Faculty & Staff

Listed below are the current faculty and staff for the Master in Public Administration at Kennesaw State University.

  • Jonathan Boyd

    Jonathan BoydPhone: (470) 578-6712
    Email: jboyd74@kennesaw.edu
    Location: SO 5069
    Additional Affiliation: Heterdox Academy
    Jonathan Boyd is an Assistant Professor of Public Administration in the School of Government and International affairs at Kennesaw State University. His research focuses on higher education policy, veteran issues, pay gaps for women and minorities, and representation in the public sector workforce. Before coming to Kennesaw State University, Jonathan was a Visiting Assistant Professor at Georgia State University. He has taught courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels that cover public administration, research methods, statistics, evaluation, policy analysis, and public management. Jonathan is a graduate of the joint Ph.D. program in public policy at Georgia State University and the Georgia Institute of Technology. Before moving to the Atlanta area, he studied philosophy and economics at Eastern Kentucky University.

    • Pay Equity, Representation, Veterans, Higher Education Policy

    • Research Methods, Program Evaluation, Policy Analysis, Advanced Research Methods, MPA Capstone Seminar

    • Higher Education Policy, Veteran Issues, Pay Gaps for Women and Minorities, Representation in the Public Sector workforce

      • Lewis, G. B., Boyd, J., & Pathak, R. (2018). Progress toward pay equity in state governments?. Public Administration Review, 78(3), 386-397.
      • Lewis, G., Boyd, J., & Pathak, R. (2022). Progress Toward Increasing Women's and Minorities' Access to Top State Government Jobs?. Public Personnel Management, 51(2), 213-234.

  • Aarika Forney

    Aarika ForneyPhone: (470) 578-6227
    Email: aforney@kennesaw,edu
    Location: SO 5053
    Professional Website - aarikaforney.com
    Aarika Forney, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Public Administration in the School of Government and International Affairs at Kennesaw State University. She received her PhD in Political Science from the University of Oklahoma, following a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Northern Iowa and an Associate of Arts in Criminal Justice from Hawkeye Community College. Her research is primarily focused on Black bureaucrats and representative bureaucracy. Her professional journey includes experience working with refugees and immigrants in her hometown of Waterloo, IA, where she also mentored high school students from Myanmar.

    • Public Management, Representative Bureaucracy, Street-Level Bureaucracy, Federalism, and Decision-Making
    • Courses previously taught:  Introduction to Public Administration, Introduction to Public Policy, introduction to American Government, and Nonprofit Management.
    • Interest areas are primarily focused on Black bureaucrats and representative bureaucracy. Dr. Forney also has a focus on behavior and social equity.

  • Misty Grayer

    Misty GrayerPhone: (470) 578-4972
    Email: mgrayer@kennesaw.edu
    Location: SO 5051
    Additional affiliations: CETL Faculty Fellow for Learning-Centered Teaching
    Misty Grayer is an Assistant Professor of Public Administration in the School of Government and International Affairs. She mainly teaches courses in the Master of Public Administration program, and she also teaches in Master of Science in International Policy Management and undergraduate political science programs. Her research interests focus on the intersection of public policy/management and public law and contemporary public issues and collaboration. As a former practicing attorney, Misty seeks to introduce the law through teaching and scholarship in a relevant and practical to students and practitioners working in the public sector.

    • Law and Public Management, Street-Level Bureaucracy, Collaboration

    • AD 6200, PAD 6500, PAD 6600, PAD 7150, PAD 7455, PAD 7461, PAD 7465, PAD 7900, POLS 1101, POLS 3310, IPM 7710

    • Role of Law in Decision-Making, Street-Level Bureaucracy Theory, Collaboration, Contemporary Public Issues

      • Barnes, A., & Grayer, M. (2023). Does Language Matter? Perceptions of the Use of Diversity Training in the Public Sector Workforce. Public Personnel Management, 52(2), 240-262.
      • Getha-Taylor, H., Grayer, M. J., Kempf, R. J., & O'Leary, R. (2019). Collaborating in the absence of trust? What collaborative governance theory and practice can learn from the literatures of conflict resolution, psychology, and law. The American Review of Public Administration, 49(1), 51-64.
      • Nelson, D. H., O'Leary, R., Schroeder, L. D., Grayer, M., & Vij, N. (2016). 12. Collaboration across boundaries in the Indian Forest Service. The Challenges of Collaboration in Environmental Governance: Barriers and Responses, 267.

