2025 Board Elections
ARNOVA Board Elections Begin September 26th
This year, we present a slate of candidates to run for two officer positions (President-Elect, Treasurer) and five at-large positions. Explore the candidates and their bios below.
NOTE: Voting members should have received the link and log in to the ballot through their contact email ARNOVA has on file.
If you did not receive this email or have trouble logging in or voting, please email us at info@arnova.org.
Meet the Candidates
President-Elect Candidates
Brenda K. Bushouse
University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA
Professor of Public Policy School of Public Policy
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
It would be a privilege to serve as ARNOVA president, the scholarly association so many of us call home. I have been an ARNOVA member for over 25 years, serving in various roles, including section leadership, the board, and awards committees. I currently serve on the NVSQ editorial board. We are living through a rapidly changing landscape, and it is an all-hands-on-deck moment for scholarly associations. If elected president, I am at the stage of my career where I can devote the time required.
As president, I bring my 2016-2022 board service, where I chaired the Publications Committee, the Membership Committee, and served as Co-Conference Chair for the 2018 and 2019 conferences. These experiences involved working with NVSQ’s publisher and editors, developing orientation sessions for new section leaders, revising the policy manual, developing conference themes and plenaries, managing conference program volunteers, and collaborating with staff. As president, I will
- Continue to support sections and common interest groups, as they foster a sense of belonging and network building, enrich the conference, and provide year-round webinars and events.
- Advance programming and fundraising to support a robust, diverse, international community.
- Explore collaborations with scholarly and sector organizations.
- Support ARNOVA as a welcoming, inclusive organizational culture.
My recent nonprofit research can be found in the Policy Studies Journal, Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, Nonprofit Policy Forum, and Voluntas. In 2026, Cambridge will publish Understanding Our Philanthropy Commons (Never, Bushouse, & Christensen, Eds.), a five-year endeavor that advances new conceptual and analytical approaches for philanthropy research.
Lindsey McDougle
Rutgers University, Newark, USA
I am an Associate Professor in the School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA) at Rutgers University–Newark, where I also direct the Rutgers Center for Nonprofit Leadership and Development. At the heart of my teaching and research is a simple belief: everyday people have the power to strengthen communities through their giving, service, and civic participation. I am interested in how individuals (when supported by nonprofit organizations and networks) can come together to address pressing social challenges, build connections across differences, and create stronger, more vibrant communities.
ARNOVA has been a professional home for me since graduate school. It has been the space where I’ve found mentorship, shared ideas, and been challenged to grow as a scholar and leader. Over the years, I have been fortunate to serve in multiple leadership roles, including Associate Editor of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly (NVSQ), ARNOVA conference co-chair, and ARNOVA board member. Each of these experiences has reinforced for me the importance of ARNOVA as a community where ideas are exchanged, collaborations are formed, and future scholars are nurtured.
As President, my goal would be to carry this spirit forward. I hope to foster deeper connections among scholars and practitioners, expand ARNOVA’s global reach, and create opportunities for the next generation of nonprofit and philanthropic scholars to explore, elevate, and celebrate the ways everyday people come together to make a difference in their communities.
Treasurer Candidate
Alicia Shatterman
Northern Illinois University, USA
Dr. Alicia Schatteman has had a career in public higher education for over 20 years, with teaching roles at Kean University, Rutgers University, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and Northern Illinois University. Alicia holds a Ph.D. in public administration from Rutgers University's School of Public Affairs and Administration, a master’s from Syracuse University and from Trent University, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Ottawa. Alicia draws upon a decade of experience in the government and nonprofit sectors in Canada and the United States that enriches her community-engaged research and teaching, including four years as a nonprofit executive director.
Her publications focus on nonprofit strategic planning, nonprofit finance, and community-engaged teaching. In 2024, her book “Pursuing Impact: Mission-Driven Strategic Planning for Nonprofits” (Johns Hopkins University Press) was informed by working with over 60 public and nonprofit organizations. Alicia is currently a Professor in the Department of Public Administration and the Center for Nonprofit and NGO Studies and serves as the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs at Northern Illinois University. In ARNOVA, she has served as Chair of the Nonprofit Finance and Financial Management Section, a reviewer for NVSQ, and has been part of the leadership committees for the Governance Section and the Pracademics Section. She has volunteered as a board member for local organizations, mostly recently as president of the Sugar Grove Library Foundation.
