Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Organizational Leadership , Franklin University, 2025, International Institute for Innovative Instruction

This research study investigates the societal and organizational perceptions of social roles in the workplace and contrasts them with the participants' professional experiences. The American Council on Education's (ACE) Center for Policy Research and Strategy (CPRS) “The American College President” 2023 study confirmed that males continue to out-represent females in executive leadership in higher education by a rate of two to one. A qualitative study was conducted using an open-ended cross-sectional survey administered to executive-level leaders who participated in the Ohio Association of Community Colleges (OACC) Executive Leadership Academy. Respondents identified four key leadership characteristics essential for advancement in community college higher education in Ohio: Communication, Data-driven decision-making, adaptability/flexibility, and collaboration. Respondents also identified personality traits, leadership styles, and management techniques hindering advancement. Respondents identified high and low-importance factors and shared their experiences with mentors and gender dynamics in the workplace. The results provide a practical pathway to leadership in community colleges in Ohio, inform organizational leadership practices, demonstrate a continued need for gendered leadership research, and provide a “playbook” of characteristics and best practices that can be used as a foundation for continued research.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2023, EDU Teaching and Learning

This dissertation is a conglomerate of three distinct, yet related, studies each exploring the question: How do the gendered experiences of a man elementary school teacher as well as portrayals of fictional men teachers in middle-grade novels contribute to the conceptualization of the gendered identities and masculinities of men who teach in the predominantly female environment of an elementary school? The first study is a content analysis of 85 middle-grade school stories using gender theory to analyze the gendered identities of 357 fictional teachers across the text set. In this analysis, I found that 40.34% of these 357 fictional teachers were constructed as men, with no transgender or nonbinary teachers in the text set. Over 90% of the teachers were constructed as White, and when they had an identified sexuality, they were most likely to be heterosexual, with only four teachers constructed as homosexual. Men teachers were most likely to be portrayed teaching P.E. or after-school classes. The teaching roles they were most likely to be shown performing included the delivery of content, the disciplining of students, and the daily management of the classroom. They were more likely than women teachers to be portrayed as fun and to give their students life advice. The second study in the dissertation is another content analysis with a much smaller text set, this time comprised of 10 middle-grade books. In this second analysis, I employ masculinity theory to examine various patterns of masculinity in the portrayals of 10 fictional teachers, each constructed as a man. In this analysis, I found that most of the fictional men teachers were constructed as successfully navigating between hegemonic and subordinate masculinities. At the same time, half of the teachers also operate to an extent within marginalized masculinities, two as gay men, two as Latinx men, and one as a Black man. These portrayals promote some gendered stereotypes of men teachers, specifically portra (open full item for complete abstract)

MFA, Kent State University, 2017, College of the Arts / School of Art

This essay analyzes the works in Trey D. Gehring's M.F.A.- Textile Arts Thesis Exhibition Musclebound. The writing discusses how this exhibition presents, in the form of woven and knitted works, the male body as a decorative object and proposes that the sculpting of the male body into an idealistic form– suggestive of patriarchal power and extremes of biological maleness– is an intentional act of objectifying one's own body to allow for homosocial bonding within the patriarchal structure that regulates men's homosocial interaction. It further asserts that the digital nature of the processes, imagery, and their underlying reliance on optical mixing emphasize the abstract quality of identity and gender.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), University of Dayton, 2016, Educational Leadership

Research demonstrates that female staff in conservative, Christian colleges experience gender discrimination in a variety of forms, and this oppression is often because evangelical theology dictates women are ontologically second class citizens. This qualitative critical feminist dissertation specifically focuses on the gendered experiences of female mid-level administrators in evangelical academia. Interviews and participant reflective exercises were used to collect data, and findings demonstrate gender inequality exists within Christian academia. Female mid-level supervisors reported difficulty balancing home and work responsibilities, pay disparity, thwarted promotional opportunities, and covert and overt discrimination. Recommended strategies to address gender inequality include leadership development programs, mentoring, advocacy for balanced hiring and salaries, gender equity task forces, climate surveys, and internal and external coalitions.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2009, American Culture Studies/Popular Culture

