People
Jodi Benenson
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Pronouns: she/hers
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Associate Professor
Jodi Benenson is an associate professor in the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota.
PhD and MA, Brandeis University, social policy
MPA, Indiana University, nonprofit management
BS, Indiana University, business
Civic engagement
Nonprofit and public organizations
Program and policy evaluation
Organizational learning and leadership
Social and economic equity
My research focuses on civic engagement, equity, and evaluation in nonprofit and public contexts. Much of my work focuses on the ways civic organizations and institutions provide access to social and economic opportunities for different population groups. In other research, I examine the role of civic and experiential learning in higher education contexts and the ways organizational policies and practices influence civic, social, and economic outcomes. Using multiple methodologies, I ground my work in theories that reflect my interdisciplinary training in civic engagement, public policy, and management, and foster links between research and practice through community engaged scholarship.
Previously, I served as an associate professor at the University of Nebraska Omaha, where I chaired the Master of Public Administration (MPA) program in the School of Public Administration, served as the academic director for the U.S. Department of State's Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Institute on Civic Engagement, and served as a service-learning faculty fellow for the College of Public Affairs and Community Service. I also served as the Fulbright Canada Research Chair in Governance and Public Administration at the University of Ottawa and as a postdoctoral scholar at the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University.
Current Professional Affiliations
- American Evaluation Association (AEA), member
- Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM), member
- Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA), member
- International Society for Third Sector Research (ISTR), member
- Senior Associate Editor, Journal of Social Equity and Public Administration
- Fulbright Canada Research Chair in Governance and Public Administration, Centre on Governance, University of Ottawa (2023-24)
- Faculty Excellence in Engagement Award, University of Nebraska Omaha (2024)
- School of Public Administration Full-Time Faculty Excellence in Teaching and Mentoring Award, University of Nebraska Omaha (2024)
- Outstanding Achievement Award, Chancellor’s Commission on the Status of Gender Equity, University of Nebraska Omaha (2023)
- Ernest A. Lynton Award for the Scholarship of Engagement National Finalist, Campus
Compact (2022) - Alumni Outstanding Teaching Award, University of Nebraska Omaha (2021)
- Outstanding Faculty Service-Learning Award, University of Nebraska Omaha (2021)
- Outstanding Article Award, Journal of Public Affairs Education (2021)
- Ten Outstanding Young Omahans (TOYO) Award, Omaha Jaycees (2019)
- OLPD 3609: Profession and Practice of Business and Marketing Education and Human Resource Development
- OLPD 5502: Comparative Evaluation Theory for Practice
Benenson, J., & Fyall, R. (2025). Professors as Engaged Policy Actors. In M. Pautz & L. Liu (Eds.), Teaching Public Policy. Edward Elgar Publishing.
Lee, M., & Benenson, J. (2025). League of Women Voters: Case study in Democratic Resilience. In E. A. M. Searing & D. Young (Eds.), Case Studies in Nonprofit Resilience Management (pp. 238-247). Edward Elgar Publishing.
Benenson, J., & Johnson, S. (2024). Students as Engaged Partners in Directed Research Courses. Engaged Scholar Journal: Community-Engaged Research, Teaching, and Learning, 10(1), 25–33. Learning in the Public Service Classroom. Routledge.
Blanco, F., & Benenson, J. (2024). Teaching Social Equity in Public Policy Courses. In S. A. McCandless & S. T. Gooden (Eds.), Teaching Social Equity in Public Administration: A Cross-Curricular Guide for Faculty and Programs. Routledge.
Kim, M., & Benenson, J. (2023). Arts and Culture Nonprofits as Civic Actors: Mapping Audience, Community, and Civic Engagement in Nonprofit Organizations. Journal of Arts Management, Law and Society, 53(4), 247-265.
Meyer, S., & Benenson, J. (2023). Chai Pride: Using LGBTQIA+ Jewish Identities to Understand Intersectionality in Public Administration. Administration & Society, 55(8), 1623-1646.
Cummins, S., Ritzman, M., Tocaimaza-Hatch, C., Benenson, J., & Weare, A. (2023). Promoting Service Learning Through an Interdisciplinary and Decentralized Faculty Fellows Program. Metropolitan Universities, 34(4), 88-106. doi: 10.18060/26514
Reyes-Nunez, R. L., Blanco, F., Benenson, J., Cortes Rivera, J. J., Gomez-Aguinaga, B., Heckler, N., Jamieson, T., & Mwarumba, N. (2023). Building Inclusion, Equity, and Diversity into Student Coauthorship. PS: Political Science & Politics, 56(1), 189-192.
Benenson, J., Bryan, T., Ebdon, C., Glanz, T., Harrold, J., Jamieson, T., & Mwarumba, N. (2022). Uncertainty and Unrest: A Collaborative Pedagogical Response to Pandemics, Protests, and Policy." Journal of Public Affairs Education, 28(3), 269-289.
Thomas, N., Murray, L. A., Upchurch, K., Copeland, C. A., & Benenson, J., et al. (2021). Assessing and Improving Political Learning and Engagement on College Campuses. eJournal of Public Affairs, 10(3).
Smith, D., Feichtinger, E., & Benenson, J. (2021). Using a Multidimensional Food Insecurity Framework to Inform Public Policy. In A. B. Hoflund, J. C. Jones, & M. C. Pautz (Eds.) Administering and Managing the U.S. Food System: Revisiting Food Policy and Politics (97-112). Lexington Books.
Benenson, J. (2020). What’s Past is Prologue? The Role of Gender, Race, Socioeconomic Status, and Prior Nonprofit Sector Experiences on Experiential Philanthropy Course Outcomes. Journal of Nonprofit Education and Leadership, 10(2), 157-178.
Levine Daniel, J., Fyall, R., & Benenson, J. (2020). Talking about Antisemitism in MPA Classrooms and Beyond. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 26(3), 313-336.
Benenson, J., Pickering, B., Weare, A. M., & Starke, A. M. (2019). Focused Engagement: Lessons Learned from a Study Assessing Campus Climates for Political Learning and Engagement in Democracy. Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education, 11(3), 58-63.
Benenson, J., & Bergom, I. (2019). Voter Participation, Socioeconomic Status, and Institutional Contexts in Higher Education. The Review of Higher Education, 42(4), 1669-1693.
Benenson, J., & Moldow, E. (2017). Paying it Forward: The Role of Student Philanthropy Course Activities on Civic Outcomes. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 23(3), 885-902.
Benenson, J. (2017). Civic Engagement and Economic Opportunity among Low-income Individuals: An Asset-based Approach. Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 28, 988-1014.
Benenson, J., & Stagg, A. (2016). An Asset-based Approach to Volunteering: Exploring Benefits for Low-income Volunteers. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 45(1), 131S-149S.
