Founders' Fellows Class of 2017

The following individuals have been selected to comprise the 25-member class for 2017:
  • Zachary Bauer (American University)
  • Thaneshwar Bhusal (University of Canberra)
  • David Carter (University of Utah)
  • Kinjal Ben Chaudhari (Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University)
  • Sombo Muzata Chunda (Virginia Commonwealth University)
  • Jeff Cook (Colorado State University)
  • Javon Davis (Cookingham-Noll Management Fellow, City of Kansas City, MO)
  • Ana Maria Dimand (Florida International University)
  • Dawnasia Freeman (Long Island University, Brooklyn Campus)
  • Hyesong Ha (Indiana University Bloomington)
  • Brittany Haupt (University of Central Florida)
  • Andrea Headley (Florida International University)
  • Suk Joon Hwang (Florida State University)
  • Orkhan Ismayilov (University of North Texas)
  • Rosa Krewson (Virginia Tech)
  • Zehavit Levitats (Haifa University)
  • Simone Martin (Rutgers University – Newark)
  • Sean McCandless (University of Colorado at Denver)
  • Michael Overton (University of North Texas)
  • Yali Pang (Virginia Commonwealth University)
  • Ashley Raphael (George Mason University)
  • Assel Shaimerdenova (University of Miami)
  • Jenna Tyler (Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis)
  • Francesca Vega (Texas Tech University)
  • Teshanee Williams (North Carolina State University)

2017 Fellows will receive a complimentary 2017 Annual Conference registration, a year-long mentorship with a seasoned practitioner or senior scholar, and complementary lodging in the conference hotel.

Founders' Fellows Reception

Celebrate this year's Fellows' success! Join us for a special reception, taking place Monday night, March 20. Check out our Schedule at a Glance for location details.



Thank you to the following 2017 Founders' Fellows Sponsors:

Academic Sponsors:
W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Section on Personnel Administration and Labor Relations

Merit Sponsors:
George Mason University
Indiana University
SECOPA
Texas Southern University
Western Michigan University

Book Sponsors:
Florida International University
Midwest Public Affairs Conference (MPAC)
National Capital Area Chapter
South Florida Chapter

Ad Hoc Sponsors:
Florida State University Askew School
Section on Democracy and Social Justice
Section on Emergency and Crisis Management
Frannie Edwards
Section on Complexity and Network Studies
Suncoast Chapter
Michael Warren


L. Frances P. Liddell Student Policy Debate

Students: The L. Frances P. Liddell Student Policy Debate will be taking place Thursday, March 16, at 4 p.m. Click here for the Call for Participation.

Panels at Annual Conference

Panels and moderators have been assembled for the Founders' Fellows panels to be presented in Atlanta! See the list below and make plans to be in the audience to support these students!

Disaster Management and Risk Communication

Saturday, March 18 | 2:00 - 3:30 pm

Moderator:

Samantha Larson, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Colorado at Denver, Denver, CO

Panelists:

Zachary Bauer, Ames, IA
Paper: Collaborative Governance and the Accountability Crisis in Flint

Orkhan Ismayilov, Ph.D. Student, Teaching Fellow and Research Assistant, University of North Texas, Denton, TX
Paper: Regional Collaboration for Climate Change Adoption Policies

Jenna Tyler, Graduate Student and Research Assistant, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN
Paper: Disaster Preparedness and Organizational Reliance: What Organizations do Individuals Rely on Most?

Teshanee Williams, Ph.D. Student, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
Paper: Examining How Demographic Factors Influence Risk and Benefit Perceptions


Ethics, Accountability and Following the Rules

Sunday, March 19 | 8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

Moderator:

Meghan Doughty, Doctoral Student, American University, Washington, DC

Panelists:

Thaneshwar Bhusal, Ph.D. Research Fellow, University of Canberra, Canberra, Australia
Paper: Citizen Participation in Fragile Democracies: Lessons from Nepal's Participatory Planning Process

David Carter, Assistant Professor, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
Paper: Balancing Barriers to Entry and Administrative Burden in Voluntary Certification: An Example from the National Organic Program

Jeffrey Cook, Ph.D. Student, Colorado State University, Denver, CO
Paper: Unheralded Heroes: The Critical Role of Innovative Rule Writers in Public Service

