College of Education and Human Development

Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development

Doctoral alumni

Our network of hundreds of OLPD doctoral alumni spans the globe. If you graduated from a doctoral program in OLPD and you're interested in listing your profile on this page, contact OLPD commmunications.

Rosa Acevedo, PhD Rosa Acevedo, PhD

  • Comparative and International Development Education

I am the founder and executive consultant of RM Administrator Plus Consulting designed to provide affordable access to high quality consulting for organizations servicing the public sector in evaluation and proposal writing.

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Roqayah Ajaj, PhD Roqayah Ajaj, PhD

I am a doctoral candidate contributing to the expansion of research on social inclusion for people with disabilities.

Roqayah Ajaj

Zhuldyz Amankulova, PhD Zhuldyz Amankulova, PhD

I am interested in the issues of access and equity in higher education as well as how students’ transitions into and out of the university can be structured to maximize academic and career success, especially for marginalized youth.

Zhuldyz Amankulova

Melanie Buford, PhD Melanie Buford, PhD

Melanie Buford is a graduate of the doctoral program in Higher Education at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities' Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development.

Melanie Buford

Kathryn K. Burden, PhD Kathryn K. Burden, PhD

I am a PhD candidate at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities in the Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development program with an emphasis on Comparative and International Development Education.

Kathryn K. Burden

Peter Joseph Campion, PhD Peter Joseph Campion, PhD

  • Higher Education
  • he, him, his

I have more than a decade of collegiate teaching experience. My work centers on equity, diversity, and inclusion.

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Devleena Chatterji, PhD Devleena Chatterji, PhD

  • Comparative and International Development Education
  • she, her, hers

I am interested in understanding the dynamics of power differences from multiple angles.

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D.J. (David) Condon, PhD D.J. (David) Condon, PhD

  • Comparative and International Development Education
  • he, him, his

Of my 35 years working in preK-12 education, I have spent the last 25 years working in the preK-12 international schools sector, including 10 years as a head of school.

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Megan C. Deutschman, PhD Megan C. Deutschman, PhD

Megan C. Deutschmann is a graduate of the Comparative and International Development Education PhD program at the Unversity of Minnesota-Twin Cities' Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development.

Megan C. Deutschman

Heidi I. Fahning, PhD Heidi I. Fahning, PhD

  • Comparative and International Development Education
  • she, her, hers

My research interests dwell at the intersections of public policy, education, and anthropology.

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Ying Feng, PhD Ying Feng, PhD

Ying Feng, PhD, is a graduate of the doctoral program in Human Resource Development at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities' Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development.

Ying Feng

Leah N. Fulton, PhD Leah N. Fulton, PhD

I have nearly fifteen years of experience in higher education, primarily in various Student Affairs roles. My work has focused largely on organizational change through centering institutional congruence.

Leah N. Fulton

Michael Grewe, PhD Michael Grewe, PhD

  • Higher Education
  • he, him, his

I have worked in higher education since 2007 and am currently the Director of Campus Life at Augsburg University.

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Tasha S. Hart-Mrema, PhD Tasha S. Hart-Mrema, PhD

I am in the final stage of my doctoral candidacy and I am currently working on my dissertation. My current research is specifically concerned with the presence, or lack thereof, of corporate social responsibility in the platform economy (i.e.

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Marigold Setsuko Holmes, PhD Marigold Setsuko Holmes, PhD

As a practioner-scholar, my 25-year career in international education has focused on internationalization strategy at the institutional, national, and international levels.

Marigold Setsuko Holmes

Lisa S. Kaler, PhD Lisa S. Kaler, PhD

  • Higher Education, 2021
  • she, her, hers

I am interested in the mental health of undergraduate and graduate students. In particular, I am interested in critical approaches to studying mental health so that colleges and universities can better serve students from marginalized populations.

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Ashley Karlsson, PhD Ashley Karlsson, PhD

  • Education Policy and Leadership (Executive Cohort), 2021
  • she, her, hers
  • karl0173@umn.edu

Ashley Karlsson, PhD, is a graduate of the executive cohort doctoral program in Education Policy and Leadership at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities' Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development.

Annie Jenkin LaVanway, PhD Annie Jenkin LaVanway, PhD

Educational equity is at the forefront of my teaching and research. As a former public school teacher and long-time college access program employee, advocating for opportunity and access is at the heart of my work.

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Graham Rasmussen, PhD Graham Rasmussen, PhD

  • Comparative and International Development Education
  • he, him, his
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Laura C. Seithers, PhD Laura C. Seithers, PhD

  • Comparative and International Development Education
  • she, her, hers

My research focuses primarily on lived experiences of the internationalization of higher education and of pedagogical change.

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Tiffany Lachelle Smith, PhD Tiffany Lachelle Smith, PhD

Dr. Tiffany Lachelle Smith is the Director of Scholarships and Student Programs at the Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi Foundation for Policy Research in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

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Thuan Micah Tran, PhD Thuan Micah Tran, PhD

  • Comparative and International Development Education
  • he, him, his
Image of Thuan Micah Tran

Hanna Girma Wedajo, PhD Hanna Girma Wedajo, PhD

Hanna Girma Wedajo, PhD, is a graduate of the doctoral program in Comparative and International Development Education at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities' Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development.

Hanna Girma Wedajo

Evan Witt, PhD Evan Witt, PhD

Evan Witt is a graduate of the PhD program in Higher Education at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities' Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development.

Evan Witt

Eskender A. Yousuf, PhD Eskender A. Yousuf, PhD

I am a doctoral candidate studying how social issues impact k-12 education and ways that educators and educational leaders can best respond.

Eskender A. Yousuf

Yue Zhang, PhD Yue Zhang, PhD

Yue Zhang, PhD, is a graduate of the doctoral program in Evaluation Studies at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities' Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development.

Yue Zhang