Ph.D., Antioch University, 2024, Antioch New England: Environmental Studies

In recent decades, the field of ecotheology has emerged in dialogue with the context of the interconnected environmental and climate crises, particularly relating to the critique of Christianity being used to justify human and resource exploitation. A range of disciplines within the religious academy have taken up these intersecting concerns, together termed “ecologically informed theological education.” Graduate institutions training faith leaders and theological educators have created degree programs and certifications, and/or incorporated awareness of ecology, sustainability, and care for creation into their curricula. A research approach for ecotheology is described through the conceptual framework of critical ecotheology, which acknowledges ecotheology as a form of contextual theology, as well as recognizing every theological context occurs within an ecological setting. The praxis model of contextual theology provides a container for the methodology. Critical phenomenology methodology was used to gain examine the lived experiences of those past and current graduate students working to put ecotheology into practice in their lives and workplaces. Participants had taken at least three seminary courses related to religion and the environment in one of 14 seminaries in the United States of America. These seminaries had a program, certification, or emphasis related to religion and environment or had incorporated environmental awareness into their core curriculum. Purposeful sampling and snowball sampling were used. Initial semi-structured interviews (N=50) and a follow-up demographic and short answer questionnaire (N=48) provided data about seminary student experiences of programs and courses related to environmental care and what participants are doing with these degrees outside the academy. The types of actions participants had taken that they consider pro-environmental at various levels (personal/household, social network, congregation, public and community, an (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Joy Ackerman Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Laurel Kearns Ph.D. (Committee Member); Elizabeth McCann Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Environmental Studies; Theology

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2024, Leadership and Change

This dissertation connects the recent DEIB movement within organizations to larger social justice movements, specifically those that impact workers and the workplace. Critical human resource development (CHRD) professionals, who serve as “insider activists”, are highlighted due to their work to continue movement objectives within organizations. Through testimonios and critical platicas, this study explores how Black and Latino/x LGBTQ+ CHRD professionals, in particular, are experiencing the workplace, especially as it relates to their engagement with how DEIB is practiced within organizations. Through this study, these professionals provide insights into the ways that workplaces can be redesigned and reimagined to be more critically conscious and equitable spaces, especially for those from marginalized backgrounds. Their reflections can work to enhance the ways that DEIB is practiced within organizations. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).

Committee: Philomena Essed PhD (Committee Chair); Lemuel Watson EdD (Committee Member); Kia Darling-Hammond PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: African American Studies; African Americans; Black Studies; Ethnic Studies; Gender Studies; Glbt Studies; Hispanic American Studies; Hispanic Americans; Management; Minority and Ethnic Groups; Organizational Behavior

Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2022, Educational Leadership

Organizations including institutions of higher education recognize the importance of increasing gender diversity, equity, and inclusion in leadership ranks among women, especially if they want to be top competitors in their industries. Gender diversity increases collaboration, innovation, varied perspectives, increased staff retention and buy-in for new employees determining if they want to work for an organization in question, and a more comprehensive talent pool (People Management, 2021). Previous strategies used to increase gender diversity in leadership have included providing professional development or mentorship opportunities for all women; however, these strategies fail to take into account an intersectional lens and the various ways in which non-white women are affected by discrimination and inequity. “White women have it both ways, they may be may victimized by sexism, but racism enables them to act as exploiters to Black people” (bell hooks,1984 as cited in Kilpatrick, 2020, para. 2). Race and gender in particular create additional barriers to Black, Indigenous, and Women of Color (BIWOC) and their advancement. “White female racism undermines the feminist struggle (bell hooks, 1984 as cited in Kilpatrick, 2020, para. 2)”, further alienating or distancing BIWOC in organizations. Given the additional barriers BIWOC confront, what can organizations and institutions of higher education do to further support opportunities for advancement, that may thereby increase their sense of trust, belonging, and organizational commitment? This Critical Hermeneutic Phenomenological Action Research study explored the lived experiences of current and former Black, Indigenous, and Women of Color (BIWOC) higher education leaders, defined as director and above, and their perceptions of and access to opportunities that support positional advancement, including formal or informal mentorship and sponsorship. The frameworks used to inform the study include Critical/Critical Ra (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Meredith Wronowski Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Lisa Borello Ph.D. (Committee Member); Leslie Picca Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Black History; Education; Educational Leadership; Gender; Management; Minority and Ethnic Groups; Religion; Religious History; Systematic; Womens Studies

Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2022, Educational Leadership

Through a critical phenomenological approach, this study captured the lived experiences of directors in the Ohio Private Academic Libraries (OPAL) consortium and their responses to dual pandemics, the COVID-19 pandemic and the pandemic of racism. Individual qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten OPAL directors to examine their roles as leaders in times of upheaval. Findings indicate that the pandemics amplified challenges in emotional and practical ways. Directors contended with emotional labor marked by ambiguity and burnout. Practical challenges (staff reductions, enforcing safety protocols, and the Great Resignation) further impacted morale. Racially just, equitable systems encourage workplaces defined by compassion, autonomy, and respect. Thus, directors must prioritize antiracism actions to dismantle white supremacy and racial capitalism in their libraries.

Committee: Meredith Wronowski (Committee Chair); Miriam Matteson (Committee Member); Thomas Oldenski (Committee Member) Subjects: Educational Leadership; Higher Education; Library Science

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2015, Popular Culture

This thesis is a critical examination of how players of the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons use the concept of race, both in and out of the game. The study of race in role-playing games has been neglected, and this is a tragedy, because these games offer a unique space where the concept of race, often a difficult and uncomfortable topic of conversation, is questioned, criticized, and reshaped by the players. Role-playing games are spaces of encounter between the players and a cast of imaginary others, and this requires a degree of empathy on the part of the players that makes role-playing games a space of ideological change, as players are forced to consider the world from viewpoints both familiar and alien. The theoretical framework within combines a phenomenological analysis of roleplaying games that allows non-gamers to understand the practice and importance of these games with critical race theorists such as bell hooks, Paul Gilroy, and Patricia Hill Collins that defines what race is and how it affects all of us on a day-to-day basis. This thesis is also based on interviews with geographically diverse set of gamers who demonstrate the highly personal nature of gaming, and how race takes on a multitude of meanings both within the fictional game settings and around the gaming table.

Committee: Jeremy Wallach (Advisor); Esther Clinton (Committee Member); Marilyn Motz (Committee Member) Subjects: American Studies; Ethnic Studies; Recreation

Ed.D., Antioch University, 2025, Education

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to observe the lived experiences of children while learning about place through a Kinship/Indigenous worldview and the impact of the experience on their love and care for place. The study unfolds from a theoretical framework at the nexus of critical theory, place-based education, and a Kinship/Indigenous worldview. The overarching question is, “Can teaching through an Original Kinship/Indigenous Worldview grow children towards connection and love for place?” Elementary students and their teacher explored one square block of the school community, illuminating a different aspect of our place daily through Kinship/Indigenous worldview Precepts (Wahinkpe Topa & Narvaez, 2022). Students constructed their knowledge of place from unseen organisms to the power systems present and developed an understanding of their impact on place. Data gathered included Natureculture (Haraway, 2003) journal notes, sketches, reflections, photovoice, and semi-structured interviews. Natureculture is a synthesis of nature and culture that recognizes their inseparability in ecological relationships that are both biophysically and socially formed (Fuentes, 2010; Haraway, 2003). Findings reveal that learning to see all elements of place/community through a Kinship/Indigenous worldview supports children in understanding interconnectedness, meaning children understand their connection to nature as a biological and cultural relatedness nurtured through connecting with all beings. Data was isolated, analyzed, and interpreted to illuminate themes giving voice to the lived experience of children learning about a place through an original kindship/Indigenous worldview and their shift to care for them. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).

