Jodie Drapal Kluver

Jodie Drapal Kluver is a Part-Time Faculty member in the Political Science Department at Bridgewater State University (BSU), where she teaches courses in public and nonprofit management. She has served as core faculty since 2006 and previously directed the Massachusetts Certified Public Manager program at BSU for ten years.

Dr. Drapal Kluver earned her BS from the University of Nebraska Lincoln/Omaha and completed all requirements except her dissertation (ABD) for an MPA from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Her academic foundation is strengthened by extensive practical experience in the nonprofit sector.

Her research focuses on organizational resilience and community engagement within public and nonprofit sectors. She examines how organizations develop adaptive capacity to navigate challenges while maintaining sustainability. Dr. Drapal Kluver's work emphasizes citizen engagement, informal associations, and organizational behavior as critical components of effective public administration. She approaches these topics through service-learning methodologies, creating meaningful connections between academic theory and practical application.

Analysis of Dr. Drapal Kluver's publications reveals a consistent scholarly trajectory centered on organizational adaptability in changing environments. Her work in Public Administration Review and other journals demonstrates growing emphasis on sustainability practices and innovative community engagement approaches. Her research consistently addresses how public and nonprofit organizations can maintain effectiveness during periods of disruption, with increasing attention to digital transformation and participatory governance models in recent years.

• Served as reviewer for Public Administration Review
• Reviewed for Policy and Politics and Nonprofit Voluntary Sector Quarterly
• Contributed to Oxford University Press publications
• Reviewed for Voluntas and Flat World Knowledge

With over 28 years of nonprofit sector experience, Dr. Drapal Kluver bridges academic theory with practical application. She served eight years as director of development for an arts organization and five years as executive director for a children's literacy organization. Her consulting work with governmental organizations and recent launch of The Black Crow Publishing—which focuses on empowering women's voices—demonstrate her commitment to community engagement across multiple domains. At BSU, she actively participated in service-learning communities and served on the National Service-Learning Conference planning committee.