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Tidings: From the Director
"A Vibrant Intellectual Community"
Accomplishments
Hector Rivera Rivera
Nada Berrada
Marcel Pambo
Ariel Otruba
Max Stephenson, Jr.
Armin Firouzi
Cecily Rodriguez
Bernice Owusu-Brown
Mehdi Panahi
Neda Moayerian
Helya Sehat
Brad Stephens
Megan Notter
Project Updates
- Latino Behavioral Health Initiative
- Floyd Donkenny Project Visioning
- Virginia Public Sector Leader Program
- Virginia Management Fellows
- Calfee Institute
- Engagement Ready Roanoke
Conferences & Events
- "Exploring the Middle East: Dynamics, Challenges, and Perspectives" Conference
- 2025 International Studies Association Conference
- 2025 Shape of the Region Conference
- 2025 American Association of Geographers Conference
- 2025 American Society for Public Administration Conference
- 2025 International Research Society for Public Management Conference
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8th Fábos Conference on Landscape and Greenway Planning
- Brad Stephens Attends Two Conferences in Canada
- National Conference on Addiction Recovery Science
- 2025 Shenandoah Valley Mental Health Conference on Trauma Informed and Prevention for Refugee and Immigrants
- 2025 Collection Impact Action Summit
- 2025 National Council for Mental Wellbeing Conference
- Virginia Network for Women Leaders in Higher Education Conference
- Social Equity Leadership Conference
- 2nd Annual Student Journal Symposium
- UN Women: Commission on the Status of Women 2025: Addressing Global Challenges to Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment
- Humanizing AI: A Virginia Tech College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences Faculty Panel
- 2025 IPG Spring Open House
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Virginia Tech and UVA Collaborate to Explore Maré
Announcements & Opportunities
- Dr. Zhanle Li Joins IPG as a Visiting Associate Professor
- IPG and Virginia Tech's 2025 Giving Day
- People of IPG: Andrew Sharp
Commentaries, Essays & Publications
- IPG Research and Policy Brief Series
- Soundings and Tidings
- Five Pieces Worth Reading
- Recent Publications
- Books, Articles, Chapters, Reviews and Conference Paper Presentations Under Review/Forthcoming
Faculty Spotlight
Rachel Silverman, Research Scientist, Virginia Tech Center for Biostatistics and Health Data Science
Graduate Student Spotlight
Olabisi Akinwunmi, Graduate Assistant, Masters Student in Public and International Affairs
Alumni Spotlight
Natalie Daniels, Project Manager, Brian Wishneff & Associates
| | TIDINGS: FROM THE DIRECTOR | | | |
"A Vibrant Intellectual Community"
BY MAX O. STEPHENSON, JR.
Director, Virginia Tech Institute for Policy and Governance
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In late 2024, the university released its framework for achieving “global distinction” in coming years. The committee charged with developing that institution-defining initiative described that aspiration this way:
Global Distinction will result from elevating the quality, quantity, and prominence of our scholarship, research, creativity, and impact. Common measures include scholarly impact (e.g., citation impact, publication of books and monographs; curation of designs, visual art and artistic performances, etc.); extramural grant and contract expenditures; distinctive faculty awards, fellowships, and memberships; research-based doctoral education; and postdoctoral associate training.1
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IPG is pleased that Hector Rivera Rivera has joined us as the Virginia Management Fellows (VMF) Program Manager! Hector has primary responsibility for leadership, delivery, expansion and evaluation of the VMF program, in partnership with the Department of Human Resource Management. He will lead efforts to refine the program’s curriculum, coordinate state agency partnerships, assure delivery of excellent programming, collaborate on recruitment and onboarding of fellows, and conduct research to evaluate program operations and outcomes. He will also work to explore, develop, and implement new research and educational programs and scholarship independently and in collaboration with internal and external stakeholder groups, particularly those connected to public administration and management.
Welcome, Hector!
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Dr. Nada Berrada was honored with a Distinguished Alumni Award from the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at a banquet on April 25 at the Inn at Virginia Tech. Individuals selected for this honor must have at least one degree from the college and have achieved a high level of success in their chosen field of endeavor, which is exemplified by having attained increasingly responsible positions and recognition from their peers.
Dr. Berrada has played roles in several key projects during her tenure as an International Project Coordinator with the Education Development Center in Washington D.C. One of those initiatives, "Our World, Our Work," aims to support at least one million young people with quality jobs in the green and blue sectors during the next decade. She has also developed a curriculum module on climate change and green economies that has so far reached hundreds of out-of-school youths in Indonesia and the Philippines. Dr. Berrada was invited to participate in the 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan in November 2024 to speak on these important topics.
