Jennifer W. Purcell

Dr. Jennifer W. Purcell is a tenured Professor of Public Administration in the School of Government and International Affairs at Kennesaw State University's Norman J. Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences. She holds a Doctor of Education in Adult Education from the University of Georgia (2013), a Master of Public Administration from Valdosta State University (2010), and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Mercer University (2006), complemented by a Graduate Certificate in Organization and Leadership Coaching (2022).

Her research explores:

• Leadership capacity building in organizational and community contexts
• Boundary-spanning practices in higher education
• Women's leadership and work-life balance
• Community-engaged scholarship methodologies
• Organizational change and development

Her publications demonstrate consistent focus on leadership theory, community engagement pedagogy, and organizational development, with recent work examining pandemic impacts on women in academia and institutional capacity building.

Honors and Awards:

• KSU Tenured Faculty Enhancement Leave (2023)
• Excellence in Scholarship Award (2020)
• John Saltmarsh Award for Emerging Leaders (2016)
• Kiesler Service Award (2016)
• Faculty Diversity Fellowship (2021-2022)

She mentors early-career faculty and graduate students, supervises undergraduate researchers, and leads major grants including the ESC 2025 project on community-engaged scholar development. As Principal Investigator for the Women at Work study, she examines COVID-19's impact on women in higher education.

Dr. Purcell directs collaborative research teams across institutions (Michigan State, University of Colorado Boulder) and serves as GA State Chair for the ACE Women's Network. She founded the Emerging Engagement Scholars Workshop and edits for the Journal of Community Engagement Scholarship.