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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Tidings: From the Director

"Reflections on Change"


Accomplishments

Marcel Pombo

D'Elia Wernecke

Andrea Briceño Mosquera

Max Stephenson, Jr.

Amin Farzaneh

Brad Stephens

Hilal Yalcin

Sharron Mastracci

Cecily Rodriguez

Carmen Boggs-Parker

Neda Moayerian

Reza Fateminasab

Mehdi Panahi

Lia Kelinsky-Jones

Kim Niewolny

Ariel Otruba

Jake Keyel

Kimberly Horn

C. Meranda Flachs-Surmanek

Natalie Daniels

Bernice Owusu-Brown

Anna Erwin


Project Updates

  • Calfee Institute
  • Peer Mentor Champion Training
  • Mount Rogers Community Services
  • Adult Mental Health First Aid Training
  • Hispanic/Latino Behavioral Health Center of Excellence
  • CivilianLEAD
  • Virginia Management Fellows
  • Social Science for Public Good Podcast Series: Imagination
  • Department of Environmental Quality Floyd-Donnkenny Project Visioning


Conferences & Events

  • 2024 Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management Conference
  • 2024 Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action Conference
  • Nada Berrada attends COP29
  • 2024 Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies Convention
  • "Explore the Middle East: Dynamics, Challenges, and Perspectives" Conference
  • Center for Public Administration and Policy High Table
  • IPG Strategic Alignment Forum
  • IPG Invites You to Our Spring Open House!


Announcements & Opportunities

  • IPG Research and Policy Brief Series
  • Dr. Sheryl Bailey Joins IPG
  • Virginia Tech's Giving Day 2025
  • Local Environmental Agriculture Project hiring a Director of Communications and Organizational Development
  • Community Change Journal seeks submissions
  • In Memoriam: Rev. Dr. Virgil Alexander Wood


Commentaries, Essays & Publications

  • Soundings and Tidings
  • Five Pieces Worth Reading
  • Recent Publications
  • Books, Articles, Chapters, Reviews and Conference Paper Presentations Under Review/Forthcoming


Faculty Spotlight

Jon Catherwood-Ginn, Assistant Professor and Co-Director of Research, Virginia Tech Center for Communicating Science


Graduate Student Spotlight

Paul Delaughter, Graduate Assistant, PhD student in the Counselor Education and Supervision program


Alumni Spotlight

Jake Keyel, Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Rowan University (New Jersey)

TIDINGS: FROM THE DIRECTOR

"Reflections on Change"

BY MAX O. STEPHENSON, JR.

Director, Virginia Tech Institute for Policy and Governance

“Whoever reviews the state of his own mind from the dawn of manhood to its decline, considers what he pursued or dreaded, slighted or esteemed, at different periods of his age, will have no reason to imagine such changes of sentiment peculiar to any station or character. Every man, however careless and inattentive, has conviction forced upon him: the lectures of time obtrude themselves upon the most unwilling or dissipated auditor; and, by comparing our past with our present thoughts, we perceive that we have changed our minds, though perhaps we cannot discover when the alteration happened, or by what cause it was produced.” Samuel Johnson: Rambler #196 (February 1, 1752).

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ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Marcel Pambo, PhD student in Planning, Governance, and Globalization, won the iGrow (Guided Reflection on Work) Student of the Semester Award for his work with Franca Del Signore at the Academy for Experiential Learning at Virginia Tech.


IPG Director Dr. Max Stephenson, Jr. chairs Marcel's doctoral advisory committee.

 

Congratulations, Marcel!

D'Elia Wernecke has started a new position as Director of Federal Government Relations at UC Irvine. She worked in government relations and affairs roles previously at the National Science Foundation, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, and Virginia Tech.

 

D'Elia is a 2015 alumna of the Master of Public and International Affairs program. IPG Director Dr. Max Stephenson Jr. served on her committee. She was active in the Institute's student organization, the Community Change Collaborative.

 

Congratulations, D'Elia!

Dr. Andrea Briceño Mosquera, IPG Research Scientist, participated in a Virginia radio program entitled, "Enfoque a la Communidad" (Focus on the community). She spoke about the Language Access Needs Assessment project to recruit people to participate in a study who have received language services at any of the Virginia community services boards. The show was conducted entirely in Spanish. You may view the show here and find more information about the project here.

 

Dr. Briceño Mosquera also participated in another national television Spanish language program in Colombia entitled, "Economy Within Reach of All." She and other scholars were invited to discuss the reasons for Latin American immigration to the United States. You may view her appearance here.

 

Immigration policy has been a key area of Dr. Briceño Mosquera's research, alongside the policy-making process and the interaction between citizens/residents and the administrative state across various policy sectors.

 

Congratulations, Andrea!

Dr. Max Stephenson, Jr., IPG Director and Professor in the School of International Affairs, had an abstract submission, "Navigating the Boundaries of Imaginaries and exploring their Interactions in Urban Development," accepted for presentation at the 2025 American Association of Geographers Conference. The effort is co-authored with Planning, Governance, and Globalization PhD students and Institute graduate assistants, Amin Farzaneh and Brad Stephens. The conference will occur March 24th-28th in Detroit, Michigan.


Dr. Stephenson gave two guest lectures in November. The first on November 14th, was for Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education (ALCE) 4304: "Community Education and Development." He spoke on the possibilities and challenges of international development. On November 21st, he spoke in SPIA 2554: "Collaborative Policy-Making & Planning" about non-governmental organizations.

 

Dr. Stephenson has also recently accepted invitations to serve on the editorial boards of the International Journal of Population Studies and the Athens Journal of Politics and International Affairs.

