VSTOP Directors

Executive Director

DR. CHAD KINSELLA

Dr. Kinsella joined the Political Science Department in the fall of 2016, coming from Lander University in South Carolina. He earned his Ph.D. in political science from the University of Cincinnati and also holds master’s degrees in geography and public administration. His teaching and research interests are in public administration and American politics.

In 2020, he served as the VSTOP fellow, assisting the Voting System Technical Oversight Program with conducting risk-limiting audits. Since 2022, he has served as one of the co-directors of VSTOP.  He also served as Managing Director of the Bowen Center from 2021-2024, conducting the annual Hoosier Survey and directing the Indiana Certified Public Manager Program. Before his academic career, he worked for a US Congressman and as a policy analyst for the Council of State Governments.

Dr. Chad Kinsella – VSTOP Executive Director / Associate Professor of Political Science
Email: cjkinsella@bsu.edu
Phone: 765-285-8784

Senior Director (Research)

DR. JAY S. BAGGA

Dr. Jay Bagga is a Professor of Computer Science at Ball State University. The  Voting System Technical Oversight Program (VSTOP) was established by an act of the Indiana General Assembly in 2005. Since 2007, when the Program started operating at Ball State, Dr. Bagga served as a co-Director until 2024 and is now the VSTOP Senior Director (Research). He has extensive experience in Election Systems Testing and Certification, Election Administration, and computer and cyber security.  He has collaborated in developing testing and certification protocols for voting systems and electronic poll books. Since 2017, Dr. Bagga has served on Indiana Governor’s  Executive Council on Cybersecurity (IECC).

During 2011-13, Dr. Bagga was a co-PI for a US Election Assistance Commission Grant on Post-Election Audit and Logic and Accuracy Initiative. He has co-organized the State Certification Testing of Voting Systems National Conferences since 2011. He is a Co-Director of the Certificate Program in Election Administration, Technology and Security (CEATS) which trains election officials in Indiana.

Dr. Jay S. Bagga – VSTOP Senior Director (Research) / Professor of Computer Science
Email: jbagga@bsu.edu
Phone: 765-285-8784