Dr. Berrada is a 2020 alumna of the Alliance for Social, Political, Ethical, and Cultural Thought PhD program. She also earned her Master of Public and International Affairs degree at Virginia Tech. IPG Director Dr. Max Stephenson Jr. chaired her doctoral and master’s advisory committees. Additionally, while at VT she served as the President of the Community Change Collaborative (CCC) from 2019-2021, participated in four podcast episodes with CCC, and was part of the Maré Research Group. All at the Institute are delighted that she has received this well-deserved honor.
Congratulations, Nada!
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Marcel Pambo successfully completed his dissertation proposal defense in the Planning, Governance, and Globalization Program (PGG) on March 19. His next step is to conduct his field work. Special thanks to his committee: Chair and IPG Director Professor Max Stephenson Jr.; Professors Laura Zanotti and Yannis Stivachtis, Department of Political Science; and Professor Onwubiko Agozino, Department of Sociology.
Congratulations, Marcel!
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Dr. Ariel Otruba, IPG Non-Resident Research Fellow and faculty member at Arcadia University, served as a co-organizer and co-chair of "Problematizing 'Eurasia' paper sessions at the 2025 Detroit Political Geography Specialty Group (PGSG) Pre-Conference prior to the national conference of the American Association of Geographers (AGG) on March 22, 2025.
Dr. Otruba oversaw the Photovoice exhibition, Violent Infrastructure: Ecologies of Decay and Displacement at the Stichweh Gallery at Otterbein University, Westerville, OH from March 31-April 4, 2025, and delivered a curatorial lecture concerning the exhibit on April 1st.
Dr. Otruba also delivered an invited lecture, "Understanding the Authoritarian Turn and Mass Civil Resistance in the Republic of Georgia," at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania on April 3, 2025.
Congratulations, Ariel!
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Dr. Max Stephenson, Jr., IPG Director and Professor in the School of International Affairs, participated in the 2025 Alliance for Social, Political, Ethical, and Cultural Thought Graduate Conference on March 28. Dr. Stephenson served as a discussant for four papers for a panel entitled, "Art, Cultural Production and Domination.”
Dr. Stephenson was honored at the Virginia Tech Employee Service Recognition Awards on April 22 at the Inn at Virginia Tech for his 36 years of service to the university.
Zhengzhou University has extended a formal invitation to Dr. Stephenson to participate as a distinguished speaker at its Postdoctoral Academic Forum on "Theories and Practices of Public Governance in the Digital Age." The conference will be held July 5-6, 2025 at the Zhengzhou Guanghua Hotel in Zhengzhou City, Henan Province, China.
Dr. Stephenson has also been invited to provide remarks and participate in a public forum entitled, "The Role of Courts in Checking Administrative Power,” to be hosted by the League of Women Voters, the Lifelong Learning Institute at Virginia Tech, and the NAACP Montgomery County-Radford City-Floyd County Branch this fall at the Blacksburg Town Council Chambers.
Congratulations, Max!
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Armin Firouzi, second-year PhD student in the Alliance for Social, Political, Ethical, and Cultural Thought program, published a chapter entitled, "Zoroastrianism in Yazd Reflections on the Right to the City and Politics of Cultural Identity" in the book Conservation Theory and the Urban Realpolitik. You may find a link to the chapter here.
Armin was also recently awarded the Peacock-Harper Culinary History Research Scholarship offered by the Virginia Tech Food Studies Program and the Peacock-Harper Culinary History Collection at the University Libraries. Armin's inquiry will analyze how the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and the Immigration Act of 1924 shaped the acceptance, adaptation, and commercialization of immigrant cuisines in the U.S. from the nations those statues targeted.
At IPG, Armin has been involved in the Community Change Collaborative since the Fall of 2023 as a member, and since Fall of 2024 as president of the initiative. Dr. Max Stephenson Jr. is serving as his PhD advisory committee chair.
Congratulations, Armin!
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Cecily Rodriguez, Associate Director of Research and Organizational Innovation, offered an invited presentation at the National Network to Eliminate Disparities in Public Health (NNED) 2025 conference in Gaithersburg, Maryland on April 28. Her remarks addressed, "Understanding and Engaging in State Funding Opportunities." She examined different state funding mechanisms, including block grants, and other state administered resources available to community based behavioral health organizations.
Congratulations, Cecily!