  • Madinah Hamidullah

    Madinah HamidullahPhone: (470) 578-6082
    Email: mhamidul@kennesaw.edu
    Location: SO 5071
    Madinah F. Hamidullah, PhD is a Professor and Director of the Master of Public Administration program at Kennesaw State University.  Her major research areas are public and nonprofit administration leadership and management, specifically how it applies to human resource management practices and policies. She is developing a research focus on women's organizations, and their collective impact in philanthropy, service, and professional development. Developing inclusive and accessible public management practices are critical aspects of her research, teaching, and overall life focus. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7659-1332

    • Public Management, Human Resource Management, Nonprofit Administration, Public Affairs Education

    • Fundamentals of Public Administration and Public Service, Human Resource Management, Nonprofit Governance and Administration

    • Leadership, Public Management, Human Resource Management, Experiential Learning (Internship Supervision), Nonprofit Administration and Management, Organization Theory

      • Kim, Min Hyu, Van Ryzin, Gregg G., & Hamidullah, Madinah F. (2022) The effect of Obama's election on minority employees of federal agencies.  International Journal of Public Administration. https://doi.org/10.1080/01900692.2022.2061991
      • Hamidullah, Madinah F., Yun, Jung Ah (Claire), McDougle, Lindsey M., Shon, Jongmin, Yang, Hyuk & Davis, Ashley. (2021) Exploring Individual Predictors of Variation in Public Awareness of Expressive and Instrumental Nonprofit Brands. Journal of Philanthropy and Marketing. https://doi.org/10.1002/nvsm.1710
      • Hamidullah, Madinah F. and Rodas, Mauricio A. (2019) Going Beyond Study Abroad: An Introduction to United States and Chinese Joint Undergraduate Degree Programs and Public Affairs Application. Journal of Public Administration Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/15236803.2019.1680063
      • Hamidullah, Madinah F. Undergraduate Public Affairs Education: Educating Future Generations of Public and Nonprofit Administrators. (Editor, Fall 2021, Routledge Press)
      • Hamidullah, Madinah F. 2016. Managing the Next Generation of Public Employees: Public Solutions Handbook.  New York and London, Routledge: Taylor & Francis Group.

  • Jerry Herbel

    Jerry HerbelPhone: (470) 578-7746
    Email: jherbel@kennesaw.edu
    Location: SO 5042
    Jerry Herbel holds a PhD in political science from the University of Oklahoma; a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree, also from the University of Oklahoma; and a BS in Public Affairs from Emporia State University. Prior to his academic career, Herbel served as a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Air Force and Air Force Reserve as a public affairs officer and command staff officer in assignments around the world. He teaches courses in human resource management and program evaluation, organizational theory, and public sector budgeting. His primary research is focused on public human resource management and executive decision-making.

    • Public Human Resource Management, Executive Leadership, Effective Decision-Making, Public Organization Theory

    • PAD 6200, PAD 6250, PAD 6300, PAD 6350, PAD 6700, PAD 7250

    • Literature and Public Administration, Public Human Resource Management

      • Herbel, Jerry. 2018. Religion and Civic Purpose in Sophocles' Philoctetes. The Journal of Religious Ethics. 46(3): 548-569.
      • Herbel, Jerry. 2018. Humanism and Bureaucracy: The Case for a Liberal Arts Conception of Public Administration. The Journal of Public Affairs Education. 24(3): 395-416.
      • Herbel, Jerry E., Jr. 2015. Shakespeare's Machiavellian Moment: Discovering Ethics and Forming a Leadership Narrative in Henry V. Public Integrity. 17(3) 265-278.
      • Herbel, Jerry E., Jr. and Henry T. Edmondson, III. 2015. Introduction: Symposium on Shakespeare and Governance. Public Integrity. 17 (3) 243-246.