At-Large Candidates
Ruth K. Hansen
University of Wisconsin, Whitewater, USA
Ruth K. Hansen is an Associate Professor of nonprofit management at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater’s College of Business and Economics, and director of its Institute for Nonprofit Management Studies. A scholar and former practitioner, her work explores the intersection of theory and practice in fundraising—how we ask, who gives to whom, and why it matters. She serves on the board of the Nonprofit Academic Centers Council (NACC), and chairs the Research Council for the AFP Foundation for Fundraising. She has been a member of the TIBS executive committee since 2020, chairing the section in 2025. Her service to ARNOVA includes organizing section colloquia and dinners, chairing conference sessions and tracks, and awards committee service.
Recognized for her contributions to the field, Dr. Hansen was named a 2024 AFP Early Career Emerging Scholar. She holds a Ph.D. from Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, a Master of Jurisprudence in Business Law (Loyola University Chicago School of Law), and a BA in Music (Rutgers University).
When I joined ARNOVA in 2012, I was both a doctoral student and a fundraiser, building financial support for my organization, employed to support my family, and working in a doctoral program to learn how to research the field in which I had practiced for nearly two decades. I used vacation days to attend the conference.
I made a good choice that year, and every year since. The generosity I’ve experienced in others’ willingness to engage with my work and offer insights has made me a better scholar. Every time I hear someone question the value and expense of attending conferences in person, I know that person has had very different experiences from mine. I have met future collaborators and friends in the Ph.D. seminar, on panels, and at social events, and we have produced work that I am proud of.
My experiences lead me to value the space we create for each other in ARNOVA – space for sharing and developing ideas, for following and untangling ways of seeing and phenomena studied by different disciplines using different methods and assumptions. That space requires infrastructure. I have supported ARNOVA through section leadership (Early Career Scholars and TIBS), developing programs, chairing conference tracks, and on awards and logistics committees. I am honored to be nominated for service on the ARNOVA board. Should I be elected, my priority will be the care of the infrastructure that sustains that generative space.
Michael Meyer
University of Vienna, Austria
I am Professor of Nonprofit Management at WU Vienna, where I head the Institute for Nonprofit Management and Governance and the Competence Center for NPOs and Social Entrepreneurship. Over the past two decades, my research and teaching have focused on nonprofit governance, managerialism and professionalism in NPOs, civil society in Central and Eastern Europe, and social innovation. I have served in leadership positions at WU, including as Vice Rector and Department Head, and have held visiting positions e.g. at Stanford and UNSW Sydney. My editorial experience includes serving as Area Editor of NVSQ and on the editorial boards of JCS, NML, NPF, and NVSQ. Beyond academia, I have contributed to numerous boards and advisory councils in Austria and Europe, connecting research with practice in philanthropy, social entrepreneurship, and public broadcasting governance.
I have been an active ARNOVA member for many years, deeply valuing its role as the leading global community for nonprofit and voluntary sector research. I am motivated to run for the Board to strengthen ARNOVA’s international reach, particularly in Europe and beyond, and to foster collaboration across diverse scholarly traditions. I see ARNOVA as a vital platform for nurturing the next generation of researchers and for linking rigorous scholarship with societal challenges. With my international academic and governance experience, I would be honored to contribute to ARNOVA’s mission of advancing understanding of nonprofit organizations and voluntary action.
Alisa Moldavanova
University of Delaware, USA (incumbent)
Alisa Moldavanova is a nonprofit management scholar and an Associate Professor and MPA program director at The Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration at the University of Delaware. She previously served as Associate Professor and coordinator of the graduate certificate in nonprofit management at Wayne State University (Detroit, Michigan). Alisa is the author of two books, including the Overlooked Pillar: Making a Case for Cultural Sustainability (2024, SUNY Press), and the 2018 co-edited volume, The Nonprofit Sector in Eastern Europe, Russia, and Central Asia: Civil Society Advances and Challenges, an inaugural book in the nonprofit research series by Brill Publishers. Alisa’s first engagement with ARNOVA was her participation as a fellow in the Diversity Leadership Program in 2012, and since then she has been an active contributor and leader within ARNOVA community. Her various roles include serving on multiple award committees and a local arrangements committee, chairing one of ARNOVA’s largest sections – Theories, Issues, and Boundaries Section and, most recently, serving on ARNOVA’s board and co-chairing the Membership Committee and the Professional Development Committee.
J Brandon Phillips
California State University, East Bay, USA
Brandon Philips is currently an assistant professor and MPA Graduate Program Coordinator at California State University East Bay, in the Department of Public Affairs and Administration. He received his Ph.D. in Public Administration and Public Policy from the University of Texas at Arlington, College of Architecture, Planning, and Public Affairs. He also holds an MPA from the same program.
