As a scholar with a history of working with nonprofit organizations, I have benefited professionally, academically, and personally from the ARNOVA network of scholars and practitioners for several years. Now, as a director and professor of strategic leadership and nonprofit studies in the School of Strategic Leadership Studies at James Madison University, I also see the benefits extended to my students who are embarking on their own research paths. I received my PhD from the Martin School of Public Policy and Administration at the University of Kentucky and have been a member, presenter and volunteer with ARNOVA for the past fourteen years. Prior to teaching, I worked in the nonprofit sector for ten years in a variety of leadership roles with a focus on youth programs, the arts, and resource development.
Along with NVSQ, my research has also appeared in Nonprofit Policy Forum, Nonprofit Management & Leadership, Public Administration Quarterly, Journal of Public Budgeting, Accounting, & Financial Management, Journal of Nonprofit Education & Leadership, Public Budgeting & Finance, and American Review of Public Administration. Additionally, I serve as a reviewer for academic publications including NVSQ, Nonprofit Management and Leadership, Nonprofit Policy Forum, and the Journal of Public and Nonprofit Affairs, among others.
I currently serve ARNOVA as a part of the finance committee and Nonprofit Finance and Financial Management section board and have enjoyed participating on the Gabriel G. Rudney Dissertation Award, NVSQ Best Paper Award, and Emerging Scholars Award committees in past years. I had the honor of being selected as an Emerging Scholar in 2009 so understand the invaluable impact of those experiences for the professional development of our early scholars.
In addition to working with ARNOVA staff to make sure the finances are on the right track, as a board member I would like to continue to create professional development and volunteering opportunities for the association as well as seeking ways to reach rural and small nonprofits. I am especially interested in fostering relationships between academics and practitioners, like the partnership between NVSQ and Nonprofit Quarterly, so that research more consistently informs practice.