  • Sarah Young

    Sarah YoungPhone: (470) 578-6227
    Email: shinkely@kennesaw.edu
    Location: SO 5045
    Professional Website - www.NonprofitPhD.com
    Dr. Sarah L. Young, Professor of Public Administration at Kennesaw State University, serves as the Director of Research for CARE Services, a campus support program for students who have experienced foster care or unaccompanied homelessness. Dr. Young earned her Ph.D. from Florida State University's Askew School of Public Administration and Policy and her M.B.A. in nonprofit management from the University of Tampa Sykes College of Business. She is the co-editor-in-chief of the Journal of Public Affairs Education and on the editorial board of Teaching Public Administration. Dr. Young's research is published in Public Administration, Nonprofit Management & Leadership, American Review of Public Administration, Journal of Public Affairs Education, and other leading academic journals. She is the author of three forthcoming books, Mentorship in Higher Education, A Roadmap to Social Change, and Building a Fair Society: A Global Outlook of Public Management in Achieving Social Equity.

    • Nonprofit Management, Social Equity, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Public Management, Public Crises

    • AD 7980 - MPA Capstone; PAD 3343 - Introduction to Public Administration, POLS 1101 - Introduction to American Government, HSD 3500 - Introduction to Research Methods, PAD 7900 - Public Administration in Crisis

    • My research uses systems-based approaches to study the intersection of nonprofit, public management, and equity, especially during periods of crisis.

      • Lim, S. & Young, S. (2023). Why the network coordinator matters: The importance of learning, innovation, and governance structures in coproduction networks. Journal of Civil Society. Available online first. https://doi.org/10.1080/17448689.2023.2206157
      • Collins, C., Salazar, A., Hoffman-Cooper, A., Johnson, R., Schmidt, L., Tiller, L., & Young, S. (2023). Mixed Methods Evaluation of Two Georgia College Campus Support Programs for Students with Experience in Foster Care. Child and Adolescent Social Work. Available online first. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-023-00941-0
      • Searing, E., Wiley, K., & Young, S.L. (2021). Resiliency tactics during financial crisis: The nonprofit resiliency framework. Nonprofit Management and Leadership. 32(2), p. 179-196. https://doi.org/10.1002/nml.21478
      • Young, S. L., & Tanner, J. (2022). Citizen participation matters. Bureaucratic discretion matters more. Public Administration. 101(3) p. 747-771. https://doi.org/10.1111/padm.12867

  • Barbara Neuby

    Phone: (470) 578-6466
    Email: bneuby@kennesaw.edu
    Location: SO 5055
    Dr. Neuby researches and teaches in the areas of public budgeting and finance, homeland security, and is particularly interested in the coming changes toward digital fiat currency and the attendant social changes. Dr. Neuby enjoys numismatics and personal development activities.

    • Budgeting, Finance, Homeland Security, Digital Currency, Organzation Theory 

    • Public Budgeting, Organization Theory, Homeland Security, MPA Capstone, American Government

    • Global Financial System Changes, Central Bank Digital Currencies, Homeland Security 

      • Neuby, B. L. 2023. Workbook for Public Budgeting. Kendall Hunt. 150pp.
      • Neuby, B. L. 2023. "Central Bank Digital Currency & the Business Model." International Journal of International Journal of Business and Information Technology, 9(1): 27-42.
      • Neuby, B. L. and S. M. Barrett.* 2017. “The Case for a Single Currency.” Journal of Advances in Economics and Finance, August. v 2(2):83-96. DOI

  • Jennifer Purcell

    Jennifer PurcellPhone: (470) 578-2863
    Email: jpurce10@kennesaw.edu
    Location: SO 5071
    Professional Website: www.jenniferpurcell.com Social: @drjwpurcell
    Dr. Jennifer W. Purcell is a Professor in the School of Government and International Affairs at Kennesaw State University where she teaches courses in public leadership, administration, and policy. Purcell is a leadership scholar whose research explores leadership capacity building in organizational and community contexts with emphasis on the role of boundary-spanning, organization development, coaching, and collaboration. She has been affiliated with and taught leadership concepts across six academic departments and in co-curricular and community settings. Purcell earned a Doctor of Education in Adult Education in the Department of Learning, Leadership, and Organization Development at the University of Georgia (2013) and holds a Master of Public Administration from Valdosta State University (2010) and a Bachelor of Arts in sociology and business administration minor from Mercer University (2006). She also completed a Graduate Certificate in Organization and Leadership Coaching from the University of Georgia (2022).