Dr. Philips’s research focuses Latino Critical Theory applications to creating social innovation in service delivery for public and nonprofit organizations, health disparities facing marginalized communities, the role of nonprofits in advocacy and social change, improving nonprofit education, and other social issues facing the Latiné and other marginalized communities.
Dr. Philips has over fifteen years of experience in the non-profit and public sectors, in roles ranging from court advocacy, homelessness, addressing health disparities, grant writing, and organizational consulting. Dr. Philips is also on the leadership team for the Critical Perspectives Section for the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA) and has also led the Undergraduate Diversity Scholars program in the past. ARNOVA has played an integral role in his development as an academic through opportunities, networking, and building relationships with others who are highly committed to the importance of nonprofit work in our society and in improving the lives of people. Serving on the ARNOVA Board will allow him to give back to the organization that has done so much for him.
Shariq Siddiqui
Indiana University, Indianapolis, USA
My name is Shariq Siddiqui. I am an Assistant Professor of Philanthropic Studies and Director of the Muslim Philanthropy Initiative at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. I have a Ph.D. and M.A. in Philanthropic Studies from the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and a JD from the McKinney School of Law at Indiana University.
My research focuses on Muslim philanthropy and the Muslim nonprofit sector. I have done national surveys on Muslims in the United States, Türkiye, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Jordan, India and Kuwait. I have also had the privilege to conduct research focus groups and trainings across five continents. This training and research has exposed to a broad range of scholars across the world who would benefit to be a part of the ARNOVA community.
I also serve as the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Muslim Philanthropy and Civil Society and Muslim Humanitarianism Review and served as the founding co-editor of Journal on Education in Muslim Societies and Series Editor of the Muslim Philanthropy and Civil Society Book Series. All of which are published by Indiana University Press.
Previously, I served as the Executive Director of Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA). During my tenure, we increased the number of members, financial resources and engaged with a diverse group of scholars. This included new conferences in Africa and Asia. I would love to use this prior experience and my current global network to help continue to build the ARNOVA community.
Joannie Tremblay-Boire
Carleton University, Canada
I am an Associate Professor in the School of Public Policy & Administration at Carleton University. Prior to joining Carleton, I was a faculty member at the University of Maryland and at Georgia State University. My research agenda can be organized into three broad streams, all focusing on how resource providers (governments, philanthropic foundations, and individuals) and nonprofits/charities/NGOs affect each other. Through these three streams of research, I aim to better understand the power dynamics and interdependence between nonprofits and their resource providers.
ARNOVA has been my professional home since I attended my very first conference as a Master's student (Philly!). From the doctoral seminar, where I met mentors and peers, to the Global Issues and Transnational Actors (GITA) group, where I first found colleagues with similar research interests as me, and now in my role as a Research Awards co-chair, the association has played a foundational role in my professional journey. But ARNOVA is more than just a professional association to me. It has given me friends and a support network that have enriched my personal life too.
I am running for the board to give back to this vital community and ensure that future generations of scholars have access to the same life-changing opportunities and connections that ARNOVA has provided, and continues to provide, for me. My core priority is to safeguard the opportunities available to emerging scholars while working with the board to secure the organization's fiscal health and long-term sustainability.
Nathaniel S. Wright
Rutgers University, Camden, USA (incumbent)
Nathaniel S. Wright, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor and Graduate Director in the Department of Public Policy and Administration at Rutgers University–Camden. He also serves as Director of the Public Affairs and Community Development Ph.D. Program. His teaching and research focus on nonprofit management, community development, urban policy, and issues of equity and social sustainability.
Dr. Wright’s scholarship centers on nonprofit performance and accountability, with attention to how organizations measure effectiveness, build capacity, and respond to community needs. His research examines performance indicators across arts and cultural nonprofits, youth development organizations, and community-based development organizations, highlighting how governance structures, resource environments, and collaborative networks influence outcomes. By exploring questions of accountability to funders and to the communities served, his work advances understanding of how nonprofits can strengthen transparency, responsiveness, and long-term impact. His studies contribute to ongoing debates on performance measurement, organizational capacity, and equity in the nonprofit sector.
In addition to his research and teaching, Dr. Wright currently serves on the Board of Directors for ARNOVA. He has also chaired and served on committees that work to expand diversity, equity, and inclusion and has been active in building networks that connect scholars, practitioners, and students. He views ARNOVA as a professional home and a community that has shaped his own scholarly journey, and he is committed to giving back by supporting colleagues at all stages of their careers, mentoring emerging scholars, and advancing research that bridges theory and practice.
If you have questions, please reach out at nominations@arnova.org.