This dissertation examines transgender images in film, television and media from the 1950s through the present, with an emphasis on images from the 1980s through today. The primary goal of the dissertation is to interrogate the various gender and sexual ideologies contained within the representations to determine the social status of trans people in American society. How do these images function to both encourage and stymie the liberation of transgender people in the United States? The dissertation deploys trans, queer and feminist theories to critically analyze the cultural work performed by these mass-media texts. What are the trends within the trans media canon, and how do they relate to the treatment of real-world gender-nonconforming people? In order to answer these questions, I separate the trans images into four different stereotypes. For each of these stereotypes, I analyze three to four films to compare and contrast the way the films deal with the issues of gender and sexual variation. The first stereotype I examine is the Transgender Deceiver. The Transgender Deceiver utilizes drag and gender transformation to obtain something they want from society. While the films analyzed are comedies (Tootsie, Just One of the Guys, Sorority Boys, and Juwanna Mann), I argue that they are not as innocuous as they appear due to the way they stereotype gender-variant people as duplicitous, selfish and conniving. Next, I examine the trope of the Transgender Mammy. Through turning my analytical lens on To Wong Foo, Holiday Heart and Flawless, I look at the stereotype of the fabulous, servile and palatable trans-feminine subject. In these films, the characters exist to fix the problems of gender-normative people, add color and spice to their broken lives, and become worthy through their devoted service to the hegemonic class. The Transgender Monster describes the use of gender-transgressive killers in horror and slasher films. While films such as Psycho and Silence of the (open full item for complete abstract)

Psy. D., Antioch University, 2024, Antioch Seattle: Clinical Psychology

Recent political movements such as the Black Lives Matter and #MeToo movements have brought renewed attention to the social roles of White women and their unique position of intersectional privilege and oppression. White women experience the benefits of whiteness while simultaneously experiencing the gendered oppression of womanhood. However, there is a lack of research exploring how White women conceptualize and respond to their own positionality as both White individuals and as women. This study utilizes constructivist grounded theory to examine how White women navigate their social location within the context of working in the nonprofit sector, a space wherein White women are overrepresented and often in close contact with various elements of systemic oppression. The analysis revealed that White women view nonprofit organizations as protected spaces that allow them to foster careers without encountering overt sexism. However, White women also believe that nonprofits are fragile and easily threatened by external pressures. They seek to protect these spaces by maintaining a homogenous culture that aligns with White womanhood. They view increasing diversity as simultaneously aligned with their personal and organizational values and threatening to the organization's culture and internal stability. As a result, White women engage in a variety of maneuvers that serve to symbolically pursue diversity without altering the fundamental culture of the organization. These maneuvers allow White women to see themselves as benevolent and values driven, while also maintaining their systemic power over People of Color. The findings offer insight into the role White women play in maintaining systems of racial oppression in response to their own fears of gender-based oppression, and guide recommendations for further intersectional deconstruction of oppressive systems. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://e (open full item for complete abstract)

MA, University of Cincinnati, 2024, Arts and Sciences: Communication

As more women become exposed to educational and technological tools, alongside international and intercultural affiliations, African women are increasingly deviating from the proscribed societal roles. Through this, we witness the rise of fresh sociocultural perspectives that often create and influence identity formation and reformation. This thesis explores the experiences of Nigerian female entrepreneurs who take on the dualized roles of financial providers and homemakers. To understand this phenomenon, this study employs the theoretical linings of the feminist standpoint theory, nego-feminism model, and the communication theory of identity (CTI). The study specifically investigates how the increase in financial contribution impacts the role negotiation of these women while examining how they negotiate and communicate their identities and boundaries. For this study, a total of 12 women were interviewed. The findings from this research show a strong societal and social influence on participants' perceptions of themselves and their identities as women and financial contributors.

Master of Arts in English, Cleveland State University, 2023, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences

Topdog/Underdog by Suzan Lori Parks and Is God Is by Aleshea Harris are the two outstanding works in contemporary American theater examined in this thesis. Through their plays, Parks and Harris examine topics of trauma, identity, and mental health challenges in contemporary society. They explore the psychological and emotional effects on their characters, drawing on trauma theory and feminist theory. A critical examination of the central characters in both plays – Lincoln and Booth in Topdog/Underdog and Anaia and Racine in Is God Is examines the traumatic experiences that shape their lives. This study explains the profound influence of societal forces on their identities and actions by exploring how these characters grapple with their pasts using the trauma theory lens. The Oedipal complex emerges, highlighting sibling rivalries, power struggles and legacy issues. Women's representation and agency within male dominated worlds are explored from a feminist perspective in this dissertation.