Committee: Richard Kahn PhD (Committee Chair); Paul Bocko PhD (Committee Member); Don Jacobs PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Education Philosophy; Educational Theory; Elementary Education; Environmental Education; Pedagogy; Teaching

Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2024, Educational Administration

The University of Dayton's Lalanne program forms especially qualified and committed teachers for service in Catholic K-12 education. Members commit to living in intensive faith community with fellow participants during two years of mentored classroom teaching in under-resourced Catholic schools, while earning a fully-funded master's degree. Recruitment has fluctuated dramatically, with 2022 bringing the smallest-ever influx of new members. This practical action research study scrutinizes 25 years of recruitment experiences, establishing that personalized and networked recruiting practices emphasizing the alignment of career advantages and growth in communal life were the most influential. Interpretive thematic analysis of open-response survey data indicates that a deeper understanding and better articulation of the multi-faceted appeal of program life holds enormous potential for improving future recruitment. An intervention strategy is proposed which targets improvement in practice by consolidating research findings with proposed remedies, while recommending follow-on investigation of themes covering all aspects of Lalanne program life. Plan objectives further entail leadership actions to bolster wellness resources in household communities and initiate a formal process of continual evaluation for program operation and improvement.

Committee: Matthew Witenstein (Committee Chair); Thomas Oldenski S.M. (Committee Member); Radhika Iyengar (Committee Member) Subjects: Educational Leadership; Organization Theory; Religious Education; Teacher Education

Doctor of Philosophy in Urban Education, Cleveland State University, 2024, Levin College of Public Affairs and Education

The current literature regarding the complex experiences of Black students pursuing advanced degrees is insufficient. Moreover, previous research has used a deficit-based lens by focusing on barriers that Black students experience rather than their resiliency and strength. This study utilized a critical phenomenological qualitative methodology to explore the lived experiences of Black doctoral psychology students enrolled in predominately White institutions (PWIs), regarding their encounters with racism and racial trauma. Furthermore, this study was guided by the radical healing framework, which aims to explore how Black students can thrive within racist and oppressive environments, to explore potential healing from various racialized harms. A sample of 12 doctoral students [female (n=7), male (n=3), non-binary (n=2)], who identify as Black, African American or having African ancestry were interviewed for inclusion in this study. Data was analyzed via a critical phenomenological approach (Guenther, 2019), resulting in 10 emergent themes (Williams, 2008). These themes include the following: persistent racialized encounters, perpetual traumatic experiences, required resiliency, exorbitant emotions, intersectionality, simultaneous hypervisibility and invisibility, cumulative comradery, intentional intransigence, analytical awareness, and obstinate optimism. Implications are discussed for research, as well as for education and training.

Committee: Ingrid Hogge (Committee Co-Chair); Julia Phillips (Committee Co-Chair); John Queener (Committee Member) Subjects: African Americans; Clinical Psychology; Counseling Psychology; Psychology

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Organizational Leadership , Franklin University, 2024, International Institute for Innovative Instruction

The enterprise resource planning (ERP) industry is a billion-dollar software industry with two prominent higher education ERP companies bringing in a combined $14.27 billion the third quarter of their 2024 fiscal years (Oracle, 2023; Workday, 2023). ERP systems stemmed from materials resource planning (MRP) systems in the manufacturing industry (Jacobs & Weston, 2006; Lowson, 2002; Nowak, 2021) and were designed to mitigate risk, centralize data, and create consistency (Albarghouthi et al., 2020; Alhazmi et al., 2022; Kumar et al., 2022; Liu et al., 2023; Rubel et al., 2023). Multiple sources indicate that the failure rate of ERP systems within higher education institutions (HEIs) surpasses that of other sectors, which is why it is essential to examine critical success factors of ERP implementations (Albarghouthi et al., 2020; Alhazmi et al., 2022; Kajbaje & Kamatchi, 2022; Skoumpopolou et al., 2022; Soliman & Noorliza, 2020). This study aimed to explore the practical strategies for ERP success by analyzing lived experiences of leaders at two-year community and technical colleges in the upper Midwest. The exploration was achieved by conducting a qualitative phenomenological study that consisted of semi-structured interviews with 12 leaders at three sites. There were eight interview questions; two were introductory demographic questions. There were six detailed interview questions, with two specifically addressing the research question, and four designed to lead participants into a more in-depth analysis of factors related to leadership approaches and ERP project success factors. Interviews were conducted via Zoom and in-person, based on the participants' preferences. The interview transcriptions were analyzed via Atlas.ti using a thematic coding approach resulting in four themes: (1) project and change management, (2) strategic guidance, (3) resource alignment and allocation, (4) vendor and software. Theme one is comprised of eight sub-themes covering specifics abou (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Patrick Bennett (Committee Chair); Yuerong Sweetland (Committee Member); Tarae Terry (Committee Member) Subjects: Educational Leadership; Educational Software; Educational Technology; Higher Education

Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2024, Educational Administration

The research explores the lived experiences of minority women in K-12 educational leadership, examining their motivations for pursuing careers in this field, and the challenges they encounter on their professional and educational journeys. The challenges faced are multifaceted and include issues related to gender, culture, and race/ethnicity. These challenges also include limited access to leadership opportunities, biases and stereotypes, lack of support and mentorship, and the affliction of navigating interconnecting identities. In addition, minority women also face resistance and criticism from colleagues who may question their capabilities or qualifications. Minority women are motivated by a strong sense of social responsibility and a commitment to creating inclusive and empowering learning environments.

Committee: Ricardo Garcia Ph.D. (Committee Chair) Subjects: Educational Leadership; Gender; Minority and Ethnic Groups

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2024, Educational Studies

This post-intentional phenomenological study grounded in Critical Whiteness Studies explored the lived experiences with whiteness, the post-intentional phenomenon, of white international graduate students from Europe. The study was guided by an overarching research question with two sub-questions. Data collection included three separate semi-structured interviews with six participants, journal entries, as well as researcher conversations, and data analysis featured thematic coding through NVivo. The first subquestion explored how the U.S. higher education setting shapes white European international students' understanding of whiteness. This line of inquiry found an overarching theme of participants' development from colorblindness to more racial awareness by having to grapple with their own white racial identity and constructions of race and racism in and outside the United States. The second subquestion explored how white European international students enact and benefit from whiteness in the United States. This line of inquiry highlighted white privilege in the form of European privilege. Together, these two lines of inquiry gear at the overarching research question of the lived experiences with whiteness of white European international graduate students in the United States. Overall, these inquires culminated in reflections on the participants' understandings of nationality versus race and a sense of (not) belonging in the U.S. higher education setting.

Committee: Tatiana Suspitsyna (Advisor); Marc Johnston-Guerrero (Committee Member); Kristen Mills (Committee Member) Subjects: Higher Education; Higher Education Administration

Ed.D., Antioch University, 2023, Education

This is a critical-phenomenological qualitative research study in which young people who participated in Social Justice Youth Arts (SJYA) programs during their teenage years engaged in a series of semi-structured arts-based interviews focused on recollecting their lived experiences in those programs and the years since. These interviews investigate the ways in which the principles of Healing-Centered Engagement (Ginwright, 2018) were present within these young people's experiences of those programs, as well as the extent to which those experiences may have encouraged or cultivated a lived praxis of the principles of the contemporary abolitionist movement (Kaba, 2021; Kaepernick, 2021). This study describes how these young people's engagement with SJYA programming encouraged their process of identity formation as artists and activists, and how the durability and evolution of those self-identifications manifested in their broader social and behavioral context over time. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).

Committee: Richard Kahn Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Heather Curl Ed.D. (Committee Member); Susie Lundy Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Art Education; Curriculum Development; Education Philosophy; Educational Theory; Pedagogy