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IPG Research Scientist Dr. Bernice Owusu-Brown’s article, "Female labour force participation, power dynamics and adoption of LPG for cooking in Ghana" was recently accepted for publication in the academic journal, Discover Sustainability. You may find the article here.
Dr. Owusu-Brown has been selected to participate in the Global Teaching Scholars Scandinavia faculty workshop, “Making Global Connections for Student Learning” to be held in Copenhagen, Denmark in the summer of 2026. The program is sponsored by CLAHS Global Initiatives & Engagement, the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL), and Global Education Office (GEO) in partnership with DIS Study Abroad in Scandinavia.
Congratulations, Bernice!
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The Journal of Environmental Management recently published an article by Mehdi Panahi (Master of Science student, University of Tehran) and Dr. Neda Moayerian (Non-Resident Research Fellow at IPG), entitled, “Seeds of resilience: How social capital cultivates community strength in environmental crisis management." You may find their article here.
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. Dr. Moayerian and Dr. Stephenson have collaborated on many research projects, including as members of the Maré Research Group.
Congratulations, Mehdi and Neda!
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Helya Sehat, PhD student in Planning, Governance, and Globalization (PGG), was selected to serve as a Spring 2025 Graduate Student Fellow at Virginia Tech’s Center for Humanities. The fellowship provides office space in War Memorial Hall and the opportunity to engage with the Center’s intellectual community. As a Fellow, she participated in Center events and contributed to its programming while pursuing her humanities-related research interests.
Helya is working with IPG Director Dr. Max Stephenson, Jr., Non-Resident Research Fellow Dr. Neda Moayerian, and fellow PGG student Brad Stephens on an article concerning the reimagination of the Calfee Cultural and Community Center in Pulaski, Virginia. She is also an active member of the Community Change Collaborative.
Helya also participated in the American Society for Public Administration’s annual conference in Washington D.C. on March 31.
Congratulations, Helya!
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Brad Stephens, Institute graduate assistant and Planning, Governance and Globalization PhD student, successfully defended his preliminary examination on April 25. The next milestone toward his degree is his dissertation proposal. Special thanks to Brad's advisory committee members: Drs. Theo Lim, Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia's School of Community and Regional Planning, Marc Stern, Virginia Tech Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation Professor, Virginia Tech Alumni Distinguished Professor (Sociology) Kwame Harrison, and Max Stephenson, Jr., Chair, IPG Director, and Professor, School of Public and International Affairs.
Congratulations, Brad!
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Megan Notter has received a well-deserved promotion to Business Manager. She has been essential in helping the Institute’s leaders chart our fiscal and managerial course during her tenure. Megan has accepted a larger array of responsibilities during her time with us and done so with consistent thoughtfulness and grace and always with an eye to the best possible outcomes for the Institute. We are delighted to have Megan as part of the IPG family.
Congratulations, Megan!
| | | Latino Behavioral Health Initiative | | |
IPG Research Scientist Dr. Andrea Briceño Mosquera, Associate Director of Research and Innovation Cecily Rodriguez, and graduate assistant Olabisi Akinwunmi attended the Latino Behavioral Health Initiative in Richmond, Virginia on February 18 to present their emerging research findings concerning the social determinants of health for the Latin community across Virginia.
Photo from left to right: Cecily Rodriguez, Dr. Cecilia Barbosa (Principal and Owner, cBe consulting), Dr. Andrea Briceño Mosquera, and Olabisi Akinwunmi. Photo courtesy of Andrea Briceño Mosquera.
| | Floyd Donkenny Project Visioning | | |
A recent Virginia Tech Office of Engagement (VTOE) story featured IPG Graduate Research Assistant Aida Hassani and Affiliated PhD student Helya Sehat and their work in eliciting community perspectives concerning a proposed redevelopment project in the Town of Floyd. Thank you to VTOE Assistant Director of Communications Diane Deffenbaugh for asking to feature an Institute initiative and our graduate students in this way. You may read the article profiling their views on community engagement here.
Photo: Aida Hassani (left) and Helya Sehat (right). Photo courtesy of Diane Deffenbaugh.
| | Virginia Public Sector Leader Program | | |
The Virginia Public Sector Leader Program (VPSL), offered by Richmond-based Institute faculty and staff, is tailored to public sector professionals at all levels. VPSL III participants will begin their 2nd week of the program in May. You may visit the program’s website for more information.
| | Virginia Management Fellows | | |
The Virginia Management Fellows (VMF) is an experiential learning and on-the-job training program that includes three successive, 8-month rotations with three different Virginia state agencies. A new cohort of Fellows is hired each year, such that there are two active groups of participants at any point in time, with their start dates staggered approximately one-year apart. IPG and Department of Human Resource Management staff and faculty are currently reviewing Cohort 8 applications. You may visit this website for more information on the VMF program.