Suk Joon Hwang, Ph.D. Student, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL
Paper: Innovativeness, Bandwagon and Comprehensiveness of State Adoptions in Alcohol Impaired Driving Laws


Human Capital & Personnel Management

Sunday, March 19 | 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Moderator:

Mehmet Demircioglu, Ph.D. Student, Police Major, University of Northern Texas and Turkish National Police, Hakkari, Turkey

Panelists:

Kinjal Chaudhari, Ph.D. Student, Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University, Gandhinagar, India
Paper: What India Entails for Reimagining Education and Skilling Reforms

Hyesong Ha, Ph.D. Student, Indiana University at Bloomington, Bloomington, IN
Paper: A Causal Inference Analysis of Employee Empowerment’s Effect on Organizational Performance in the US Federal Agencies, using a Propensity Score Matching (PSM) Method

Assel Shaimerdenova, Graduate Student, University of Miami, Miami, FL
Paper: The Development of Human Capital in Kazakhstan

Levitats Zehavit
Paper: Yours Emotionally: How Emotional Intelligence Infuses Public Service Motivation and Job Outcomes of Public Personnel

Understanding Financial Stability in Organizations

Monday, March 20 | 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Moderator:

Michele Tantardini, Assistant Professor, Penn State University at Harrisburg, Harrisburg, PA

Panelists:

Ana Maria Dimand, Ph.D. Student, Florida International University, Cooper City, FL
Paper: Government Collaboration and Sustainable Public Procurement

Michael Overton, Greenbelt, MD
Paper: Property Tax Volatility and Local Economic Development: An Empirical Test of Fiscal Health using Texas Counties

Ashley Raphael, Student, George Mason University, Woodbridge, VA
Paper: Leveling Up: A Comparison of Economic Development through Bilateral Aid

Sombo Muzata Chunda, Graduate Student, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
Paper: Public Service Partnership with Civil Society in the Midst of Limited Resources; The Case for Community Access to Information in Lukulu Western Province, Zambia.



Cultural and Educational Factors of Managing NGOs and Nonprofit Organizations

Monday, March 20 | 11:45 a.m. - 1:15 p.m.

Moderator:

Kim Wiley, Assistant Professor, University of Illinois Springfield, Springfield, IL

Panelists:

Dawnasia Freeman, Student, Long Island University At Brooklyn, Brooklyn, NY
Paper: Factors Impacting NYC Based High School Graduation Rates

Simone Martin, Graduate Student, Rutgers University—Newark
Paper: An Evaluation of the Impact of Maternal Health and Parenting Programs on Child Health Outcomes: A Case Study of a Community-Based Organization in the Western Cape, South Africa

Rosa Krewson, Coordinator for Professional Programs, Virginia Tech, Alexandria, VA
Paper: Examining the Effects of Veteran's Networks on Education Outcomes

Yali Pang, Ph.D. Student, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
Paper: Does Cultural Competency of Housing Service Nonprofits Matter? A Case Study of Housing Nonprofits in Richmond

Francesca Vega, Graduate Student, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX
Paper: Measuring Performance in Nonprofit Arts and Culture Organizations



Planning and Administration for a Safe Community

Monday, March 20 | 3:15 p.m.  - 4:45 p.m.

Moderator:

Michael Ford, Assistant Professor, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, Oshkosh, WI

Panelists:

Javon Davis, Cookingham-Noll Management Fellow, City of Kansas City, Kansas City, MO
Paper: Are Police Worn Body Cameras the Answer?

Andrea Marie Headley, Ph.D. Candidate, Florida International University, Miami, FL
Paper: Can Organization Theories Help Us Understand Police-Community Conflict?  

Brittany Haupt, Graduate Research Associate, University of Central Florida, Winter Park, FL
Paper: The Use of Crisis Communication Strategies for Vulnerable Populations to Build Community Resilience Capacity

Sean McCandless, Ph.D. Student, University of Colorado at Denver, Arvada, CO
Paper: Engaging in Muwasaat: US Police Agencies' Use of Muslim Citizen Advisory Boards




Orientation Webinars Available

Fellows and mentors alike, if you missed your Feb. 22 orientation webinars, you can access them here!

Founders' Fellows

Fellows Mentors