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2023, Leadership and Change

The United States continues to experience unprecedented deaths related to the opioid epidemic. Efforts to address the epidemic remain hampered by war-on-drugs policies that stigmatize people who use drugs and create barriers to accessing evidence-based treatments, particularly methadone maintenance treatments (MMT). Despite 50 years of research regarding MMT, it remains highly regulated, and arguably the most stigmatized treatment. The punitive regulatory structure of MMT remained unchanged until emergency waivers were initiated during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study used an exploratory, critical phenomenological approach to examine the intersection of culture and regulation on the lived experiences of 26 addiction counselors who provide treatment for opioid use disorder employing MMT. The phenomenon is examined through lenses of structural competency, cultural healthcare capital, structural racism, and self-determination theories. Using individual interviews, the study investigated whether counselors perceived, conveyed, or enacted stigma in treating those receiving MMT. The study explored whether the pandemic-era regulatory changes shifted counselors' perceptions of the treatment. Findings indicated that counselors enacted and mitigated stigma, two-thirds expressed moderate to high levels of stigma. Counselors perceived and enacted stigma by expressing frustrations regarding programs that embraced harm reduction strategies fearing approaches enabled symptomatic behaviors. They also expressed frustrations with patients' symptomatic behavior as reflected in paternalistic attitudes and feeling compelled to surveil patients' behaviors. A number of factors aligned with counselors' stigmatizing beliefs and attitudes: their pre-career negative experiences with methadone, personal abstinence-based recovery, recovery- oriented training, and/or their lack of exposure to information about the origins of the methadone regulatory structure. Stigmatization was enacted through (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: J. Beth Mabry PhD (Committee Chair); Lemuel Watson EdD (Committee Member); Declan Barry PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Health; Health Education; Mental Health; Public Health; Public Policy; Social Psychology; Social Research; Social Structure; Sociology

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2023, Leadership and Change

This study explored the experiences of African American mental health clinicians' during the intersecting crises of the Black mental health crisis, the highly publicized racial tension tied to extrajudicial violence and over-policing of Black Americans, and the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic started a global crisis that affected millions of people's physical and mental health and overall well-being. Shared trauma explores the duality of mental health clinicians' personal and professional experiences. Grounded in critical race theory and models of trauma, this study explores Black mental health clinicians' lived experiences and lessons. This is an interpretive phenomenological study with narrative interviews of 10 mental health clinicians who provided services to at least 50% Black clientele before the advent of COVID-19. The study explored how Black mental health clinicians providing mental health care fared, personally and professionally, during COVID-19 and with racial upheaval: How did they adapt their lives and practices? What did they learn personally and professionally during these crises? Data were collected in individual qualitative interviews and analyzed using Saldana's first-cycle and second-cycle thematic coding model. Themes that emerged were (a) anxiety and fear regarding the unknown of COVID-19; (b) anger towards the continued racism and over-policing and killing of the Black community; (c) the importance physical activity and therapy as a clinician as means of self-care (d) connection to others to help with emotional support and the isolation of COVID-19; (e) transitioning to telehealth from in-office clinical services; (f) increase in demand of services, and (g) increase in demand for the expertise of Black clinicians, specifically. Understanding the lived experiences of Black mental health clinicians during these crises informs future practices of clinicians by teaching how to optimize health and well-being for self-care and not (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: J. Beth Mabry Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Fayth Parks Ph.D. (Committee Member); Ameena Kemavor Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: African Americans; Black Studies; Clinical Psychology; Counseling Education; Counseling Psychology; Health Care; Mental Health; Psychotherapy; Social Work

PHD, Kent State University, 2023, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Foundations, Leadership and Administration

Whiteness remains an intractable problem in American society broadly and within higher education specifically. In this project, I explore white emotionality among professionals in higher education and student affairs (HESA). Each chapter engages a different approach to understanding white emotionality, including autoethnographic research methods, phenomenological research methods, the literature from Critical Whiteness Studies (CWS) in education, and the literature from Settler Colonial Studies (SCS) and decolonial thinking in education. From much of the literature in CWS, I identify a trap I call always-not-yet-but-maybe-someday-soon whereby attachment to the possibility of redemption defers the necessary but deeply unsettling emotional work of confronting whiteness. To address this, I turn to SCS and decolonial thinking and consider how the maintenance of whiteness through always-not-yet-but-maybe-someday-soon is interconnected with what Tuck and Yang (2012) refer to as “settler futurity.” Using key concepts from CWS, SCS, and decolonial thinking including unsuturing (Yancy, 2018), a politics of disappointment (Jones, 1999), and the scyborg (la paperson, 2017), I propose using professional development (PD) as one way to combat always-not-yet-but-maybe-someday-soon and settler futurity among HESA professionals. In contrast to accumulative and developmental perspectives on HESA professionals and multicultural competence (Pope et al., 2019), this vision of unsettled PD offers few guarantees but aims to provide opportunities for sustenance and accountability as HESA professionals grapple with the depths of white emotionality.