 

Congratulations, Max!

Hilal Yalcin, Institute Sponsored Programs and Operations Manager, has been accepted into the TLOS Accessibility Professional Certification Grant Program, beginning in January 2025. Hilal's completion of this program will strengthen the Institute's ability to play a significant role in fostering the university's efforts to realize its Principles of Community.  


Hilal has also been accepted as a Fellow by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching for the 2026 Elective Classification for Community Engagement Cycle. This opportunity offers selected graduate students a unique professional development opportunity to participate in the peer review process for university Carnegie Elective Selection/Classification. Fellows will support peer reviewer teams in evaluating 8-10 applications during the initial review phase. Their responsibilities will include scheduling group review meetings, drafting meeting minutes, reviewing and editing feedback documentation, and contributing to application discussions. You may read more about her fellowship here.

 

This program is designed to enhance Fellows' networks, build their capacity to assist with community engagement applications, and prepare them to serve as peer reviewers in future cycles. Additionally, Fellows gain valuable exposure to practices in community-engaged scholarship, teaching, and service-learning pedagogies, equipping them with skills to support institutional and community collaborations effectively.

 

Congratulations, Hilal!

Drs. Andrea Briceño Mosquera (IPG Research Scientist) and Sharon Mastracci (Chair and Professor, Center for Public Administration and Policy) had their article, "Gauging the Gap: Inequality of Time Use When Seeking Government Services" accepted for the Journal of Social Equity and Public Administration. Publication details are forthcoming.

 

Dr. Briceño Mosquera and Cecily Rodriguez (IPG Associate Director of Research and Organizational Innovation) had their abstract submission, "Emotional Labor and Administrative Burdens in a Behavioral Health Setting in Virginia" accepted for presentation at the 2025 International Research Society for Public Management Conference, April 7-9th in Bologna, Italy.

 

Congratulations, all!

Dr. Carmen Boggs-Parker, Planning, Governance and Globalization PhD alumna (2021), recently began a new position as Director of Semester and Exchange Programs at Elon University. She has previous experience working in academia, having served as the Director of Education Abroad at Appalachian State University and the Director of Study Abroad programs at Roanoke College.

 

IPG Director Max Stephenson chaired Dr. Boggs-Parker's PhD advisory committee during her studies at Virginia Tech.

 

Congratulations, Carmen!

Local Environment: The International Journal of Justice and Sustainability recently published an article by Dr. Neda Moayerian Non-Resident Research Fellow at IPG and her husband Dr. Reza Fateminasab, “Designing sustainable public spaces using a design justice framework: a case study in Southern Iran." You may find the article here.

 

The international journal Land recently published "Phronetic Planning's Janus Face: Charting Elite Advantage in Tehran's Land Use Decisions” by Dr. Max Stephenson Jr., Dr. Neda Moayerian and Mehdi Panahi (Master of Science student, University of Tehran). You may find the article here


Drs. Moayerian and Stephenson also had their article "Pluralism" accepted for publication in the International Encyclopedia of Civil Society. Publication details are forthcoming.

 

Dr. Moayerian is an Assistant Professor with the University of Tehran (Iran) School of Urban Planning in addition to serving, as noted, as a Non-Resident Research Fellow at IPG. She and Dr. Stephenson have collaborated on several research projects previously, including as members of the Maré Research Group.

Congratulations, all!

Development Policy Review published “‘Magic Concepts" and USAID: Framing food systems reform to support the status quo" by Drs. Lia Kelinsky-Jones, Kim Niewolny and Max Stephenson, Jr. in late December 2024. You may find the article here.

 

The trio will also serve as guest editors for a forthcoming special issue of the journal Sustainability devoted to " Perspectives on the Roles of Civil Society in Advancing Food Systems Transformation and Sustainable Agriculture.” To learn details and submit you may click here.


Dr. Stephenson is also working on a special journal issue with Dr. Ariel Otruba entitled, "Exploring the Dynamics and Possibilities of Refugee (Re)settlement Amidst Existing Social, Political and Environmental Tensions," which will be published in the International Journal of Population Studies (IJPS). To learn details and/or submit click here.

Congratulations, all!

Dr. Jake Keyel, Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Rowan University, had his article "It's never just one thing: Complexifying migration concepts and categories through stories of movement from the Middle East and North Africa to the United States" published in the Journal of Identity and Migration Studies. You may find the article here.

 

You can read more about Dr. Keyel in the alumni spotlight of this newsletter.

Congratulations, Jake!

Dr. Kimberly Horn, IPG Research Professor, was featured in a November 13th, 2024, CNN article entitled, "Practicing self-compassion could be the key to overcoming post-election stress." She spoke on how kindness is an important tool on which to rely during an anxious time for many Americans. You may view the article here.


Dr. Horn also published an article on January 17th, 2025 in Psychology Today entitled, "Pets as friends? Absolutely!" You may view the article here.


Dr. Horn recently published a new book, Friends Matter, For Life: Harnessing the 8 Tenets of Dynamic Friendship. Her volume discusses the importance of creating and maintaining long-term friendships, especially in an age during which authentic human bonds are often fragile or in flux. You may find additional details here.

 

Dr. Horn has been with the Institute since July 2023 and has worked with IPG Deputy Director Mary Beth Dunkenberger and the Roanoke Valley Collective Response in shaping regional efforts to combat the ongoing opioid and addiction crisis confronting Southwest Virginia. She has also served as a lead investigator of the NIH funded STARS project.

 

Congratulations, Kimberly!