MA, University of Cincinnati, 2023, Arts and Sciences: Psychology

Abstract Despite abundant evidence demonstrating that the presence of women in leadership can bolster organizational outcomes, women remain underrepresented in executive leadership positions across most sectors. Gender-Role Congruity theory and Implicit Leadership theory (ILT) provide two cognition-based frameworks that explain why women may be passed over for leadership positions or may struggle to be perceived as effective leaders because they do not fit with the prototypical definition of a leader. Both perspectives attribute the persistence of the glass ceiling to outdated and unfounded stereotypes regarding women's readiness, capacity, and ability to lead. Yet, interventions designed to address the phenomena by acknowledging and minimizing gender-based stereotypes remain largely ineffective, suggesting that more research is needed to understand how ILTs are formed and how they contribute to perceptions of effective leadership. The purpose of this study was to address these gaps by exploring the role of gender in forming ILTs and responding to ILT congruence or incongruence. I also examined the role of empathy, hypothesized to be greater for women than men, in shaping the relationship between incongruence and leader effectiveness. Findings contradicted previous studies indicating that women are more empathic than men but confirmed that a follower's level of empathy does shape perceptions of a leader's effectiveness. Contrary to expectations, empathy did not affect the relationship between leader incongruence and perceptions of leader effectiveness.

Master of Arts (MA), Ohio University, 2023, Political Science (Arts and Sciences)

This project aims to intervene into Nicos Poulantzas' Structural Marxist theoretical framework of the state. It brings the theoretical contributions of Black Marxist and Black feminist writers, scholars, and activists into conversation with Poulantzas in order to develop a dialectic between Black Marxism and Black feminism on the one hand, and Structural Marxism on the other. By intervening into Poulantzas' framework with the introduction of this dialectic, this project aims to begin working toward bringing the analytical categories of race and gender within the Structural Marxist framework of understanding the state while also highlighting some of the potential explanatory limitations of Poulantzas' approach. This should enhance and deepen the scope of his analysis to include an account of racial capitalism in the case of the United States in the first part of the twenty-first century while at the same time criticizing some of the limitations of his framework.

PHD, Kent State University, 2022, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of English

The origination and application of a textual analysis of identity, identity formation, and perception of the self and the individual is, as a part of a specific time and space, something that is sociological in nature. The anthropological links between fiction and its sociological aspects highlight symbols of identity and interactions between the self, the other, and the individual. The end goal of this project's articulated theoretical model is to contribute to readings and analysis of the self and identity in different, othered spaces. This project works towards locating patterns and understanding that make the text and its underlying archetypal and mythological structures work so well with contemporary readers. It is grounded in the serious nature of contemporary storytelling as a part of the self, individual identity, and its place in society and culture. There is no shortage of specific work in literary analysis that relies on aspects of the hero's journey, the archetypes, and identity. This theoretical model of analysis adapts myth and C.G. Jung to incorporate much of this material into something cohesive and applicable to contemporary genre fiction. Because of this, this project necessitates the introduction of a definition of myth that situates contemporary genre texts as uniquely anthropological artifacts and as items worth analyzing and containing content capable of explicating overarching themes of the individual, the self, and the other in relation to identity formation in opposition. This new and adapted terminology from both myth and Jung assists in reorganizing a vocabulary that allows the analysis to delve into discussions on the creative representation of self, other, gender, sexual identity, the mind and body, transhumanism, and trans(inter)national identity, as well as help highlight how these representations are internalized or externalized by those who read these works of contemporary genre fiction and how these representations and internalizati (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Arts in Professional Communication, Youngstown State University, 2021, Department of Communicaton

This qualitative study examined political communication between marital partners through the perspectives of both male and female heterosexual spouses and whether political discussion and political persuasion was impacted by respondent gender roles. The study collected data from 21 adult participants who identified as heterosexual, married, and cisgender female or male. The study's research questions explored the respective roles of both spouses in political discussion and political persuasion, in addition to exploring factors that prompt political communication between spouses. I collected data to analyze and respond to the study's research questions through online questionnaires shared on social media. Theory-driven qualitative content analysis was used to create a coding system of concepts from three theories: social judgement theory, relational framing theory, and dyadic power theory. Study findings indicate that male and female participants identified similarities and differences regarding how they perceived their own roles and roles of their spouses in both political discussions and political persuasion, and that the primary factor that prompts political communication between spouses is “news.” This study contributes to a gap in communication literature regarding the role of persuasive political communication in heterosexual spousal relationships and provides opportunities for researchers to better understand each heterosexual spouse's perspective regarding political communication.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2021, Educational Studies

