Mary Kay Gugerty

Mary Kay Gugerty serves as the Nancy Bell Evans Professor of Nonprofit Management & Philanthropy and Associate Dean for Teaching & Learning at the University of Washington's Evans School of Public Policy & Governance. She also holds adjunct faculty positions in Political Science and maintains affiliations with multiple research centers including the Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology, the Center for the Evaluation of Global Action at UC Berkeley, and Innovations for Poverty Action.

Her educational background includes a Ph.D. in Political Economy and Government from Harvard University (2001), an MPA from the John F. Kennedy School of Government, and a BA in Political Science and Economics from Georgetown University. These credentials form the foundation for her interdisciplinary approach to nonprofit management and international development.

Professor Gugerty's research spans three interconnected domains: evaluation and impact measurement in the social sector, where she developed the influential CART (Credible, Actionable, Responsible, and Transportable) framework; accountability mechanisms for nonprofits through her work on 'accountability clubs'; and rural development in sub-Saharan Africa with particular attention to agricultural decision-making and gender dynamics. Her scholarship consistently bridges theoretical rigor with practical application.

Analysis of her publication record reveals evolving research trajectories from early work on ethnic diversity and collective action toward increasingly sophisticated frameworks for nonprofit evaluation that recognize organizational context and resource constraints. Her recent work emphasizes appropriate evidence systems rather than one-size-fits-all impact measurement approaches.

Her significant honors include:

• 2018 Terry McAdam award for best book in nonprofit management
• 2016 William E. Mosher and Frederick C. Mosher Award for best paper
• 2005 Dean's Award for Excellence in Teaching and Service

Professor Gugerty actively shapes her field through editorial leadership as Board of Editors for Nonprofit & Voluntary Sector Quarterly (2021-present) and Journal of Public Administration and Theory (2009-2013; 2019-2021). She currently directs the International Program in Public Health Leadership (IPPHL) and previously led the Nancy Bell Evans Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy (2016-2022), demonstrating sustained commitment to building institutional capacity in nonprofit scholarship and practice.

Her work exemplifies integration across academic research, practical application, and institutional leadership, with particular emphasis on creating evaluation frameworks appropriate for organizations of different sizes and missions rather than imposing uniform standards that may be inappropriate for smaller nonprofits.