C. Meranda Flachs-Surmanek, a dual major in the Master of Fine Arts in Theatre: Directing & Public Dialogue and in the Master of Urban Regional Planning programs, successfully defended their Master's Thesis in December. Entitled, "Narrative Justice: Lessons & Practices from the Lippitt Hill Critical Oral History Project," their research highlighted barriers to scholar-activism and knowledge co-production through the lens of Providence's East Side/Lippitt Hill community in Providence, Rhode Island. You may find additional information here. Special thanks to their committee: Drs. Todd Schenk (Co-Chair, Urban & Environmental Policy & Planning (UEEP), Shalini Misra (Co-Chair, UEEP), Kwame Harrison (Sociology), and Max Stephenson, Jr. (IPG Director and School of Public and International Affairs).

 

C. was previously a graduate research assistant at IPG and was an active member of the Community Change Collaborative, participating in the Trustees Without Borders podcast series.

Congratulations, C!

Congratulations to Natalie Daniels and her husband Tommy who welcomed a son, Cooper Thompson Daniels, on October 18th, 2024. We wish their family all the best in this exciting new chapter of their lives!


Natalie is currently a Project Manager at Brian Wishneff & Associates and lives in Fredericksburg, VA. Her professional background is in development, lending, and philanthropic investment management in addition to tax credit financing, with a particular focus on affordable housing and community revitalization efforts. She is an alumna of the Masters of Urban and Regional Planning Program at Virginia Tech (2017). IPG Director Dr. Max Stephenson Jr. served as the chair for her committee. Her thesis was entitled, "Exploring the relationship between a faith-based day programming organization and a cohousing community for individuals with and without disabilities," which you may find here.


Congratulations to Natalie and her family!


Photo courtesy of Natalie Daniels.

Dr. Kim Niewolny is now serving as Graduate Program Director for the Virginia Tech Department of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education (ALCE). In this role, she oversees and supports the academic and professional development of graduate students within the program while ensuring the integrity of the ALCE graduate degree program as a whole. Of equal importance, Dr. Niewolny facilitates faculty engagement around critical program functions and policies to maintain alignment with departmental goals and university standards, while promoting an inclusive and innovative learning environment.


Dr. Niewolny also serves as the Director of the Center for Food Systems and Community Transformation at Virginia Tech. She is a frequent research collaborator with IPG and Dr. Max Stephenson, Jr. on food systems related issues.


Congratulations, Kim!

Brad Stephens, Institute graduate assistant and Planning, Governance and Globalization PhD student, was featured in the Virginia Tech School of Communication's News Feed Podcast's December 2nd episode. He discussed IPG's proposed grant for the Environmental Protection Agency focused on improving heat resilience in Roanoke. The News Feed is a student-run news organization conducted as part of the Digital Newsroom class in the School. You may view the episode here.


Congratulations, Brad!

Dr. Bernice Owusu-Brown, had her article, "Female labour force participation, power dynamics and adoption of LPG for cooking in Ghana" accepted for publication in the academic journal, Discover Sustainability. Publication details are forthcoming.


Dr. Owusu-Brown joined the Institute as a Research Scientist in Fall 2024. She previously served as a Post-Doctoral Associate and Adjunct Instructor in the Department of Economics at Virginia Tech. Her research interests include health disparities and intersectionality, economic impacts on healthcare access, gender equality and health outcomes, and healthcare utilization and gender.


Congratulations, Bernice!

Congratulations to Dr. Anna Erwin and her spouse Micah Bailey who welcomed their daughter, Eloria Erwin Bailey, in December. We wish their family all the best in this exciting new chapter of their lives!


Dr. Erwin completed her doctorate in 2017 with Dr. Max Stephenson Jr. serving as her advisor. She has collaborated with him on several publications including as a co-editor of a special journal issue showcasing food systems. She is currently serving as an assistant professor in the School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences at the University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley.


Congratulations to Anna and her family!


Photo courtesy of Anna Erwin.

PROJECT UPDATES

Calfee Institute

The Nov. 5th edition of VT News highlighted IPG's ongoing relationship with the Calfee Community & Cultural Center (CCCC) in Pulaski, Va. That story, written by Communications Coordinator Billy Parvatam, featured comments from IPG Director Dr. Max Stephenson, Jr., Institute graduate assistant and Planning, Governance, and Globalization PhD student Brad Stephens, and Non-Resident Research Fellow Dr. Neda Moayerian. You may view the article here.


The team conducted interviews with governing board members of the new organization and alumni of the historic Calfee Training School this past summer. The first product of that effort, "Revisiting the Social Role of Radical Imagination Amidst Widespread Democratic Erosion," focuses on how the historically Black school fostered the imaginations of its students and is currently under review at the Journal of African-American History.


The research team's focus has now shifted to a second article focused on how the reimagining of the school has built upon democratic norms and practices. Entitled "Learning from Calfee Training School: Exploring Nonprofit's Efforts to Reimagine a Historically Black School While Iterating Democratic Norms," the paper has been accepted for presentation at the 2025 Colloque International Conference from April 14-16th in Montreal, Canada and the 5th International Sociological Association Forum, which will occur July 6-11th in Rabat, Morocco.

 

We are grateful to Jill Williams (Co-Executive Director of the CCCC), and Dr. Mickey Hickman (President and alumnus, CCCC) for collaborating on this incredible story with us.

 

Photo from left to right: Jill Williams, Max Stephenson Jr., Mickey Hickman, and Brad Stephens. Photo courtesy of Brad Stephens.

Peer Mentor Champion Training

IPG faculty and staff lead a Peer Mentor Champion Training January 13–15, 2025, at the Inn at Virginia Tech. This program, tailored for Department of Behavioral Health and Development Services (DBHDS) employees, was designed to strengthen that entity by equipping a share of its leaders with the skills and tools needed to develop customized peer mentoring programs that align with their unique environments. 

