A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Dr. Hanka earned a B.A. in history and politics from The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC in 2002, and earned a M.A. in Political Science in 2004 and a Ph.D. in Urban and Public Affairs in 2009 from the University of Louisville. His dissertation examines the impact of the HOPE VI program on the economic revitalization of Newport, Kentucky. Dr. Hanka was the recipient of the University of Louisville’s Graduate Dean’s Citation and was nominated for the John M. Houchens Prize for Outstanding Dissertation.