025 Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting

Contact

For general inquiries, the P3 Center can be contacted at: [email protected]

Dr. Gifford, Center Director, can be contacted at: [email protected]

Phone: 703-993-2275
Fax: 703-993-8215

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Center GRA Mustafa Sever presented at TRB 2025 on two significant transportation infrastructure projects. The first, “Using Refinancing of Federal Loans to Support Transportation Infrastructure Asset Management and Delivery: Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic,” highlighted the challenges of financing surface infrastructure, where less than one-fifth of projects secure funding. The TIFIA Program offers long-term, low-interest loans to support such projects, and refinancing can help improve credit terms for better financial outcomes. The second presentation, “The Fate and Impact of Challenged Public-Private Partnership Projects: An Assessment of U.S. Experience,” examined 36 troubled U.S. transportation P3 projects that faced issues like cancellation or early termination. The research identified four key challenges—economic, political, environmental, and bureaucratic capacity—and presented case studies on the Texas State Highway 121, the Alabama I-10 Mobile River Bridge, and the Denver International Airport Great Hall projects.

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Center Director Dr. Gifford Speaker at the 2024 N.C. Transportation Summit

Contact

For general inquiries, the P3 Center can be contacted at: [email protected]

Dr. Gifford, Center Director, can be contacted at: [email protected]

Phone: 703-993-2275
Fax: 703-993-8215

Stay connected! Sign up to receive the latest updates and news straight to your inbox!

Dr. Jonathan Gifford, Center Director, was a panelist in the “Navigating the Trifecta: P3s – Politics, Policies, and Public Sentiment” discussion at the 2024 N.C. Transportation Summit in Greensboro, NC, on May 22. Joined by Chris Peoples, Helen Pinkston-Pope, Shawn Wilson, and Mike McDermott, Dr. Gifford provided insights on the evolving landscape of public-private partnerships (P3s), emphasizing the critical balance between political dynamics, policy frameworks, and public perception in infrastructure development. The panel explored strategies to navigate these challenges and ensure sustainable, equitable, and efficient transportation projects.

Center GRAs Presented at the 2021 NARSC Conference

Contact

For general inquiries, the P3 Center can be contacted at: [email protected]

Dr. Gifford, Center Director, can be contacted at: [email protected]

Phone: 703-993-2275
Fax: 703-993-8215

Stay connected! Sign up to receive the latest updates and news straight to your inbox!

Center GRAs Marina Manganaris and Narae Lee attended the 68th Annual North American Meetings of the Regional Science Association International (NARSC). The conference was held in Denver, Colorado, from November 10 –13, 2021. Marina presented the Center’s project on the Relative Performance of Public-Private Partnerships and Conventional Project Delivery During Crises at the conference.  

The project focused on how crisis can dramatically alter the conditions under which transportation infrastructure projects develop and operate, how crisis can modify economic markets by reducing transportation user demand, limiting government budgets, and constraining private investors, and how crisis can influence projects differently based on the delivery type. 

Bargaining for Toll Adjustment during General Purpose Lane Maintenance and Resulting Congestion: A Repeated Game Approach

Contact

For general inquiries, the P3 Center can be contacted at: [email protected]

Dr. Gifford, Center Director, can be contacted at: [email protected]

Phone: 703-993-2275
Fax: 703-993-8215

Stay connected! Sign up to receive the latest updates and news straight to your inbox!

On July 6, 2021, Center’s Graduate Research Assistant, Narae Lee, presented her research “Bargaining for Toll Adjustment during General Purpose Lane Maintenance and Resulting Congestion: A Repeated Game Approach” at the 53rd Annual Universities Transport Study Group Conference. The presentation can be found here.