Mount Rogers Community Services

Principal Investigator Cecily Rodriguez and Co-Principal Investigator Hilal Yalcin are excited to launch: “From Tools to Ready Workforce: An Organizational Impact Project for the Mount Rogers Community Services Board.” This project aims to drive meaningful progress in community building in the organization by equipping participants with actionable tools for the purpose. 

Adult Mental Health First Aid Training

All IPG Richmond faculty and staff have completed the Adult Mental Health First Aid Training, thanks to Hokie Wellness and Mental Health Specialist Carlo Rivera. This certification equips that group to recognize and respond to mental health challenges, contributing to a more supportive workplace.

Hispanic/Latino Behavioral Health Center of Excellence

In November 2024, Cecily Rodriguez, IPG’s Associate Director for Research and Organizational Innovation, collaborated with the Hispanic/Latino Behavioral Health Center of Excellence to present a webinar on “Best Practices in Interpretation Services for Latine Communities in Need of Behavioral Health Services." This session highlighted critical strategies for improving access to care through culturally competent and effective interpretation services, supporting the behavioral health needs of Latine individuals and families. 

CivilianLEAD

On November 19th, the CivilianLEAD Cohort 2 successfully completed its nine-month CivilianLEAD Program! The cohort's members showcased their dedication and hard work by presenting their capstone projects to Virginia State Police leaders, demonstrating innovative solutions and insights to support law enforcement operations. 

Virginia Management Fellows

We have several exciting updates from the Virginia Management Fellows (VMF) Program!

  • Applications for Cohort 8 opened in January 2025! Ready to take the next step in your leadership journey? Learn how to apply here
  • Congratulations to Cohort 7 Fellow Todd McDonald on completing his PhD in Public Administration and Public Affairs at Virginia Tech! 
  • Congratulations to Cohort 6 Fellow Melanie Cruz on completing her Master's in Public Health from Virginia Commonwealth University! 
  • We hosted our first-ever Fellowsgiving in November 2024! Current and former Fellows, along with mentors, came together to share a meal and to connect in a spirit of community and collaboration. 


VMF Cohort 7 Fellows Presentation Announcement 

The VMF Cohort 7 fellows will be presenting their first rotation agency reports on Friday, February 14th, from 9 AM to 4 PM at the IPG location in Richmond, VA. This event is an exciting opportunity to hear about the important work being done by our Fellows across various public service agencies. If you are interested in attending in-person or via Zoom to learn more about these projects, please contact Ryan O'Connell at ryano83@vt.edu for details. 

Social Science for Public Good Podcast Series: Imagination

The entire season of the "Imagination arc" of the Institute's Social Science for Public Good podcast series has now been published and is available on all major podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple. Planning, Governance, and Globalization PhD students and Institute graduate assistants Amin Farzaneh and Brad Stephens have explored how social change professionals may conceptualize and utilize imagination in their work and lives. As in previous arcs, the co-hosts have had the privilege of speaking with scholars at the very top of this field about this often-overlooked component of the requisites for social change. They hope you will enjoy these latest episodes!

Department of Environmental Quality Floyd-Donnkenny Project Visioning

Lara Nagle, Max Stephenson, Aida Hassani, and Helya Sehat of IPG have partnered with faculty, staff, and students of the Community Design Assistance Center at Virginia Tech, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, and the Town of Floyd to lead that community through a process of conceptual redesign of the former Donnkenny textile property in downtown Floyd, VA. Residents and town council members are currently engaged in an iterative process to envision appropriate future uses for the site, with a strong emphasis on workforce housing. The project is funded by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the EPA Brownfields program. Photo courtesy of CDAC.

CONFERENCES & EVENTS

2024 Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management Conference

Dr. Andrea Briceño Mosquera, Institute Research Scientist, and Yugasha Bakshi, affiliated PhD student in Planning, Governance, and Globalization, attended the 2024 Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM) Conference in Washington D.C. November 21st-23rd.

 

As a past APPAM fellow, Dr. Briceño Mosquera shared with current fellows her fellowship experience, career achievements, research trajectory, publications, challenges and current role at IPG. She also attended talks by scholars aligned with her areas of interest: citizen-state interaction, administrative burdens, policy making process, and economic behavior.

 

Meanwhile, Yugasha presented a poster at APPAM entitled, "Towards Menstrual Health Equity: Advocating for Policy Change in the United States." She also attended several sessions on housing, environmental, and water policy.

 

Photo: Andrea Briceño Mosquera (right) and Yugasha Bakshi (left). Photo courtesy of Andrea Briceño Mosquera

2024 Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action Conference

Brad Stephens, Institute graduate assistant and Planning, Governance, and Globalization (PGG) PhD student, attended the 2024 Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action Conference in Washington D.C. November 21st-23rd to present a paper entitled, "Revisiting Trust in Nonprofit Organizations: Introducing a Multidirectional Network Approach," which he co-authored with fellow PGG student Yugasha Bakshi.


Congratulations to both!

Nada Berrada attends COP29

Dr. Nada Berrada attended the 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan in November. She moderated the youth and children's constituency (YOUNGO) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change headline event, which discussed climate education, green skills, and other topics. You may access a webinar of that forum here.

 

Dr. Berrada is an International Project Coordinator with the Education Development Center, located in Washington D.C. She is a 2020 alumna of the Alliance for Social, Political, Ethical, and Cultural Thought PhD program. IPG Director Dr. Max Stephenson Jr. chaired her doctoral advisory committee.


