Vanessa Fry, Ph.D.
Director, Associate Research Professor
vanessafry@boisestate.edu
(208) 426-2848
Environmental Research Building (ERB) #2147
Boise State University
1910 University Drive
Boise, ID 83725-1935
Dr. Vanessa Crossgrove Fry is Director at Idaho Policy Institute (IPI) where she leads students, staff, and faculty in providing innovative and independent research to help public, private, and nonprofit leaders overcome challenges and navigate change. She serves as Associate Research Professor in the School of Public Service where she co-teaches the Vertically Integrated Project Housing Opportunities for All. Dr. Fry has focused both her work and education on utilizing multi-sector, evidenced-based solutions to address persistent social, environmental, and economic issues and meet the current and critical needs in communities across Idaho and beyond.
Vanessa also holds a BA in Biology and Fine Art from Wittenberg University in Ohio where she was a first-generation college student and collegiate athlete, an MBA in Sustainable Management from Presidio Graduate School in San Francisco where she is an Adjunct Faculty Member, and a PhD Public Policy and Administration from Boise State. In 2022 Vanessa participated in a Mandela Washington Fellowship Reciprocal Exchange in Cape Town, South Africa. In addition, she serves on the boards of the American Red Cross of Idaho and East Oregon (where she is Chair), the Consortium of University Public Service Organizations (where she is President), City Club of Boise (where she is Vice President), and Association for University Business and Economics. In 2024 she was named a Rapid Education Prototyping (REP4) National Fellow and a National Association to End Homelessness, Homelessness Research Network Scholar.
Research Interests
- Public Policy and Administration
- Program Evaluation
- Economic Analysis
- Housing
- Homelessness
- Transportation
- Land Use
- Systems Thinking
- Multi-sector Partnerships
- Local Government
- Nonprofit Management
- Engaged Scholarship