Faculty Expertise

New Century College

 

  • Nance Lucas, Associate Dean and Associate Professor Co-author of Exploring Leadership: For College Students Who Want To Make ADifference (1st, 2nd, and 3rd editions). She currently serves as the co-editor of theJournal of Leadership and Organizational Studies special issue series, has published on topics of leadership, and was a contributing author of LeadershipReconsidered and The Social Change Model of Leadership Development.
  • Julie Owen, Assistant Professor of Leadership and Integrative Studies: Coordinates undergraduate minor in leadership studies and teaches courses on socially responsible leadership, civic engagement, and community-based research. She is a Research Scholar for the National Clearinghouse for Leadership Programs (NCLP) and is co-editor of the Handbook for Student Leadership Development. Serves as co-PI of the Multi-Institutional Study of Leadership – Institutional Survey (MSL-IS) and a research team member of the Leadership Identity Development (LID) project.  Editorial review board member for the Journal of Leadership Education (JOLE).
  • Wendy Wagner. Director, Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement: Coordinates undergraduate minor in nonprofit studies and teaches courses on socially responsible leadership, civic engagement, and community-based research. Co-author of Leadership for a Better World, and Exploring Leadership (3rd ed) instructor’s manual and student workbook.  Co-editor of the Handbook for Student Leadership Development.  Serves as a research team member of the Leadership Identity Development (LID) project.

 Psychology

 

  • Steve Zaccaro, Professor: Extensive publications on group dynamics, team performance, leadership, and work attitudes. Books include, The Nature of Executive Leadership: AConceptual and Empirical Analysis of Success (2001) and co-edited, The Natureof Organizational Leadership: Understanding the Performance ImperativesConfronting Today’s Leaders (2001), and Leader Development for TransformingOrganizations (2004).

 School of Management

 

  • Catherine Durnell Cramton, Associate Professor: Her current research focuses on contemporary issues of leadership and collaboration, particularly as experienced in the information technology and professional services industries. She studies distributed work, inter-organizational collaboration, cross-cultural collaboration, project team leadership, and the impact of technology on collaboration.
  • Michelle Marks, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs & Associate Professor, Management: Her research and consulting interests are in the areas of team and multi-team effectiveness, leadership, and conflict management.
  • Cindy Parker, Assistant Professor: Her research explores the effects of perceptions of leadership support on the work-related attitudes and behaviors of first-term enlisted soldiers. Her doctoral dissertation was supported by the Army Research Institute.

School of Public Policy

  • Ann Baker, Senior Associate Dean and Professor: Previously directed School of Public Policy’s Masters in Organization Development and Knowledge Management Program for five years. Prior to joining Mason, Dean Baker was a Kellogg Fellow, having received a three-year Leadership Development fellowship from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation for International Leaders of the Future. Dean Baker’s research interests include cross cultural communication, organizational learning and knowledge creation, organizational change, virtual conversations, group dynamics, conversational learning, and conflict & change. She is the author of numerous publications and recently published the book, Catalytic Conversations: Organizational Communication and Innovation.

Higher Education Program

  • Jamie Lester, Associate Professor: Maintains an active research agenda that examines gender equity in higher education; retention and transfer of community college students; socialization of women and minority faculty; and leadership. She has published articles in the Community College Journal of Research and Practice, Community College Review, Journal of Higher Education, Liberal Education, National Women’s Studies Association Journal, Review of Higher Education, and NEA: Thought & Action. She serves on the editorial board of Community College Review. Dr. Lester has three books on gendered perspectives in community colleges, family-friendly policies in higher education, and ways to restructure higher education to promote collaboration. Currently, she is completing a book on grassroots leadership and change in higher education.