Kareem Willis (BA'16, MPA'17, PhD'22): "Public Administration is..."
"Public Administration is...
exploring the underlying social equity and social justice issues and concerns within public administration, public management, and nonprofit management, leadership, and philanthropy."
Name: Kareem Willis
SPAA Degrees and Graduation Years: BA 2016, MPA 2017, PhD 2022
Current Position: Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow, Rutgers SPAA
How did SPAA prepare you for your current role?
As a doctoral student currently enrolled in the School of Public Affairs and Administration at Rutgers University–Newark, I am learning how to harness my passion for social advocacy, justice, and empowerment for the betterment of the lives of other persons. Through my research, I explore the underlying social equity and social justice issues and concerns (broadly defined) within public administration, public management, and nonprofit management, leadership, and philanthropy.
The structure of the program, the faculty, and the hands-on curriculum allowed me to put theory to practice. I was fortunate to be around administrative and student support staff who truly valued my success and dedicated their talents to ensuring that happened. SPAA also did not shy away from innovative ways to ensure student success. Professors encouraged critical thinking which proved useful in curating insightful and inventive research projects at the doctoral level.
Why are you excited about your work?
As a social equity and justice scholar, my focus is on researching methods that public and nonprofit agencies charged with fulfilling the public good can deploy to better maximize their impact. The essence of my work serves to strengthen disempowered and disenfranchised individuals and communities by providing access to and creating spaces and resources that will help them realize their limitless potential.