This dissertation explored how Black graduate womxn (BGW) who are matriculating or who have matriculated through The Ohio State University's (Ohio State or OSU) College of Education and Human Ecology (EHE) are located in both organizational sites with regards to professional socialization. The study is concerned with the relationship among BGW's locations, socialization, and abilities to access desired career pipelines upon degree completion. It is also concerned with BGW's locations in “epistemological third spaces” (Seremani & Clegg, 2016), as “outsiders within” (Collins, 2000) the academy who must create knowledge about academe in order to navigate it and attain career success. I conducted the study as a bricolage (Denzin & Lincoln, 2018), borrowing from constructivist case study (Merriam; 1998; Stake, 1995, 2000), and narrative inquiry (Connelly & Clandinin, 1990; Kim, 2019). Although the study examined BGW's socialization at specific organizational sites, it has broad implications for BGW with regards to their organizations as possible pathways into their desired professional fields. Embodiment was the epistemic frame that underpinned data collection and analysis. Data collection took place through interviews and focus groups via Zoom, because of the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic. I conducted thematic narrative analysis with the assistance of broadening and restorying processes (Connelly & Clandinin, 1990). Black Critical Race Theory (BlackCrit; Dumas & ross, 2016) and postcolonialism (e.g., Said, 1978; Bhabha, 1994) supported analysis as frameworks through which to understand exercises of anti-Black and colonial power during BGW's professional socialization while matriculating through EHE. I also presented findings as composite narratives (Orbach, 2000; Willis, 2019) to capture participants' responses to protocol questions in ways that supported answering the dissertation's study questions. Amid discussions about the lack of diversity in the profess (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2020, Theatre

This study focuses on race, sexuality, and gender in relation to the reading and performance of Shakespearean drama. Taking an intersectional approach, I bring to bear a wide range of theoretical and critical approaches, including scholarship across the fields of affect and queer theory and critical race, performance, and transgender studies in order to explore contemporary failures to account for difference in the reading, editing, and performing of Shakespeare's plays. In the first chapter I argue that the often-overlooked multiple dimensions of the affect generated by the performance of female actors, what I call affective complexity, in plays such as "Measure for Measure," "Titus Andronicus," and "Othello" is valuable and in fact frequently central to an audience's reception of a play. In the second chapter I argue for a more inclusive view of sexuality in "Romeo and Juliet" through an interrogation of the editorial emendations in several contemporary editions, each of which assume heteronormative readings of the play that ignore its queer performance history. In my third chapter I argue that the underlying antiblack dialectic embedded in "Othello" necessitates its careful reading through the lens provided by critical race theory in order to understand the way the play frames itself as a conversation about the ontological status of Black humanity. The fourth chapter explores readings of "Hamlet" and "Twelfth Night" through the lens of transgender rage, a perspective that makes clear that the rage expressed by characters such as Shylock, Hamlet, and Malvolio are the result of the failure of their “disguises”: the denial of their characters to express their chosen gender presentation. Finally, the conclusion discusses the benefits and challenges of my own attempts as a director to experiment with nontraditional casting within performances of Shakespeare's plays by exploring the potentiality within them for nonbinary and transgender presence.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2020, Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies

Camp is a critical sensibility and a queer reading practice that allows women to simultaneously critique, resist, and enjoy stereotypes and conventional norms. It is both a performative strategy and a mode of reception that transforms resistance into pleasure. Scholarship on feminist camp recognizes a tradition of women using camp to engage with gender politics and play with femininity. Most of the scholarship focuses on women's camp in mainstream and popular culture and how they talk back to the patriarchy. Little work has been done on feminist camp outside of popular culture or on how women use camp to talk back to feminism. My dissertation adds to conversations about feminist camp by exploring a new facet of camp that talks back to feminism and challenges a feminist audience. I examine the work of three contemporary feminist and queer independent filmmakers: Anna Biller, Cheryl Dunye, and Bruce LaBruce to explore the different ways they subvert cinematic conventions to interrupt narrative, play with stereotypes, and create opportunities for pleasure as well as critique. I argue that these filmmakers operationalize a feminist camp gaze and open up space for a feminist camp spectatorship that engages critically with ideas about identity, sex, and feminism. In addition, I consider the ways in which other types of feminist cultural production, including sketch comedy and web series, use camp strategies to deploy a feminist camp gaze to push back against sexism and other forms of oppression while also parodying feminism, ultimately creating space for resistance, pleasure, and self-reflection.

