TEACHING INTERESTS
Comparative Public Administration, Comparative Politics, Comparative Public Policy, International Development, Management (Nonprofit & Public), Policy Process, Public Administration, Public Policy, Research Design and Methods.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Research is fun, but I also genuinely enjoy teaching. I have twice taught and been the instructor of record for a mid-level undergraduate course, The Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector, that introduces civil society theories and concepts, and surveys the voluntary sector around the world, with an emphasis on the United States. While teaching the course this semester, I have updated the material to include greater international content as well as gripping topics on “Civil Society’s Dark Side” and the “Involuntary Waning in Voluntary Association” globally.
In addition to my research and teaching, I possess valuable practical experience that informs my research and impacts my students. Having worked at Morgan Stanley throughout the financial crisis and then spending four years in Haiti as an NGO consultant after completing my Northwestern MBA, I have personally experienced the pros and cons of private and public organizations. I have seen homo economicus rationale drive operational decisions at Morgan Stanley, the World Bank, and UNICEF while ignoring the history, institutions, and politics of each decision point. At the same time, I observed charity and selfishness from the most unlikely actors and repeatedly witnessed small-scale NGOs innovate beyond expectation and make sophisticated decisions under near-paralyzing conditions. These experiences continue to inspire my research and allow me to navigate the practitioners’ world comfortably, as well as work with and teach individuals from diverse populations and cultures. As importantly, they are a decade-long asset of experiences and contacts that I draw on when teaching and mentoring students as they chart a course for the next phase of their life.
Three principles comprise my teaching philosophy: transparency, flexibility, and accountability. Please contact me if you would like to know more about my teaching philosophy or course evaluations.
In addition to my research and teaching, I possess valuable practical experience that informs my research and impacts my students. Having worked at Morgan Stanley throughout the financial crisis and then spending four years in Haiti as an NGO consultant after completing my Northwestern MBA, I have personally experienced the pros and cons of private and public organizations. I have seen homo economicus rationale drive operational decisions at Morgan Stanley, the World Bank, and UNICEF while ignoring the history, institutions, and politics of each decision point. At the same time, I observed charity and selfishness from the most unlikely actors and repeatedly witnessed small-scale NGOs innovate beyond expectation and make sophisticated decisions under near-paralyzing conditions. These experiences continue to inspire my research and allow me to navigate the practitioners’ world comfortably, as well as work with and teach individuals from diverse populations and cultures. As importantly, they are a decade-long asset of experiences and contacts that I draw on when teaching and mentoring students as they chart a course for the next phase of their life.
Three principles comprise my teaching philosophy: transparency, flexibility, and accountability. Please contact me if you would like to know more about my teaching philosophy or course evaluations.
- To achieve transparency, I involve students in my class in a way that allows them to see why I choose to do certain things. Two examples are my use of clear grading rubrics and explaining how course deliverables contribute to desired learning outcomes. Another is the mid-term course evaluation I conducted as a first-time teacher.
- Flexibility is the second principle of my teaching philosophy. I choose to avoid excessive rigidity to provide a more valuable educational experience. For example, I develop my assignments so that students apply essential concepts and achieve desired learning outcomes but happily grant flexibility for students to propose an alternate project that achieves the specified learning outcome.
- My final principle calls for reasonable accountability in the classroom. Accountability naturally includes clear expectations regarding class participation, precise grading rubrics, project deadlines, and so forth. Conversations about accountability should include the less discussed topic of professors' responsibility to give students the education they expect. Accountability runs two ways, and professors are accountable to students and should be accessible and punctual, prepared, and show they genuinely care about teaching.