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IPG Director Dr. Max Stephenson, Jr. and Planning, Governance, and Globalization students Brad Stephens, Amin Farzaneh, and Helya Sehat facilitated a board retreat for the Calfee Community and Cultural Center in March. The group helped the Board revisit their organizational values and begin to chart a clear path forward. IPG continues to work with Calfee’s leadership to refine values statements that the Board can formally adopt in the coming months. You may visit our website for an overview of the project.
Photo: Calfee Institute. Credit to Wikipedia.
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The Institute’s Engagement Ready Roanoke (ERR) project in partnership with the City of Roanoke continues to move forward. The nonprofit capacity building portion of the initiative began recently with ten civil society organizations chosen by ERR’s community steering committee. This initial cohort will receive six-months of intensive support from IPG faculty and graduate students to build their institution’s capacities in a variety of substantive ways.
| | "Exploring the Middle East: Dynamics, Challenges, and Perspectives" Conference | | |
Dr. Andrew Sharp, IPG Senior Public and Community Engagement Manager, presented a paper at the Exploring the Middle East: Dynamics, Challenges, and Perspectives Conference, held at Christopher Newport University from February 7-9, 2025: "Orthodox Christians, Muslims, and the Environment: Ecology as Fertile Ground for Dialogue in the Middle East?” Dr. Sharp also delivered a lecture on April 23 based on his conference paper as part of a Department of Religion and Culture series of talks at Newman Library on Virginia Tech's campus.
| | 2025 International Studies Association Conference | | |
Planning, Governance, and Globalization PhD student Yugasha Bakshi presented a paper entitled, "Do Frameworks Travel? Limitations in Application of Water Governance Frameworks in the Global South" at the International Studies Association national conference in Chicago, held from March 2-5.
IPG Director Dr. Max Stephenson Jr. serves on Yugasha's doctoral advisory committee. She is also an active member of the Institute's student organization, the Community Change Collaborative.
Photo courtesy of Yugasha Bakshi.
| | 2025 Shape of the Region Conference | | |
Family Research Unit Director Dr. Ciara Collins attended the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia’s 2025 Shape of Region Conference, "Our Children: Creating Safe, Supportive Futures for Northern Virginia's Youth," on March 25 in McLean, Virginia. This year's event focused on the urgent challenges facing Northern Virginia's youth— including bullying, school safety, substance use, and mental health access—while also highlighting strategies to address them.
Dr. Collins also participated in the Annual Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Conference on April 28-29 in Williamsburg, Virginia.
| | 2025 American Association of Geographers Conference | | |
Amin Farzaneh, IPG Graduate Assistant and Planning, Governance, and Globalization (PGG) PhD student, attended the American Association of Geographers Conference in Detroit Michigan from March 24-28 to present a paper entitled, "Navigating the Boundaries of Imaginaries and exploring their Interactions in Urban Development" co-authored with IPG Director Dr. Max Stephenson, Jr. and fellow Institute Graduate Assistant and PGG student Brad Stephens.
| | 2025 American Society for Public Administration Conference | | |
Anne Walters, IPG Applied Research Associate, presented “Project Management for the Accidental Project Manager” at the American Society for Public Administration’s annual conference in Washington D.C. on March 29. She offered insights gained from a project management course she taught recently with Cecily Rodriguez for selected employees of the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services.
Photo: Anne Walters (center). Photo courtesy of Anne Walters.
| | 2025 International Research Society for Public Management Conference | | |
IPG Research Scientist Dr. Andrea Briceño Mosquera and Associate Director of Research and Organizational Innovation Cecily Rodriguez presented their paper "Emotional Labor and Administrative Burdens in a Behavioral Health Setting in Virginia" at the 2025 International Research Society for Public Management (IRSPM) Conference, April 7-9 in Bologna, Italy. IRSM showcases research addressing public management and public policy implementation.