Master of Arts (MA), Ohio University, 2020, Political Science (Arts and Sciences)

The following reflects on the 2016 election victory of Donald Trump. Most mainstream media accounts and a number of qualitative, Americanist studies propose a working-class “resentment” narrative to explain Trump's popularity. In contrast, I suggest that political theology and understanding western notions of “sovereignty” are more important for making sense of Trump's popularity. In what follows, I first provide a theoretical critique of genealogies of sovereignty in order to claim that identifying and intervening in situations of suffering are acts endemic to western sovereignty. My theoretical account expands notions of political theology to encompass the affective and the corporeal in order to claim that masculinity and sovereignty are co-constitutive forces in western cultural history. Have illustrated this claim in our canonical sources of political theory, I then return to the theological context of political `theology' in order to locate the importance of suffering. Generally speaking, identifying situations of suffering, intervening within these situations, and causing situations of suffering are all sovereign acts. The popularity of Donald Trump and the unwavering support of his base comes not from a place of political ignorance or a need to irrationally resent others, but from the embodied notions of western politics that conceives of political order anchored on a masculine, sovereign individual who bears and distributes suffering

Master of Social Work, The Ohio State University, 2019, Social Work

There is a lack of research on the resilience experiences of non-binary survivors (NBS) of intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual assault. The primary aim of this study is to highlight the resilience experiences of NBS from their own knowledge, experiences and perceptions related to exploring identities, experiences with trauma, coping mechanisms and social support. NBS (N = 5) participated in an in-depth semi-structured interview. Data was analyzed using Atlas.ti, a qualitative data analysis software. The findings highlight the resilience experiences of NBS and the need for affirming spaces as non-binary people and as survivors. Implications for social workers, agencies, support services, policy change and future research are discussed. An affirming space focusing on resilience is highly recommended to bridge the gap between service systems and NBS and to help NBS find new ways of healing.

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2017, Leadership and Change

Scholars have identified various reasons for the underrepresentation of women in the upper echelons of organizations. This study used grounded theory methodology enhanced by situational analysis to explore how American women at senior levels in large organizational contexts engage and negotiate the totality of their situation. Utilizing a predominately White, married, middle to upper class, heterosexual sample, this study sought to understand how women create and consign meaning around their experiences; how they experience the fluidity and boundaries of multiple identities; and how they experience the entanglement of macro, meso, and micro societal forces. It explores relationships among factors participants named as influential in experience in leading. Most importantly, this study sought to elevate not just one component as problematic, but to elucidate all interconnecting complexities that are problematic. Five key contexts were identified in the situational analysis as spaces of influence, related to the conditions of the dimensional analysis. Five emergent dimensions were rendered in the dimensional analysis: Growing in Leadership, Solving for Having It All; Stalking the Unknown, Leading in a Glass Box and Negotiating Equality. A grounded theory model was developed of the experience of women who lead, providing an interactive model of how women interpret and engage with the totality of their situation. Four theoretical propositions were extrapolated from the study. The study combined a commanding view of the situation in which women lead, with an interactive theoretical model, mapping places of entry toward resolution of gender leadership parity. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA, http://aura.antioch.edu/ and OhioLINK ETD Center, https://etd.ohiolink.edu

BA, Kent State University, 2017, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Modern and Classical Language Studies

Love is a Cunning Weaver: Myths, Sexuality, and the Modern World explores the relationship between the modern and ancient worlds by analyzing the depiction of queer and female characters in Greco-Roman mythology. That relationship is illuminated and defined by the modern individual's tendency to apply contemporaneous narratives to myths of the ancient world in order to understand them. The aforementioned queer and female characters are introduced in their original contexts based on the most popular written traditions of the myths in which they appear. They are then broken down through a series of interviews with current (or recently graduated) college students. Finally, the narrative established in the introduction of each chapter is subverted through a creative piece.

Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, 2017, English

My dissertation explores writing center studies as a useful field not only for developing better approaches to assisting writers, but also for theorizing and transforming wider curricula and institutional norms. Writing center faculty and administrators grapple often with curricular questions—in addition to designing and teaching consultant training courses, they study different disciplinary practices to better assist diverse writers, they work with faculty to run writing-across-the-curriculum programs, they assist departments with writing-in-the-disciplines initiatives, and they support High Impact educational experiences, such as service learning. I contend, however, that writing center scholars could do more to theorize the idea of curriculum itself. To study writing centers as curricular (not just pedagogical), I also develop and employ a methodology of queer assemblage to highlight larger institutional spaces, issues, and pedagogies influenced by—and influencing—writing centers. Specifically, I study a studio approach to the teaching of writing as one of these larger institutional attachments. As courses existing alongside yet separate from traditional classrooms, studios at my research site resist larger systems of oppression by providing students, including a high number of international students, with the opportunity to critique multiple curricula they face in addition to improving as writers—and they employ writing center methods to do so. Thus, by drawing on discourse analysis as well as interviews with studio administrators, teachers, and students, I ultimately articulate studios as an emerging critical modality for asserting a wider curricular force of writing centers within and beyond one-to-one mentoring.