The Leadership Studies Department congratulates the following Leadership PhD students on the successful defense of their doctoral dissertations:
Nina El Badry
Dissertation defense date
01/02/2026
Dissertation title
An Empirical Study of the Relationship Between Interpersonal Mindfulness and Effective Leadership Behaviors.
Dissertation committee
Committee Chair: Joe Lasley, Ph.D.
Members: Paul Caron, Ph.D., Robert Yawson, Ph.D.
This study examined the relationship between relational mindfulness and leadership effectiveness among 170 professional leaders. Findings showed that higher levels of relational mindfulness were associated with more effective leadership behaviors, with body-anchored presence demonstrating the strongest and most consistent association with leadership effectiveness. The results highlight that leaders who are more grounded in their bodies and present in interactions tend to exhibit more effective leadership behaviors.
Lisa C. Luken
Dissertation defense date
02/25/2026
Dissertation title
Exploring the Value of International Research Experience for Leadership Development
Dissertation committee
Committee Chair: Elizabeth Goryunova, Ph.D.
Members: Daniel Jenkins, Ph.D., Paul Caron, Ph.D., and Alice Veazey, Ph.D.
The study explored the lived experiences of students who participated in an international graduate student research program from a leadership development perspective. It offers guidance for strengthening current and future academic, organizational, and community initiatives that foster the development of skills and competencies essential for navigating complex, cross-cultural, and interdisciplinary challenges.
Amanda R. Neuts
Dissertation defense date
03/04/2026
Dissertation title
From Words to Growth: Exploring Employee Perceptions of How Organizational Culture Shapes Effective Feedback Experiences
Dissertation committee
Committee Chair: Elizabeth Fisher Turesky, Ph.D.
Members: Elizabeth Goryunova, Ph.D., Daniel Jenkins, Ph.D., Carol Nemeroff, Ph.D.
This study explored employee perceptions of how organizational culture shapes feedback experiences and their impact on professional development, satisfaction, and engagement. It offers practical guidance for designing feedback systems that support learning and engagement.
Peter G. Hofman
Dissertation defense date
03/09/2026
Dissertation title
Compassion in a Warrior Culture: Emotionally Supportive Leadership Among U.S. Military Veterans
Dissertation committee
Committee Chair: Elizabeth Turesky, Ph.D.
Members: Elizabeth Goryunova, Ph.D., Daniel Jenkins, Ph.D., and Kimberly Dickman, Ph.D.
This study examined the role of emotionally supportive leadership within the context of a traditionally hierarchical and stoic military culture. The study reframes compassion as a disciplined relational practice aligned with military values of accountability and trust, offering insight into how emotionally supportive leadership can function as a source of strength rather than weakness in high-stakes environments.
David Lewis
Dissertation defense date
03/24/2026
Dissertation title
Leading Through Play: Exploring Student Perception of Leadership Identity Development in a Community College Esports Program
Dissertation committee
Committee Chair: Joe Lasley, Ph.D.
Members: Daniel Jenkins, Ph.D., Dami Alegbeleye, Ph.D., Dominic Barraclough, Ph.D.
This study explores how community college students make meaning of their leadership identity development through participation in a co-curricular Esports program. Using a phenomenological approach, the findings indicate that leadership is experienced as relational and situational, and is shaped by team dynamics and institutional context. Students’ development did not follow a straight path, but instead reflected changes in confidence, responsibility, and how they understood themselves as leaders over time.
Bram J. Stone
Dissertation defense date
03/25/2026
Dissertation title
Leading to Transgress: Queering College Student Leadership Identity Development
Dissertation committee
Committee Chair: Daniel M. Jenkins, Ph.D.
Members: Joe Lasley, Ph.D., Heidi M. Parker, Ph.D., and Jason C. Garvey, Ph.D.
This phenomenological study explored how queer and trans* college students experience leadership identity development and how their intersecting identities shape that process. The findings show that leadership development is inseparable from identity development for many participants, who must continually negotiate authenticity, visibility, and leadership authority within environments often shaped by cisgender and heterosexual norms. The study offers practical and theoretical guidance for creating more inclusive leadership education and support structures in higher education.
Spencer R. Camacho
Dissertation defense date
03/26/2026
Dissertation title
Rehearsing Leadership: Behaviors and Culture of Collegiate A Cappella
Dissertation committee
Committee Chair: Daniel M. Jenkins, Ph.D.
Members: Joe Lasley, Ph.D., Elizabeth F. Turesky, Ph.D., and Joshua S. Duchan, Ph.D.
This ethnographic case study examined how leadership behaviors operate within the culture of a collegiate a cappella group. The findings indicate that leadership was decentralized and shaped by a community-first culture that prioritized emotional connection while also valuing musical skill and organizational expertise. The study highlights the potential of student-led music ensembles as rich sites for leadership development and offers implications for integrating arts-based experiences into leadership education.
Nancy Flagg
Dissertation defense date
03/30/2026
Dissertation title
The Diamond Collar: One Woman’s Leadership Disruption, Alteration, and Reemergence.
Dissertation committee
Committee Chair: Elizabeth Goryunova, Ph.D.
Members: Elizabeth F. Turesky, Ph.D., Dami Alegbeleye, Ph.D.
This analytic autoethnography research explores the trajectory (persistence, decline, and reemergence) of a female leader experiencing Intimate Partner Violence (IPV). It investigates how IPV experiences shape female leadership identity, behaviors, decisions and meaning making over time. The study introduced Adaptive Silhouette Model that distinguishes between four phases of leadership disruption and reemergence, as well as Systemic Fluency: the competencies evolving from post IPV introspection and knowledge fusion. The study contributes to a broader understanding of leadership journeys of women and the reasons for persisting lack of gender parity at the leadership level in organizations and society.