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Academic Appointment

University of Houston - Downtown

Department of Social Sciences

  • Assistant Professor of Nonprofit Management and Political Science (August 2022 - Present)

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  • Program Director, Master of Arts in Nonprofit Management (August 2025 - Present)

 
 

Education

2017-2022

Ph.D. in Public Administration,

Rutgers University - Newark

  • Dissertation: The Financial Benefits of Information Technology Adoption in Nonprofit Organizations https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/t3-2y5s-f752

    • Committee: Cleopatra Charles (Chair), Lindsey McDougle, Jiahuan Lu, and John McNutt (University of Delaware)

    • *Best Dissertation Award, Academy of Management Public and Nonprofit Division (AOMPNP), 2023

    • *Honorable Mention, Gabriel G. Rudney Memorial Award for Best Outstanding Dissertation, Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations & Voluntary Action (ARNOVA), 2024

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2013-2015

Master of Public Administration, Rutgers University - Newark

  • Concentration in Nonprofit Management

  • * Pi Alpha Alpha Hono

2008-2012

Bachelor of Laws,

Hohai University (China)

  • ​​Major in Political Science

 

Research Interests

Nonprofit Management   |   Nonprofit Finance   |   Information Technology   |   Public Affairs & Nonprofit Education

Grants, Awards & Honors

External Awards and Grants

  • Best Paper Award, American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) Section on Nonprofits, 2026

  • Gulf South Summit Award for Outstanding Faculty Contributions to Service-Learning in Higher Education (Research Category), 2026

  • Marcia Crowley Service to SWPA Award, American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) Section for Women in Public Administration (SWPA), 2025

  • Research Grant Award ($1,500), Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations & Voluntary Action (ARNOVA) Teaching Section, 2024

  • Honorable Mention, Gabriel G. Rudney Memorial Award for Best Outstanding Dissertation, Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations & Voluntary Action (ARNOVA), 2024

  • Excellence in Service Award,  American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) Section on Chinese Public Administration (SCPA), 2024

  • Rising Star Award, American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) Section for Women in Public Administration (SWPA), 2024

  • Emerging Scholars Fund ($1,000 + Conference Registration), Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations & Voluntary Action (ARNOVA), 2023

  • Best Dissertation Award, Academy of Management Public and Nonprofit Division (AOMPNP), 2023

  • Nonprofit Early Scholars Fellow, Nonprofit Management & Leadership, American University’s School of Public Affairs, and ARNOVA’s Early Scholars Section, 2023

  • Founders’ Fellow (Conference Costs), American Society for Public Administration (ASPA), 2022

  • Doctoral Fellowship ($3,000 + Workshop Costs), University of Pennsylvania, Center for Social Impact Strategy, Summer 2022

  • Best Reviewer Award, Academy of Management Public and Nonprofit Division (AOMPNP), 2022

  • Graduate Diversity Scholarship (Conference Costs), Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations & Voluntary Action (ARNOVA), 2021

  • Doctoral Consortium Scholarship (Conference Costs), Academy of Management Public and Nonprofit Division (AOMPNP), 2021

  • Walter W. Mode Scholarship ($1,500), American Society for Public Administration (ASPA), 2021

  • Wallace O. Keene Conference Scholarship (Conference Costs), American Society for Public Administration (ASPA), 2021

  • Doctoral Fellowship (Conference Costs), Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations & Voluntary Action (ARNOVA), 2020

  • Pi Alpha Alpha Honor, the National Honor Society for Public Affairs and Administration, 2015

 
 

From University

  • Faculty Development Grant ($4,922), University of Houston - Downtown, 2025

  • Organized Research and Creative Activities Fund ($4,096), University of Houston - Downtown, 2025

  • Outstanding Faculty Community Service Award, University of Houston - Downtown, 2025

  • Organized Research and Creative Activities Fund ($4,096), University of Houston - Downtown, 2024

  • Faculty Team Research Incubator Program ($4,000), University of Houston - Downtown, 2024

  • Online Course Development Initiative ($2,000), University of Houston - Downtown, 2024

  • Community-Based Research Grant ($4,992), University of Houston - Downtown, 2024

  • Faculty Development Grant ($1,800), University of Houston - Downtown, 2023

  • Presidential Fellowship ($15,000*5 years), Rutgers University, 2017-2022

  • Rutgers PreDoctoral Leadership Development Academy Fellowship ($1,000), 2020-2021

  • Fellowship, Summer Institute in Computational Social Science, Rutgers University, Summer 2020

  • Teaching Assistantship ($29,426/year + full tuition remission), Rutgers University, 2020-2021

  • Graduate Fellowship ($10,000/year + full tuition remission), Rutgers University, 2017-2018, 2018-2019, and 2019-2020

  • GSN Graduate Student Travel Award ($500), Rutgers University, Spring 2022

  • SPAA Conference Travel Grant ($800/year), Rutgers University, 2017-2018, 2019-2020, 2020-2021, and 2021-2022

  • E. Drexel Godfrey Memorial Award for Academic Excellence ($250), Rutgers University, 2015

  • Academic Achievement Award (Graduate with 4.0 GPA), Rutgers University, 2015

 
 

Professional Experience

  • Research Assistant, Rutgers University-Newark, Newark, NJ, Aug. 2017 - Jun. 2020

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  • Research Assistant, United Way ALICE (Asset Limited Income Constrained, Employed) Project, Cedar Knolls, NJ, May. 2015 - Jul. 2016

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  • Office Assistant, Rutgers University, Office of International Student and Scholar Services, Newark, NJ, Aug. 2014 - Feb.2016

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  • Intern, United Way Worldwide, Alexandria, VA, Jun. 2014 - Mar. 2015

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  • Program Officer, Hangzhou Environmental Protection Voluntary Service Association, Hangzhou, China, 2012-2013

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  • Volunteer English Teacher, Nanjing Hongyuan Migrant Worker’s Elementary School, Nanjing, China, 2011

 
 

Professional Affiliation

  • Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations & Voluntary Action (ARNOVA)

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  • American Society for Public Administration (ASPA)

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  • Academy of Management (AOM)

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  • Public Management Research Association (PMRA)

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  • China-America Association for Public Affairs (CAAPA)

 
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