Doctoral Alumni

Our alumni have completed their dissertations in a wide array of research fields. They represent promising and accomplishedsocial sector leaders.

Our recent DPA students have produced an impressive array of research. Below is the list of the completed dissertations for our 13 most recently minted Doctor of Public Administration graduates:  

• Nicha Pankaew Gerrard, defended December 2025, “A Case Study Analysis of the Impact of COVID – 19 Pandemic: Factors Affecting Student Mental Health in Illinois Public Universities.”
• Jacob Brockhouse, defended April 2025. “Adverse Selection and Crop Insurance Participation: A County-Level Analysis of Farmer Participation on Illinois Corn and Soybean Crops.” 
• Kevin Catlin, defended April 2025, “Exploring the Influence of Body-Worn Cameras on Police Officers' Behavior and Decision-Making: A Medium-Size Suburban Police Department Extraordinary Case Study.”
• Tatenda Perry, defended April 2025, "Unveiling Inequities: Racial Disparities among Women Living with HIV and the Call for Healthcare and Social Justice Reform."
• Julie Staley, defended March 2025, “Media Misinformation: How Journalists Respond to the Decline of Salience in Traditional Journalism in the Age of the Internet.”
• James Arthur, defended January 2025, “Assessing the Impact of the HIPC Initiative on Public Sector Innovativeness in Recipient African Countries.”
• Amy Wheeler, defended January 2025, “Giving Voice to Public Servants: Experiences of Child Protection Workers’ Repeat Exposure to High Stress Work on the Frontline.”
• Allen Adomite, defended December 2024, “Local Determinants of Video Gaming Policy Diffusion in Illinois Municipalities.”
• Robert Kerr, defended August 2024, “An Exploratory Analysis of Participants in the Illinois Angel Investment Tax Credit Program.”.”
• Rebecca Dieken, defended November 2024, “Risky Relations: The Impact of Community on Traffic-Related Drug Consumption Among Serious and Fatal Crash Outcomes.”
• Manuel Román-Basora, defended Spring 2024, “Revisiting the Category of U.S. Unincorporated Territory and the Applicability of Certain Federal Programs in Puerto Rico.”
• Kathleen Jacoby, defended January 2024, “Impact of Job Satisfaction on Illinois Community College Police Officers.”
• Scott Swinford, defended January 2024, “The Impact of Freedom on Recovery: A Study of How Personal Freedom Impacted a Nation’s Economic Recovery From the COVID-19 Pandemic.”