Committee: Natasha Levinson (Committee Chair); Tricia Niesz (Committee Member); Elizabeth Kenyon (Committee Member); Tara Hudson (Other) Subjects: Education; Education Philosophy; Educational Theory; Higher Education Administration; Multicultural Education

MARCH, University of Cincinnati, 2022, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Architecture

In a developing country as India, there is a vast sociocultural gap between Urban and Rural ecosystems. As per the Census 2021, ‘urbanization is spreading, and rural India will be History' soon (Down to Earth,2019). While this might seem like progress at face value, the phenomenon of a predominantly rural community converting to urban spheres is a sign of alarm to the cultural diversity of India. But more importantly, ‘the immediate concern is whether India's farming population will' ‘migrate to nonfarm occupation', posing an obvious question; will food scarcity become more rampant than it is, or can farming be ‘lucrative enough to provide for the survival of its farmers', and the rural community at large. While 74% of India's population is rural people, architecture has done little to reverse this migration force. The thesis proposes Rural Agro-tourism as a solution to reverse the migration flow from rural to urban areas by providing economic opportunities and retaining socio-cultural fabric through the appropriation of threshold spaces using critical regional theory. A threshold is a structural entity that marks the transition from one region to another which facilitates transition, in-betweenness, and is characterized by ambivalence fosters a mix of conditions, people and creates a dynamic nature of space. The paper focuses on developing a design methodology for the concept of swadeshi thresholds where swadeshi means ‘of one's own country'. Swadeshi Thresholds discuss built identity that evokes a sense of place, through the socio-cultural ethos and climatic appropriation which is ignored in many contemporary constructions due to a fascination with Western glass facades. Thresholds will be deconstructed and reconstructed through Till Boettger's framework of threshold analysis. The lack of vocabulary in the framework for describing the location of place-making elements in the threshold is filled by borrowing Ing Kevin lynches framework of places (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Vincent Sansalone M.Arch. (Committee Member); Joss Kiely Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Architecture

Doctor of Education, Miami University, 2021, Educational Leadership

There is a lack of representation and diversity in teachers and staff in Ohio public schools. The experiences of Black women teaching in a predominantly white setting are significantly underrepresented in scholarly literature. The research literature indicates that ignoring, overlooking, or devaluing students' primary culture is a consequential component in their academic success as well as social-emotional growth and development. In this study, qualitative and quantitative research are used to understand and describe the ways in which Black women survive and thrive in predominantly White workspaces. It also examines best practices for developing culturally competent educators reviewing Critical Race Theory, the concept of Intersectionality, and Culturally Responsive Pedagogy. This study is a mixed methods research study that included: a) a survey of 31 people, yielding quantitative and qualitative information; and then b) a more in-depth narrative exploration using phenomenology with a smaller number of participants who all identify as Black/African American. Semi-formal interviews were conducted to allow participants to express their stories, carefully communicating their personal experiences. Data collection involved semi-structured conversations/interviews, and a survey. Data analysis revealed that while Black female educators have learned to survive professionally, they have not yet discovered what it means to thrive. This cannot be achieved alone.