Photo: Cecily Rodriguez (right) and Andrea Briceño Mosquera (left). Photo credit: Cecily Rodriguez.
| | 8th Fábos Conference on Landscape and Greenway Planning | | |
Shahed Alhadyan, IPG Graduate Assistant and PhD student in Planning, Governance, and Globalization, presented her paper, "Overcoming Barriers: Transportation and Employment Access for Syrian Refugees in Mafraq City, Jordan,” at the 8th Fábos Conference on Landscape and Greenway Planning at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst April 11-13. The conference was organized by that institution and the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Photo courtesy of Shahed Alhadyan.
| | Brad Stephens Attends Two Conferences in Canada | | |
Brad Stephens, IPG Graduate Assistant and Planning, Governance, and Globalization PhD student, recently participated in two conferences held in Canada. At the 7th CRISES International Conference at the University of Montreal in Montreal, he presented a paper co-authored with Drs. Neda Moayerian and Max Stephenson, Jr., entitled, "Learning from the Calfee Training School: Exploring One's Nonprofit's Efforts to Reimagine a Historically Black School While Iterating Democratic Norms."
Brad also participated in the 2025 International Conference on Urban Affairs, April 16-19 in Vancouver, with University of British Columbia Associate Professor (and former Virginia Tech Assistant Professor) Theo Lim. The pair presented their paper entitled, "What even is ‘youth-centered,’ ‘trauma-informed’ Community Planning: An exploration of how magic concepts operate in urban spaces."
| | National Conference on Addiction Recovery Science | | |
Lara Nagle, IPG Community-Based Research Manager, co-presented a research poster with Dr. Angela Hagaman, Co-Director, Addiction Science Center, East Tennessee State University (ETSU), Hannah Warren, Graduate Assistant, ETSU, Morgan Kidd, Assistant Director, Applied Social Research Laboratory, ETSU, Tanner Barbour, Data Scientist for the Center for Biostatistics and Health Data Science, Virginia Tech, and other members of the STARS team at the National Conference on Addiction Recovery Science on April 23-24. The event brings interested researchers together annually.
| | 2025 Shenandoah Valley Mental Health Conference On Trauma Informed and Prevention For Refugee and Immigrants | | 2025 Collection Impact Action Summit | | |
Laura Taylor, IPG Public Health Program and Policy Research Associate, will participate in the annual Collective Impact Action Summit, an initiative of the Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions, taking place virtually from April 29–May 1, 2025. Collective Impact is a network of community members, organizations, and institutions that seek to advance equity by learning together, aligning, and integrating their actions to achieve population and systems-level change–a model followed by the Roanoke Valley Collective Response (RVCR) community group as well. The RVCR is a longstanding partner with IPG, with Laura as the principal investigator for two joint grants in the past year focused on asset mapping, evaluation, and strategic planning.
| | 2025 National Council for Mental Wellbeing Conference | | |
Mary Beth Dunkenberger (IPG Deputy Director), and Liz Allen (Senior Program Research Associate and Data Specialist), will attend the 2025 National Council for Mental Well Being (NatCon) in Philadelphia May 5-7. NatCon is a membership organization that works to encourage policy and social change on behalf of more than 3,400 mental health and substance use treatment organizations. The conference will provide Mary Beth and Liz the opportunity to connect with nearly 6,000 peers from across the country, including Laura Davis and her team at Mount Rogers Community Services in Virginia.
| | Virginia Network for Women Leaders in Higher Education Conference | | |
Institute Deputy Director Mary Beth Dunkenberger will attend the Virginia Network for Women Leaders in Higher Education Conference on May 30 at the Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center. This year's theme is "Among the Stars: Expanding Our Professional Constellations." Dr. Belle S. Wheelan, President of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges will serve as the program's keynote speaker.
| | Social Equity Leadership Conference | | |
Institute Graduate Assistant Olabisi Akinwunmi will present a paper, "Perceptions of Services Offered by the Department of Social Services Facilities Across Virginia" at the Social Equity Leadership Conference June 5-7, at The Universities at Shady Grove in Rockville, Maryland. This year's conference theme is "Leading Together: A national dialogue to propel us forward."
| | 2nd Annual Student Journal Symposium | | UN Women: Commission on the Status of Women 2025: Addressing Global Challenges to Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment | | |
Dr. Bernice Owusu-Brown, Institute Research Scientist, participated in a panel entitled, "UN Women: Commission on the Status of Women 2025: Addressing Global Challenges to Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment" on March 20. Her fellow participants were Dr. Tauhidur Rahman (Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Arizona) and Dr. Ameena Zia (Professor at Brevard College and Founder, Blue Ridge Counseling). Virginia Tech College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences Associate Dean for Global Initiatives and Engagement Dr. Farida Jalalzai moderated the event.
| | Humanizing AI: A Virginia Tech College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences Faculty Panel | | |
IPG's Richmond office hosted an event entitled, "Humanizing AI: A Virginia Tech College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences Faculty Panel" on March 25. Participants included Dr. James Ivory (Professor of English), Jennifer Lawrence (Senior Instructor of English and Associate Director of the Writing Center), Dr. Nataliya Brantley (Assistant Professor, Government and International Affairs), and Dr. Thomas Dearden (Assistant Professor, Sociology).
