Toleikienė Rita

Dr. Rita Toleikienė is an Associate Professor at Vilnius University Siauliai Academy, where she serves as a member of the Public Administration Study Programs Committee. She holds a Doctor of Management degree and has been actively contributing to public administration education and research since 2010, with prior experience as a lecturer in Public Administration since 2010 and researcher in business and public management since 2018.

Her primary research interests focus on ethics in public administration organizations, anti-corruption policy, human resource management, e-leadership in public sector organizations, transparency, openness, and the development of anti-corruption potential. Dr. Toleikienė's work bridges theoretical research with practical applications in governance, having led and participated in numerous research projects examining corruption prevention, leadership in municipal governments, and transparency in public institutions. Her methodological approach combines sociological research with policy development, particularly evident in her work on anti-corruption environments in various Lithuanian districts.

Dr. Toleikienė has been instrumental in significant projects including the EUMODNEXT Project on fraud prevention in EU funds, the E-LEADER project on post-pandemic e-leadership analysis in municipal administrations, and the optimization of higher education institutions through the merger of Šiauliai University with Vilnius University. Her research consistently addresses practical governance challenges while contributing to academic knowledge in public administration.

• 2021 Thanks from Šiauliai city municipality education center for expertise in qualification programs
• 2018 Recognition from Šiauliai University for developing social partnerships
• 2017 Acknowledgment from the Special Investigation Service of the Republic of Lithuania for anti-corruption initiatives

As an educator, Dr. Toleikienė teaches courses on Ethics and anti-corruption policy, Management of Public Sector Organizations, Strategic Management of the Public Sector, and Public Administration Research. She serves as Chairwoman of the Academic Ethics Commission at Vilnius University Siauliai Academy since 2021 and is a certified trainer for research integrity through the HORIZON2020 VIRTU2E project. Dr. Toleikienė actively contributes to professional networks as Chairperson of the Coordination Committee of Researchers' Excellence Network (RENET) and as a member of the Lithuanian and European Educational Research Associations.