Dr. Robert K. Christensen
Dr. Christensen is a professor and George W. Romney Research Fellow in the MPA Program at the George W. Romney Institute of Public Service and Ethics in the Marriott School of Management at Brigham Young University.
Dr. Christensen is passionate about public service. He studies and teaches classes about public and nonprofit organizations and personnel–including courts and judges–to advance public service education and practice. His research focuses on public and nonprofit management and is interested in (1) public service employees and (2) public service organizations. At the employee level, he is interested in the impact of antisocial and prosocial motives and behaviors. The former includes race and gender prejudice; the latter includes public service motivation, volunteerism, workplace philanthropy, and organizational citizenship. At the organizational level, he is interested in the relationship between courts (broad institutions of public law) and public administration. His work appears in such journals as the Journal of Public Administration Review and Theory, Public Administration Review, International Public Management Journal, Nonprofit Voluntary Sector Quarterly, Public Administration, Administration & Society, and several law reviews. |
Dr. Breck Wightman
Breck Wightman is an Assistant Professor in the Romney Institute of Public Service and Ethics at BYU Marriott, where he teaches MPA courses in economics, public policy, and public administration.
Dr. Wightman’s research is focused on strategic personnel topics such as executive search and succession, vacancies, and managerial fit. His recent work has examined the effects of bureaucratic vacancies on organizational performance, the relationship between hiring duration and managerial fit, and the institutional predictors of transparency in the executive search process. His work has been published in leading journals such as Public Administration Review, The American Review of Public Administration, and Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly.
He received a PhD in Public Affairs from the O'Neill School at Indiana University and holds an MPA from BYU Marriott.
Dr. Wightman’s research is focused on strategic personnel topics such as executive search and succession, vacancies, and managerial fit. His recent work has examined the effects of bureaucratic vacancies on organizational performance, the relationship between hiring duration and managerial fit, and the institutional predictors of transparency in the executive search process. His work has been published in leading journals such as Public Administration Review, The American Review of Public Administration, and Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly.
He received a PhD in Public Affairs from the O'Neill School at Indiana University and holds an MPA from BYU Marriott.
Dr. Travis Ruddle
Dr. Ruddle is an Assistant Professor in the MPA Program at the George W. Romney Institute of Public Service and Ethics in the Marriott School of Business at Brigham Young University.
Drawing from his professional background, Dr. Ruddle advances research focused on pressing public management challenges. His academic training in political science and public administration cultivates a desire to strengthen public institutions and citizens' engagement with civil society.
Dr. Ruddle is interested in citizens’ perceptions of organizations and their positive and negative experiences across the public, nonprofit, and for-profit sectors. Additionally, Dr. Ruddle is concerned with serious questions centered around citizen accountability, ethical behavior, individual and organizational misconduct, and corruption. He has been published in scholarly journals such as the Nonprofit Voluntary Sector Quarterly and the Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management.
Dr. Ruddle teaches courses on nonprofit management, local government, and leadership in public administration.
Drawing from his professional background, Dr. Ruddle advances research focused on pressing public management challenges. His academic training in political science and public administration cultivates a desire to strengthen public institutions and citizens' engagement with civil society.
Dr. Ruddle is interested in citizens’ perceptions of organizations and their positive and negative experiences across the public, nonprofit, and for-profit sectors. Additionally, Dr. Ruddle is concerned with serious questions centered around citizen accountability, ethical behavior, individual and organizational misconduct, and corruption. He has been published in scholarly journals such as the Nonprofit Voluntary Sector Quarterly and the Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management.
Dr. Ruddle teaches courses on nonprofit management, local government, and leadership in public administration.