    • Public Leadership, Organization Learning and Development, Boundary Spanning, Higher Education Community Engagement 

    • PAD 7250 Leadership & Ethics in the Public Sector, POLS 3310 Public Policy Analysis

    • Boundary-Spanning Leadership, Sustainable Leadership and Organization Development in the Public Sector, Higher Education Community Engagement, Coaching for Collaboration Effectiveness

    • 2024 RISE Research Fellow, 2024 Outstanding Professional Service and Community Engagement Award (nominee), 2023 KSU Tenured Faculty Enhancement Award, 2023 Cobb Chamber of Commerce Honorary Commander, 2021-2022 Faculty Diversity Fellow for Gender and Work Life Issues UC Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activity Award, 2018 KSU Outstanding Early Career Faculty Award Distinguished Faculty Award, 2018 University College (nominee), 2017 Delegate to the European Academy of Otzenhausen (EAO) in Germany, 2016 John Saltmarsh Award for Emerging Leaders in Civic Engagement, 2016 Catherine C. and Kenneth O. Kiesler Service Award, 2015 UC Faculty Development Award 2013 Engaged Campus Research Fellowship, 2013 IARSLCE Dissertation Award (nominee), 2012 IARSLCE Doctoral Student Scholarship, 2012 Emerging Engagement Scholar, 2011 AAWCC National Doctoral Scholarship, 2011 GHC Community Involvement Award, 2009 American Cancer Society Team Spirit Award & South Atlantic Division All Star Team (Team Captain) 
      • Guest Editor, Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, Anticipated Fall 2024, Special issue on Community-Engaged Scholars, Practitioners, and Boundary Spanners: Identity, Wellbeing & Career Development.
      • Purcell, J. W. & Smith, D. N. (2023). Disciplinary Expertise and Faculty Credentialing in Leadership Studies: Advancing a Necessary Conversation. (Feature Article). Journal of Leadership Studies, 17(2), Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10/1002/jls.21851
      • Purcell, J. W., Rodriguez, D. X., & Ring, K. A.* (2022). The Covid Shift: Working women's punctuated equilibrium. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 43(8), 1217-1233. https://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-01-2022-0044
      • Purcell, J. W., Pearl, A., & Van Schyndel, T.* (2021). Boundary spanning leadership among community-engaged faculty: An exploratory study of faculty participating in higher education community engagement. Engaged Scholar Journal, 6(2), 1-30. https://doi.org/10.15402/esj.v6i2.69398
      • Purcell, J. W. (2019) Future directions for community engagement in higher education: Advancing scholarship, building leadership capacity, and refining commitments. In Sandmann, L. R., & Jones, D. O. (Eds.), Building the field of higher education engagement: A 20-year retrospective and prospective (pp. 247-249). Stylus Publishing.

  • Chenaz Seelarbokus

    Phone: (470) 578-2273
    Email: cseelarb@kennesaw.edu
    Location: SO 5067
    Dr Chenaz B. Seelarbokus teaches courses in international environmental policy, global issues, principles of public administration, public policy analysis, nonprofit governance, and philanthropy. Dr Seelarbokus is author of the book International Environmental Cooperation and The Global Sustainability Capital Framework (Elsevier, 2021), and she has published articles on the participation and effectiveness of international environmental agreements, international environmental law, NGOs and depleted uranium, the Kashmir dispute, and the de-Islamization of Rumi in the US.  

    Prior to her academic career, Dr. Seelarbokus served for more than five years as Assistant Secretary in the Government of Mauritius, serving in the Ministry for the Environment and Quality of Life, the Ministry of Commerce and Cooperatives, and the Ministry of Education and Human Resources. Dr. Seelarbokus also served as an environmental technician in the Environmental Studies Laboratory of the University of Mauritius.