Photo courtesy of Cecily Rodriguez.
| | 2025 IPG Spring Open House | | |
Thank you to everyone who came to IPG's open house on March 27! We are grateful to Deputy Director Mary Beth Dunkenberger, Research Associate Liz Allen, Business Manager Megan Notter, Public Health Program and Policy Research Associate Laura Taylor and Communications Coordinator Billy Parvatam for planning the event. We are also grateful to our many guests for attending! Please visit our website to see additional photos from the event.
Photo from left to right: Liz Allen, Adam Lane, Blake Smith, and Emily Meade. Photo credit: Billy Parvatam.
| | Virginia Tech and UVA Collaborate to Explore Maré | | |
For the third consecutive year, Dr. Vanessa Guerra, Assistant Professor of Urban and Environmental Planning at the University of Virginia (UVA) School of Architecture and IPG Non-Resident Research Fellow visited Blacksburg on April 3 along with students from her spring semester international studio, "Planning and Design," to share their research on urban resilience in Maré, Rio de Janeiro, a diverse neighborhood in the North Zone of that Brazilian city. The students presented their work in the Graduate Life Center (GLC) building on campus. Redes de Maré representatives Andreza Jorge (also an Alliance for Social for Political, Ethical, and Cultural Thought PhD student) and Henrique Gomes, (Program leader for Redes da Maré) Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning Assistant Professor Paroma Wagle, and VTIPG Director Dr. Max Stephenson, Jr. provided feedback to the presenting students.
Dr. Guerra completed her PhD at Virginia Tech in 2020. Dr. Stephenson served as a member of her dissertation committee and that connection led to her joining the Institute as a Non-Resident Research Fellow in 2023. She has also participated in the VT-based Maré Research Group, which has collaborated with Redes de Maré to provide support for that non-governmental organization and to develop relevant scholarship.
Photo credit: Amin Farzaneh
| | ANNOUNCEMENTS & OPPORTUNITIES | | Dr. Zhanle Li Joins IPG as a Visiting Associate Professor | | |
Dr. Zhanle Li has joined IPG as a Visiting Associate Professor from Zhengzhou University in China. He will be working with Institute Director Dr. Max Stephenson Jr. for the next nine months. We are excited to welcome Dr. Li and his daughter Jia to Blacksburg!
Dr. Li's research interests include political theory, democratic theory, public and social policy, public administration, civic engagement, non-profit organizations, and contemporary Chinese Politics. His visit is sponsored by the China Scholarship Council.
| | IPG and Virginia Tech's 2025 Giving Day | | |
Thank you to everyone who donated to IPG during this year's Giving Day! We were able to raise significant funds for strategic initiatives and professional development for students, staff, and faculty. Sincere thanks!
| | People of IPG: Andrew Sharp | | |
We are pleased to share the latest installment of the People of IPG series featuring Senior Public and Community Engagement Manager and Lecturer Dr. Andrew Sharp, who officially joined the Institute in July 2024. Dr. Sharp discussed his work and more in a conversation with Communications Coordinator Billy Parvatam, here.
| | COMMENTARIES, ESSAYS & PUBLICATIONS | | 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. Our Research and Policy Brief series aims to provide recommendations and key findings from our ongoing projects in a form accessible to a broad audience.
Laura Taylor, Mary Beth Dunkenberger, and Bryce Hoflund authored our latest Brief, “Drug Checking Services as a Harm Reduction Measure." You may read it here.
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Five Pieces Worth Reading
A weekly news summary series curated by IPG Communications Coordinator Billy Parvatam can be accessed here.
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Recent Books
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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
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Max Stephenson Jr. and Cathy Grimes, Eds. Conversations in Community Change: More Voices from the Field. Blacksburg, VA: Virginia Tech Publishing, 2023.
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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.
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Max Stephenson Jr. and Lyusyena Kirakosyan, Eds., Re: Reflections and Explorations: Volume 3. Blacksburg, VA: Virginia Tech Publishing, 2023.