Photo courtesy of Nada Berrada (pictured center).

2024 Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies Convention

Dr. Ariel Otruba, IPG Non-Resident Research Fellow and faculty member at Arcadia University, participated in two sessions at the 2024 Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES) Convention from November 21st-24th, 2024 in Boston, MA. She co-organized a panel entitled, "Disaster Environments: Human/Non-Human Entanglements in the Wake of Catastrophe," and presented a paper, "'Dangerous Waters': Emotional Ecologies of Dampness and Displacement in Georgia."


Dr. Otruba also discussed Georgia's recent anti-LGBTIQ+ legislative package, "Law on Family Values and Protection of Minors," during a roundtable, "Who Is Liberating Whom?: Liberations and Oppressions in the AntiGender Politics of Central and Eastern Europe."

"Explore the Middle East: Dynamics, Challenges, and Perspectives" Conference

Dr. Andrew Sharp, IPG Senior Public and Community Engagement Manager and Lecturer, will attend the "Explore the Middle East: Dynamics, Challenges, and Perspectives" conference at Christopher Newport University from February 7th-9th to present a paper entitled, "Orthodox Christians, Muslims, and the Environment: Ecology as Fertile Ground for Dialogue in the Middle East." Dr. Sharp’s research interests include religion, identity formation, and interfaith dialogue.

Center for Public Administration and Policy High Table

Several members of IPG attended the Center for Public Administration's (CPAP) High Table event in December. The gathering was an opportunity to network with CPAP faculty, students, and alumni on shaping the future of public administration. Dr. Camilla Stivers, Professor Emeritus, Cleveland State University, delivered a keynote address on balancing concern for efficiency in government with democratic values.


Photo from top to bottom: Hilal Yalcin, Andrea Briceño Mosquera, Anne Walters of IPG. Photo courtesy of Hilal Yalcin.

IPG Strategic Alignment Forum

IPG hosted a strategic alignment forum at the Virginia Tech Holtzmann Alumni Conference Center Jan. 16-17th. The meeting, which brought together our employees located in Blacksburg, Abingdon, Richmond, and Fairfax, provided an opportunity to discuss the Institute's short and long-term goals as a research and educational unit. We would like to thank Kim Carlson and her team at Tractus Strategic Partners for facilitating the retreat, as well as conducting a survey, interviews, and focus groups with our faculty, staff and students and preparing a report on their findings. Photo credit: Kim Carlson.

IPG Invites You to Our Spring Open House!

We are pleased to announce our spring open house will occur on Thursday March 27, 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. at 201 West Roanoke Street, Blacksburg, VA, 24060. We hope you will plan to stop by for lunch and conversation!


We will send event updates via the IPG email listserv. Please contact Billy Parvatam for more information (pbilly97@vt.edu).

ANNOUNCEMENTS & OPPORTUNITIES

IPG Research and Policy Brief Series

We engage in research, capacity building, technical outreach and community-based participatory inquiry with and on behalf of those we serve. The launch of our new Research and Policy Brief series aims to provide recommendations and key findings from our ongoing projects in a form accessible to a broad audience.


Thank you to Lara Nagle and David Moore of IPG and Sara Wohlford and Rachel Burks of Carilion Clinic for writing the first brief in this series, "The Intersection of Community Health Needs Assessments and Climate Resilience: A Focus on Heat Illness. You may read that brief here.

Dr. Sheryl Bailey Joins IPG

IPG is pleased that Dr. Sheryl Bailey, Visiting Professor of Practice, has joined us! Dr. Bailey has nearly 30 years of experience in administration and finance as a senior executive in state and local government and the private sector, including gubernatorial cabinet and state authority director experience in Virginia, as well as extensive higher education experience.


Dr. Bailey's responsibilities with IPG will include supporting several projects, including the Virginia Management Fellows, Civilian Lead, and the Virginia Public Sector Leaders Program. Additionally, she will work with jurisdictions interested in improving their financial forecasting capabilities and to develop new statewide relationships to promote the shared interests of IPG faculty. She is based in Richmond.

Virginia Tech's Giving Day 2025

Join Hokies around the world for Giving Day, a 24-hour celebration in support of Virginia Tech, starting at noon, EST, on Wednesday, Feb. 19 and ending Thursday, Feb. 20 at noon, EST. Please consider donating any amount to assist IPG's work in supporting graduate students and fulfilling our mission of research and praxis. No gift is too small. Thank you for any support you may be able to provide.

Local Environmental Agriculture Project Hiring a Director of Communications and Organizational Development

The Local Environmental Agriculture Project (LEAP) is hiring for a Director of Communications and Organizational Development. The Director of Communications and Organizational Development will provide leadership in LEAP’s operations and long-term sustainability. If you have experience in external communication strategy and implementation, organizational development, project management, resource development, and leadership, particularly in a small-team environment, this role is an opportunity to put those skills to use. This position will manage the Support Team, work closely with the Director of Programs to support LEAP programs, and report to the Executive Director.


LEAP is a Roanoke-based nonprofit organization that strives to nurture equitable food and farming systems that prioritize health and abundance.

 

Please see the job posting for more information and how to apply. 

Community Change Journal seeks submissions

Community Change’s fifth issue seeks submissions in the form of scholarly refereed articles, book reviews, essays, and other work, including multimedia and artwork. Interdisciplinary scholarship is strongly encouraged. In addition to manuscripts relating to new developments, we welcome submissions that re-examine or challenge the questions and assumptions underpinning current theoretical and practical approaches to community development and change.

 

Award for Best Article: Community Change will be offering an Article of Merit Award for the best article submitted for this issue. This award includes a $200 payment. 