Committee: Lucian Szlizewski (Committee Chair); Joel Malin (Committee Co-Chair); Sherrill Sellers (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Educational Leadership

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2020, Leadership and Change

In the United States, cross-sector partnerships, a form of collaboration, are becoming increasingly common in practice (Gray & Purdy, 2018). However, questions remain regarding the effectiveness of these partnerships and if the many challenges of using them can be overcome. In particular, the intersection of cross-sector partnerships and power, which can deeply impact these partnerships, needs more attention. This study used interpretive phenomenology to understand, from the participant perspective, (a) the experience and construction of power, (b) the impact of power on participants, and (c) how power dynamics in these initiatives compare to dynamics in organizations. Seventeen participants from four homelessness-focused Collective Impact (CI) initiatives, a popular cross-sector partnership model, were interviewed about their experiences. In addition, I reviewed key documents about each initiative. Data was interpreted using a variety of theoretical lenses, including critical theory, as well as my own work experience in this area, and carefully analyzed through iterative re-engagement, reflexivity, and thematic analysis. The findings revealed that power presented in six different ways: resources, structures and processes, identity, resistance, formal leadership, and framing and communication. When examining the differences between collaborations, differences in these six areas, as well as the identity and ways of operating of the partner who began the partnership, seemed to influence the experience of power. Financial resources were a dominant form of power and provided some partners with disproportionate influence. Dominant partners were also able to stack power across these six areas. The impacts of power dynamics were largely negative. Other significant findings included that some partners did not experience power at all. Critical theory and positive framing may explain this outcome. I call for an expanded CI model with a sixth condition related to power. As par (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Lize (A.E.) Booysen DBL (Committee Chair); Donna Ladkin PhD (Committee Member); Kirk Emerson PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Public Administration; Public Policy; Social Psychology; Social Research

Master of Humanities (MHum), Wright State University, 2019, Humanities

In this thesis, I illustrate how epistemic injustice functions in the divide between white working-class men and the educated elite by discussing the discursive ways in which working-class knowledge and experience are devalued as legitimate sources of knowledge. I demonstrate this by using critical discourse analysis to interpret the underlying attitudes and ideologies in comments made by Clinton and Trump during their 2016 presidential campaigns. I also discuss how these ideologies are positively or negatively perceived by Trump's working-class base. Using feminist standpoint theory and phenomenology as a lens of interpretation, I argue that white working-class men are increasingly alienated from progressive politics through classist and ableist rhetoric. If progressives wish to win over white working-class men, they will need to ameliorate this division, otherwise this gap will continue to grow. Finally, I suggest class-sensitive approaches for moving forward and bridging this gap.

Committee: Kelli Zaytoun Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Jessica Penwell-Barnett Ph.D. (Committee Member); Donovan Miyasaki Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Cultural Anthropology; Demographics; Epistemology; Gender; Gender Studies; Philosophy; Political Science; Rhetoric; Sociology; Womens Studies

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2019, Nursing

As the heroin epidemic continues to grow, understanding the meaning of recovery is crucial. The recovery process for a heroin abuser is not completely understood and has numerous cycles of abstinence and relapses of up to 70-80%. With each relapse comes the risk of overdose and death. Better understanding of the experiences of those who live in recovery can be used to more effectively help those currently entering recovery and to educate health care workers. Critical social theory was the philosophical premise used to guide the research study and create an environment optimal for understanding the experiences of recovery. Taped, individual, semi-structured, in-depth interviews were used to gather data from a sample of 10 participants from a Midwest state in the U.S. Data were analyzed using Diekelmann's framework to explore the lived experiences of heroin abusers in recovery. Findings included the relational theme of the lived experience of recovery: “As normal as you can get,” supported by four categories of (a) Being ready: You have to want this; (b) Structure: I need to do certain things through my week and I need to let you know why; (c) Obligation: You realize death was at your door, so many people are dying and you've been granted this gift; and (d) Acceptance: I am who I am today. Recovery was described as a life-long commitment with daily responsibilities that need to be consistently taken care of to prevent relapse and to give back to those who have died from heroin addiction. Findings can be used to develop more effective education for those at risk for relapse and guide selection of treatment and recovery options that have contributed to success in others. Even persons with addictions who are not ready for treatment and recovery, should still be given information since readiness seems to be reached based on accumulation of experiences and information. Finally, findings can be used to increase awareness in healthcare workers to better treat thos (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Christine Graor PhD (Committee Chair); Carolyn Murrock PhD (Committee Member); Lori Kidd PhD (Committee Member); Rikki Patton PhD (Committee Member); Pamela Stephenson PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Nursing