    Dr. Seelarbokus holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Georgia State University (GSU); an MPA from the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, GSU; an MA in Political Science, GSU; an MS in Environmental Planning and Management from Louisiana State University; and a BS (Hons.) in Pure Science (Chemistry, Environmental Studies) from the University of Mauritius. Dr. Seelarbokus also holds a UNEP/UNESCO/Dresden University of Technology International Postgraduate Diploma in Environmental Management for Developing Countries. Dr. Seelarbokus was an intern in the Democracy Program at the Carter Center Inc.

      • Seelarbokus, Chenaz B. 2024. “The Kashmir Dispute: Very Much an International Affair, with Erga Omnes Obligation.” Indonesian Journal of International & Comparative Law, 11(1), 29–111.
      • Seelarbokus, Chenaz B. 2021. International Environmental Cooperation and the Global Sustainability Capital Framework. Cambridge, MA: Elsevier.
      • Seelarbokus, Chenaz B. 2014. “Assessing the Effectiveness of International Environmental Agreements (IEAs): Demystifying the Issue of Data Unavailability.” SAGE Open. 4(1). DOI: 10.1177/2158244014521820.
      • Seelarbokus, Chenaz B. 2014. “International Environmental Agreements (IEAs): An Integrated Perspective on the Concept of Effectiveness.” International Journal of Environmental Protection and Policy. Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 76-95. DOI: 10.11648/j.ijepp.20140202.15.
      • Seelarbokus, Chenaz B. 2014. “Theorizing State Participation in International Environmental Agreements (IEAs).” World Environment. Vol. 4 No. 3, pp. 121-142. DOI: 10.5923/j.env.20140403.04.
      • Seelarbokus, Chenaz B. 2014. “The Influence of Treaty Design on the Participation of Developed and Developing Countries in International Environmental Agreements (IEAs).” African Journal of Political Science and International Affairs. Vol. 8, No. 8, pp. 288-301. DOI: 10.5897/AJPSIR2014.0688.
      • Seelarbokus, Chenaz B. 2014. “Thoroughly Muslim Mystic: Rewriting Rumi in America.” In A. R. Richards & I. Omidvar (Eds.), Muslims and American Popular Culture. US: Praeger
      • Seelarbokus, Chenaz B. 2010. "International Environmental Law." In Robert A. Denemark et. al. (Eds). The International Studies Encyclopedia. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.
      • Seelarbokus, Chenaz B. 2005. “Effectiveness of Environmental Treaties: Trend Analysis of Treaty-Based Environmental Indicators.” Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management. Vol 7: 3 (September).
      • Seelarbokus, Chenaz B. 2005. “NGOs and Depleted Uranium. Establishing a Credible and Legitimate Counter-Narrative.” In Richmond Oliver P. and Henry F. Carey. Subcontracting Peace: The Challenges of NGO Peacebuilding. Ashgate: Burlington, VT.

  • David Shock

    David ShockPhone: (470) 578-6037
    Email: dshock@kennesaw.edu
    Location: SO 5038
    Dr. Shock teaches in the political science program and has been employed at KSU since 2002. He teaches courses on American politics and state and local government. In addition, he conducts research on local growth politics related to zoning, housing, and environmental concerns such as wind farm siting.

    • State and Local Government, Zoning, Growth Politics
    • American Government, State and Local Government, Governmental Relations
    • Local growth politics in the U.S.
    • 2014 Betty L. Siegel Award from the KSU Alumni Association

  • Maureen Wilson

    Phone: (470) 578-7869
    Email: mwils152@kennesaw.edu
    Location: SO 5032
    Maureen Wilson, PhD is the Graduate Programs Coordinator in the School of Government and International Affairs supporting both the Master of Public Administration and Master of Science in International Policy Management programs. Maureen is also part-time faculty in SGIA and has previously held teaching positions at Chattahoochee Technical College and Emory University. She is a graduate of KSU’s PhD in International Conflict Management program. Her research interests include transitional and post-conflict justice and international law.

    • College of Humanities and Social Sciences Outstanding Team Member 2019, PhD in International Conflict Management Outstanding Scholar 2020

 

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