Deadline for Submissions Extended: Submissions will be accepted at any time, but the deadline for this issue and consideration for the prospective award is March 17, 2025. 


For more information about submission requirements, please visit: www.communitychange.ipg.vt.edu/about/submissions/

In Memoriam: Rev. Dr. Virgil Alexander Wood

IPG sends our condolences to the family of Rev. Dr. Virgil Wood, who passed away on Dec. 28th at 93. Dr. Wood was a church leader, educator, and civil rights activist who committed his entire life to the struggle for economic, social, and spiritual development among the nation's disadvantaged. He worked closely with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as a member of his National Executive Board of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and coordinated the State of Virginia's participation in the historic March on Washington in 1963. You may view his full obituary here.


Dr. Wood was a Ridenour Fellow with the School of Public and International Affairs in the then College of Architecture and Urban Studies at Virginia Tech and led the university's Beloved Community Initiative. IPG was honored to have him as a guest on the Trustees without Borders podcast in 2017, which you may listen to here. We will miss working with him.


Photo from left to right: Dr. Max Stephenson Jr., Dr. Virgil Wood, Rebecca Powell-Doherty, and Ben Grove. Photo courtesy of IPG.

COMMENTARIES, ESSAYS & PUBLICATIONS

SOUNDINGS and TIDINGS

Commentary series authored by IPG Director Max Stephenson

January 1, 2025: Reflections on Change

October 1, 2024: Chronicling Governance at an Existential Moment

July 1, 2024: Dancing on the Precipice

April 1, 2024: On Looking at the Many Ways Hatred Serves as Political Impulse (with apologies to Wallace Stevens)

January 22, 2024: Refusing to Hate or Fear the Unknown

Five Pieces Worth Reading

A weekly news summary series curated by IPG Communications Coordinator Billy Parvatam can be accessed here.

Recent Books


  • Max Stephenson Jr., Kim Niewolny, Anna Erwin, and Laura Zanotti, Eds. Critical praxis and the social imaginary for sustainable food systems. Lausanne: Frontiers Media SA, 2024. doi: 10.3389/978-2-8325-5480-7
  • Max Stephenson Jr. and Cathy Grimes, Eds. Conversations in Community Change: More Voices from the Field. Blacksburg, VA: Virginia Tech Publishing, 2023.
  • Max Stephenson Jr. and Yannis Stivachtis, Eds., Policy and Politics of the Syrian Refugee Criss in Eastern Mediterranean States: National and Institutional Perspectives, E-International Relations, Bristol, U.K., 2023.
  • Max Stephenson Jr. and Lyusyena Kirakosyan, Eds., Re: Reflections and Explorations: Volume 3. Blacksburg, VA: Virginia Tech Publishing, 2023.

Recent Articles and Conference Papers

Journal Articles

Published

Alhadyan, S., AlRahahleh, M., & Khwaileh, M. (2024). A Tactical Urbanism and Economic Inclusivity: Evaluating the Impact of Spacena Project in a Marginalized Urban Area. Journal of Contemporary Urban Affairs8(2). https://doi.org/10.25034/ijcua.2024.v8n2-4


Fateminasab, S., & Moayerian, N. (2025). Designing sustainable public spaces using design justice framework: a case study in Southern Iran. Local Environment, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/13549839.2024.2447747


Gosink, E. (2024). Resurgence as a Method to Overcome the Abyssal Line: Challenging Notions of Epistemology and Ontology. Community Change6(1),1. https://doi.org/10.21061/cc.v6i1.a.64.


Guerra, V., Stephenson, M., Poets, D., & Todd, M. F. (2024). The contributions of community-led newspapers to the resilience of Rio’s Maré and Rocinha favelas during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Urban Affairs, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/07352166.2024.2357707


Horn, K. (2025). Pets as friends? Absolutely! Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/navigating-social-terrain/202501/pets-as-friends-absolutely 


Horn, K., Mathis, S., Nagle, L., Dunkenberger, MB., Hagaman, A., and Pack, R. (2024). Is peer support a tipping point for the opioid use disorder crisis in Appalachia? Research holds the answer. Harm Reduction Journal, 21(122). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12954-024-01041-7


Kelinsky‐Jones, L., Niewolny, K., and Stephenson, M. (2024). “Magic Concepts” and USAID: Framing food systems reform to support the status quo. Development Policy Review, 43(1). https://doi.org/10.1111/dpr.12823 


Keyel, J. (2024) "It's never just one thing: Complexifying migration concepts and categories through stories of movement from the Middle East and North Africa to the United States." Journal of Identity and Migration Studies, 18(2). https://www.researchgate.net/publication/386341346_It's_Never_Just_One_Thing_Complexifying_Migration_Concepts_and_Categories_through_Stories_of_Movement_from_the_Middle_East_and_North_Africa_to_the_United_States


Nurani, S.H. (2024) ‘Decolonization in Goa: Past, Process, and Present’, Community Change, 6(1), p. 4. https://doi.org/10.21061/cc.v6i1.a.65


Poets, D., Stephenson, M. and Zanotti, L. (2024) ‘Decolonization/Decoloniality, Entangled Ontologies: Old Debates and New Directions’, Community Change, 6(1), p. 2. https://doi.org/10.21061/cc.v6i1.a.63.