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Recent Articles and Conference Papers
Journal Articles
Published
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
Firouzi, A. (2025). Zoroastrianism in Yazd Reflections on the Right to the City and Politics of Cultural Identity. In S. Yadollahi (Ed.), Conservation Theory and the Urban Realpolitik (pp. 61-80). Berlin, Boston: Birkhäuser. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783035628630-004
Horn, K. (2025). Pets as friends? Absolutely! Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/navigating-social-terrain/202501/pets-as-friends-absolutely
Panahi, M., & Moayerian, N. (2025). Seeds of Resilience: How Social Capital Cultivates Community Strength in Environmental Crisis Management. Journal of Environmental Management (Q1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.124937
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
Wilson, J., Owusu-Brown, B., & Iddrisu, S. (2025). Female labor force participation, power dynamics, and adoption of LPG for cooking in Ghana. Discover Sustainability, 6(1), 124. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-025-00833-6
Conference Papers
Alhadyan, S., (2025, April 11-13). Overcoming Barriers: Transportation and Employment Access for Syrian Refugees in Mafraq City, Jordan [paper presentation]. 8th Fábos Conference on Landscape and Greenway Planning, Amherst, Massachusetts.
Bakshi, Y. (2025, March 2-5). Do Frameworks Travel? Limitations in Application of Water Governance Frameworks in the Global South. [paper presentation.] International Studies Association, Chicago, Illinois.
Briceño-Mosquera., A., and Rodgriguez., C (2025, April 7-9). Emotional Labor and Administrative Burdens in a Behavioral Health Setting in Virginia. 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." American Association of Geographers annual national Conference, Detroit, Michigan.
Sharp, A.M. (2025, February 7-9). "Orthodox Christians, Muslims, and the Environment: Ecology as Fertile Ground for Dialogue in the Middle East?" Christopher Newport University, Exploring the Middle East: Dynamics, Challenges, and Perspectives. Newport News, VA.
Stephens, B. & Lim, T. (2025, April 16-19). "What even is “youth-centered,’ ‘trauma-informed’ Community Planning: An exploration of how magic concepts operate in urban spaces." 2025 International Conference on Urban Affairs, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
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". International Conference of Innovations as Sites of Social Resistance and Transformation in Times of Crisis, Montreal, Canada.
Book Reviews
Otruba (2025). Review of El-Taliawi, Ola G, The Politics of Refugee Policy in the Global South. HDiplo, H-Net Reviews. https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=61362
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).
Firouzi, A. and Stephenson, M., Jr., "Preserving and Excluding: Examining the Complexities of Diasporic Persian Heritage Advocacy," at Local Development and Society.
Moayerian, M., Stephens, B., and Stephenson, Jr., M. “On the Edge of Possibility: Considering the Calfee Training School’s Continuing Role in Cultivating Hope and Social Imagination,” International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, Requested revision submitted April 24, 2025.
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. (Forthcoming).
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
Akinwunmi, O., (2025, June 5-7). Perceptions of Services Offered by the Department of Social Services Facilities Across Virginia [paper presentation]. Social Equity Leadership Conference, Rockville, Maryland.
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Dr. Rachel Silverman is a Research Scientist with the Center for Biostatistics and Health (CBHDS) in the Department of Statistics at Virginia Tech. She earned her PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Washington School of Public Health in Seattle, WA, ScM in Infectious Disease Epidemiology from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, MD, and BA in Biochemistry from Oberlin College in Oberlin, OH.
As a collaborative scientist with CBHDS, she contributes to a wide range of research topics and student mentoring. Her expertise and experience include study design and implementation, survey development, disease surveillance, randomized clinical trials, observational studies, data cleaning and wrangling, statistical analyses, and data visualization. She also provides guest lectures related to epidemiology and study design. Broadly, she applies her epidemiology expertise to prevent, minimize, and interpret biases in quantitative health science research from design to analysis. She is currently working with IPG on the Mount Rogers Community Services Rural Health Expansion Evaluation project to evaluate the growth and consolidation of that agency’s crisis care services. Prior to joining CBHDS, she worked with the Center for Public Health Practice & Research (CPHPR) contributing to quantitative program evaluation and summary reports for local community health organizations in the New River Valley, in addition to teaching and conducting independent epidemiologic research in the Department of Population Health Sciences at Virginia Tech. Her prior experience includes global health research, applied epidemiology at state and local health departments, and conducting systematic literature reviews as a consultant. She is interested in disease prevention and harm reduction to inform evidence-based guidance, especially relating to health disparities and marginalized groups. Her research interests have focused on COVID-19, HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, and reproductive and maternal health.
