What inspires you?

I am most inspired by my interactions with students. I prefer to teach through engagement rather than lecture. My goal is to create a space where learning can happen for them, and for me. I learn a lot from my students. They open my eyes to fresh ideas and the issues we are facing.

I am also inspired by team-based work, shared responsibility, and engaging with people. I don’t think I am particularly strong in any area but I am able to convene people who have a variety of skills to work together.

I also get inspiration from the faculty we have at the University of Delaware and centers within the Biden School of Public Policy and Administration. The people and the work accomplished in the school is impressive. I appreciate working at a land grant university where we have an opportunity to make a difference in our community.

What makes a great leader?

It is absolutely essential for higher education leaders to have a commitment to future generations and lead us to a more sustainable society. Universities are where research occurs and policies are born. We need to commit to excellence and ethics and advancing the public good and we have to share and uphold these values and transfer them to future generations.

Tell us about a time you felt truly proud of your work.

I feel proudest when my students get awards and job placements. It is amazing to have a student move from a research assistant position to a tenure line at a university. It has an immediate impact.

I’m always excited about the research process and outputs. I’m also excited to publish the research results and share them with the community and others in the field. My role as a researcher is to translate what others do into lessons and best practices.

This year I am publishing a book based on 10 years of learning about sustainable management in the field of arts and cultural. The Overlooked Pillar Making a Case for Cultural Sustainability offers an original perspective on the sustainable-development discourse by emphasizing the importance of culture and cultural institutions in facilitating societal sustainability goals.

Tell us about your most difficult challenge.

Change and instability are always a challenge. Coping with change that is due to re-organization or a pandemic creates unique challenges. It is important to see the big picture and adapt. As a leader you have to provide stability, but also guide organizations though change and adaptation by facilitating mutual learning about change. Both adaptability and change require strong leadership and a vision.

In view, any crisis should be viewed an opportunity to learn and grow. Challenges are really opportunities to create something new and re-invent what we are doing. They offer us a chance to learn something new and go to the next level.

BIO

Dr. Alisa V. Moldavanova is Associate Professor and Director of the MPA Program at the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration at the University of Delaware. Dr. Moldavanova’s work has been published in the Journal of Urban Affairs, The American Review of Public Administration, Public Management Review, Administration and Society, Public Administration and Development, Journal of Public Affairs Education, International Journal of Public Administration, and International Journal of Sustainability Policy and Practice.

She is the coeditor (with David H. Smith and Svitlana Krasynska) of The Nonprofit Sector in Eastern Europe, Russia, and Central Asia: Civil Society Advances and Challenges.

Dr. Moldavanova’s research investigates organizational sustainability in the context of public service organizations, the role of inter-organizational networks and other forms of social connectedness in enabling sustainable organizations, as well as how nonprofits and other public service organizations foster sustainable development in their local communities. Dr. Moldavanova also is conducting research on the role of civil society and nonprofit sector organizations in advancing democracy. Her research has been funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, Paul A. Volcker Endowment for Public Service Research – American Political Science Association, and Ford Fund (CommunityCorps Program).

Dr. Moldavanova’s degrees include:

PhD (2013, Honors), Public Administration, School of Public Affairs and Administration, The University of Kansas (Lawrence, KS)

MPA (2009), School of Public Affairs and Administration, The University of Kansas (Lawrence, KS)

PhD (2007), Psychology, Institute of Psychology of the National Pedagogy Academy of Ukraine (Kyiv, Ukraine)

BS (2000, summa cum laude), Psychology, Institute of Mathematics, Economics, and Mechanics, Odesa National Mechnikov University (Odesa, Ukraine)