Stephens, B., Stephenson Jr., M., and Stephenson, C. (2024). The Black Radical Imagination in a Rural Forgotten Space, MetroPolitics. https://metropolitics.org/The-Black-Radical-Imagination-in-a-Rural-Forgotten-Space.html


Stephenson Jr., M. and Moayerian, N. (2024). "Plus Ça Change: The Politics of Alterity, and Italian and Maltese Responses to Recent Migration Challenges." Athens Journal of Politics & International Affairs, 1, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.30958/ajpia.X-Y-Z 


Stephenson, Jr., M. and Moayerian, N. (2024). "Storytelling, Performing Arts, and Collective Capacity in One Rio Favela." The International Journal of Social, Political and Community Agendas in the Arts 19 (1): 75-95. doi:10.18848/2326-9960/CGP/v19i01/75-95.


Stephenson Jr., M., Niewolny, K., Zanotti, L., and Erwin, A. (2024) Editorial: Critical praxis and the social imaginary for sustainable food systems. Front. Sustain. Food Syst. 8:1487397. DOI: 10.3389/fsufs.2024.1487397


Stephenson, M., Jr., Panahi, M., & Moayerian, N. (2025). Phronetic Planning’s Janus Face: Charting Elite Advantage in Tehran’s Land Use Decisions. Land, 14(1), 127. https://doi.org/10.3390/land14010127


Thorne, C. (2024) ‘The Role of Culture in Decolonization: Close Readings of Fanon, Cabral, and Nandy’, Community Change, 6(1), p. 3. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21061/cc.v6i1.a.66 


Conference Papers

Bakshi, Y. (2024, November 21-23). Towards Menstrual Health Equity: Advocating for Policy Change in the United States. [conference presentation]. Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management, Washington, DC.


Bendfeldt, E., Niewolny, K., Stephenson, M.O., Archibald, T., & Stewart, A. (2024, June 5-8). The Ecotonal Nature of Community Food Work: A Case Study of Trauma-Informed Care and Mutual Aid for Social and Health Equity [conference presentation]. Agriculture, Food, and Human Values Society Conference, Syracuse, New York.


Guerra, V., Grimes, C., & Stephenson, M.O. (2024, April 24-27). From Crisis to Empowerment: The Role of Community-led Solutions Journalism in Maré and Rocinha Favelas Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic [conference presentation]. International Conference on Urban Affairs, New York, New York.


Otruba, A. (2024, November 21-24). 'Dangerous Waters': Emotional Ecologies of Dampness and Displacement in Georgia [conference presentation]. Association for Slavic, East European, and European Studies, Boston, Massachusetts.


Sharp, A.M. (2025, February 7-9). Orthodox Christians, Muslims, and the Environment: Ecology as Fertile Ground for Dialogue in the Middle East? [conference presentation]. Exploring the Middle East: Dynamics, Challenges, and Perspectives. Newport News, VA.


Stephens, B. (2024, August 19–23). Trust, Control, and Vulnerability: A Heuristic Model for Understanding These Connected Concepts [paper presentation]. GOVTRUST Summer School, Antwerp, Belgium.


Stephens, B. & Bakshi, Y. (2024, April 24-27). Trust: Exploring Why Urban Researchers and Institutions Should Care [conference presentation]. International Conference on Urban Affairs, New York, New York.


Stephens, B. & Bakshi, Y. (2024, November 20-23). Revisiting Trust in Nonprofit Organizations: Introducing a Multidirectional Network Approach [paper presentation]. 53rd Annual Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA) Conference, Washington, DC.


Stephenson, Jr., M., Moayerian, N., and Stephens, B. (2024, July 16-19). Revisiting the Social Role of Radical Imagination Amidst Widespread Democratic Erosion [conference presentation]. International Conference of the International Society for Third Sector Research, Antwerp, Belgium.


Book Reviews

Meselhy, A., & Malkawi, A. T. (2024). Review of Bloomer, Kent C., et al. Body, Memory, and Architecture. Yale University Press, 1979. Community Change5(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.21061/cc.v5i1.a.49


Books, Articles, Chapters, Reviews and Conference Paper Presentations Under Review/Forthcoming

*Corresponding author

Articles and Book Chapters

Briceño-Mosquera A. & Mastracci, S. (2025). Gauging the Gap: Inequality of Time Use When Seeking Government Services, Journal of Public Administration and Social Equity. (Forthcoming).


Stephenson, Jr., M., Moayerian, N. “Pluralism.” for Regina A. List, Helmut K. Anheier and Stefan Toepler (eds.), International Encyclopedia of Civil Society, 3rd ed. New York: Springer Publishing Company, 2025. Accepted January 9, 2025.


Stephenson, Jr., M., Moayerian, N., and Stephens, B. [Under review] Revisiting the Social Role of Radical Imagination Amidst Widespread Democratic Erosion. Journal of African American History.


Stephenson, Jr., M., Poets, D., Guerra, V., and Gomes, H. (2025). [Under review} Countering Persistent Alterity: Fostering Advocacy and Agency. Journal of Human Rights Practice.


Books

Otruba, A., Stephenson, Jr., M., Stivachtis, Y., and Dzotsenidze, N. (Forthcoming, 2025). Violent Infrastructures: Protracted Displacement and Housing (In)Justice in the South Caucasus and Beyond, Eds. VT Publishing.


Conference Paper Presentations

Briceño-Mosquera., A., and Rodgriguez., C (2025, April 7-9). Emotional Labor and Administrative Burdens in a Behavioral Health Setting in Virginia [paper presentation]. International Research Society for Public Management Conference, Bologna, Italy.


Farzaneh, A., Stephens, B., Stephenson, Jr., M (2025, March 24-28). Navigating the Boundaries of Imaginaries and exploring their Interactions in Urban Development [paper presentation]. American Association of Geographers Conference, Detroit, Michigan.