A fun fact: Rachel was the first woman ever to compete in the pole vault for Oberlin College. She lives in Blacksburg with husband Clay Wright, their two young children, and a fluffy dog. Her hobbies include baking, hiking, photography, and occasionally, building furniture.
| | GRADUATE STUDENT SPOTLIGHT | | |
Olabisi Akinwumni is an Institute Graduate Assistant and a master’s student in the Public and International Affairs Program at Virginia Tech. With a background and keen interest in economics, Olabisi brings a strong analytical foundation to her research, focusing on economic policy, governance, and international development. She previously earned her Bachelor of Science in Economics from Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria, where she conducted research on digital taxation and economic policy.
Olabisi joined IPG in August 2024 as a graduate research assistant and has since been actively assisting in research projects analyzing social and economic policies. She is currently involved in Language Access Needs Assessment and Albermarle County Periodic Economic Monitoring projects. Olabisi is also working on the perception of services offered by the Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS) with Drs. Andrea Briceño Mosquera and Bernice Owusu-Brown. Prior to joining IPG, she served as a research assistant on multiple projects, collaborating with scholars on taxation & digitalization policies, comparative economic and political science analyses.
Beyond research, Olabisi has experience in graphic design, project management and content writing. She has held leadership roles, including founding and presiding over the Public Finance and African Development Club at Obafemi Awolowo University. In her free time, Olabisi enjoys experimenting with different cuisines and cooking a variety of meals.
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Natalie Daniels is a Project Manager and New Markets Tax Credit Consultant for community focused projects at Brian Wishneff and Associates. The group assists rural communities and organizations in Virginia and West Virginia as they navigate the often-convoluted process of utilizing new market tax credits (NMTCs). The New Markets Tax Credit is a federal program that incentivizes both large, national banks with significant tax liabilities as well as community focused “Community Development Entities” (CDEs) to invest in underserved communities. Investments can be anything that supports the revitalization of a community—from developing a new health care facility in a rural area, to supporting the move of a large manufacturer to a place with few jobs that pay a living wage, or the renovation of an old building to provide 21st century educational opportunities., CDEs apply for a federal allocation of tax credit value through a competitive process that they can commit to various projects based on their targeted geography or asset class. Large banks then purchase the value of the tax credits, and the equity flows down to the project. The program is very flexible and is designed to serve as the last piece of financing needed to turn a great idea into a reality. Natalie's work focuses on working with eligible projects to be ready to take advantage of the program, then building relationships with CDEs and investors to find the perfect project for their investments. Others at Wishneff then work to accomplish the necessary complex structuring and legal work. Finally, the group supports its clients post-closing to ensure they remain compliant with all the program’s requirements.
Natalie graduated with a Master of Urban and Regional Planning degree from the School of Public and International Affairs in 2017. Her interest focused on the impact of nonprofits on development – namely, how the inherent motivations, ideologies, or ethical values of an organization motivate efforts to create tangible, physical improvements to the built environment for people with disadvantages or in disinvested communities. She came to Virginia Tech after working with Self Help Credit Union in Durham, North Carolina which is where this interest was first developed. Her master’s thesis, chaired by IPG Director Dr. Max Stephenson Jr., focused on a co-housing style community for adults with disabilities that grew out of a phenomenal ministry aimed at reducing the barriers to friendship between people with and without disabilities by encouraging adults with a range of disabilities to express personal agency over their free time, hobbies, jobs, living arrangements, and education. Natalie has always been interested in the creative financial needs of these projects but predominantly wanted to study how a strong organizational ethic that saw all people in a community as worthy of things that are taken for granted (physical access, job opportunities, healthcare, personal autonomy and agency – even friendship) ultimately created vibrant, safe, supportive communities for everyone. While her current work often appears more spreadsheet and finance focused, she uses the knowledge she gained from her thesis research every time she engages with a new project or organizational sponsor to understand their motivations for using tax credits, developing relationships with support organizations or lenders that have similar values, and encouraging them to think creatively about how to use the additional equity to support their community more effectively.
Natalie is currently working with Calfee Community and Cultural Center on securing and utilizing historic tax credits, particularly with Jill Williams, Executive Director, on how best to structure that renovation’s progress to take the fullest advantage of the timing of state and federal historic credits.
Fun Fact: Natalie has run 17 marathons! Her best performance occurred in 2024 at Myrtle Beach where she won (while 4 weeks pregnant!) in a time of two hours and 44 minutes. She participated in the Boston Marathon for the first time on April 21!
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Institute for Policy and Governance
201 W. Roanoke Street
Blacksburg, VA 24061
ipg.vt.edu
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