Stephenson, Jr., M., Moayerian, N., and Stephens, B (2025, April 14-16). Learning From the Calfee Training School: Exploring One Nonprofit’s Efforts to Reimagine a Historically Black School While Iterating Democratic Norms [paper presentation]. International Conference of Innovations as Sites of Social Resistance and Transformation in Times of Crisis, Montreal, Canada.


Stephenson, Jr., M., Moayerian, N., and Stephens, B (2025, July 6-11). Learning From the Calfee Training School: Exploring One Nonprofit’s Efforts to Reimagine a Historically Black School While Iterating Democratic Norms [paper presentation]. International Sociological Association Forum of Sociology, Rabat, Morocco.

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT

Jon Catherwood-Ginn is an Assistant Professor of Applied Theatre in the School of Performing Arts and Co-Director of Research in the Center for Communicating Science. As a part-time student advised by Max O. Stephenson, he has been pursuing a Ph.D. in the Planning, Governance, and Globalization program, with a research focus on representation and imagination in foundations' participatory grantmaking processes. He received an M.F.A. in Directing and Public Dialogue (Theatre Arts) from Virginia Tech and B.A. with Honors from Bucknell University.


As an educator, theatre-maker, facilitator, arts administrator, and writer, Jon has sought to understand and open spaces for creative and honest expression, connection across difference, trustful collaboration, and positive community change. At VT, he presently teaches courses in communicating science and creative collaboration. Prior to his current role, he served as associate director of programming at the Moss Arts Center at Virginia Tech for a decade, where he was chiefly responsible for fostering sustained, reciprocal relationships with local partners and designing responsive educational programs. 


From 2015-17, Jon was an inaugural member of the Association of Performing Arts Professionals’ (APAP) Leadership Fellows program. As an artist, facilitator, and consultant, he has worked with APAP, Aquila Theatre, Center for Community Empowering Pandemic Prediction and Prevention from Atoms to Societies, Intercultural Leadership Institute, International Market for Contemporary Circus, Lost Nation Theatre, Pennsylvania Humanities Council, Rutgers University-Camden Center for Integrative and Computational Biology, Sojourn Theatre, and the TEAM, among others. His work in arts-based civic visioning, intercultural learning, and communicating science have been featured at conferences by the Engagement Scholarship Consortium, Network of Ensemble Theaters, Imagining America, APAP, Alliance for the Arts in Research Universities, International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, Association of American Colleges & Universities; and Social Theory, Politics, and the Arts. Jon's writings have been published in "Arts and Community Change: Exploring Cultural Development Policies, Practices and Dilemmas" (Routledge Press, 2015), Animating Democracy’s “A Working Guide to the Landscape of Arts for Change” series, and IPG's Community Change journal.


Jon served as the executive editor of Community Change from 2021-2024. Other ways he has contributed to and benefited from IPG include his participation in Community Voices (now known as the Community Change Collaborative), writings on the Reflections and Explorations blog, collaborative programming with the Moss Arts Center, and guest hosting on the podcast Trustees Without Borders



A fun fact: Jon has performed in several Shakespeare plays in New York City's Central Park, including as a very muddy Caliban in aptly rain-drenched performances of The Tempest. Some of his favorite things include playing music, board games, horror movies, reading, running, and spending time with family. 

GRADUATE STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

Paul Delaughter is an Institute Graduate Assistant and a doctoral candidate in the Counselor Education and Supervision program at Virginia Tech. In addition to pursuing his degree, Paul is also working toward a graduate certificate in Educational Research and Evaluation. He earned his master’s degree in Counselor Education from Virginia Tech, specializing in clinical mental health counseling.


Paul has experience providing counseling services in several settings including private practice, in-patient residential, university-based, school-based, and a continued-care retirement community. He is a member of the AgeWell, a research-to-practice counseling lab at Virginia Tech with a focus on promoting mental health and wellness in older adulthood. In addition to his work regarding wellness and mental health in older adulthood, Paul is leading several research projects focused on the development of innovative techniques within counselor education pedagogy.


Paul joined the Institute for Policy and Governance in May of 2024 as a graduate research assistant. His primary focus has been assisting in community-based research projects, with a specific emphasis on the Smyth County Behavioral Health Campus Expansion Evaluation. Paul is an avid fan of the outdoors and during his free time can be found engaging in one of his many hobbies there.

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Dr. Jake Keyel is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey. He graduated from Virginia Tech with a Ph.D. in Planning, Governance and Globalization in 2019. IPG Director Dr. Max Stephenson Jr. chaired the committee for Dr. Keyel’s dissertation titled: “Silent Refuge? A Critical Democratic Exploration of Voice and Authorship among Resettled Iraqis in the United States.” Dr. Keyel is also one of the co-founders of the graduate-student journal Community Change, housed at IPG. He served in various capacities on the journal’s editorial board from 2016 to 2020. According to Dr. Keyel, Dr. Stephenson continues to be a mentor and champion of his scholarship, working closely with him to turn his dissertation into the book Resettled Iraqi Refugees in the United States: War, Refuge, Belonging, Participation, and Protest (Berghahn Books, 2023).


After graduating from Virginia Tech, Dr. Keyel held two postdoctoral positions. First with the Virginia Tech Honors College (2019-2021) and then with the Institute for Research in the Social Sciences at Colorado State University (2021-2023). In Fall 2023, he began a tenure-track position in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Rowan University where he continues to research conflict, displacement, and refugee resettlement in the United States. He is currently working on his second book Care over Cruelty: American Wars, Displacement, and Refugee Resettlement (De Gruyter, Anticipated 2026). 

Institute for Policy and Governance

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Blacksburg, VA 24061

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