Dr. Craig W. Shinn is Emeritus Professor in the Department of Public Administration and the Center for Public Service in the Mark O. Hatfield School of Government at Portland State University. Over his career, Dr. Shinn has directed, chaired and led academic degree programs like Public Administration Department, the Executive Master of Public Administration, the Master of Public Policy and the Public Affairs and Policy PhD Program; professional programs like the Executive Seminar Program in Natural Resource Leadership, the USACE Leadership Development Program and the National Policy Process seminar, and academic departments, centers and institutes. In addition, Dr. Shinn has regularly served on public boards, commissions and committees. Dr. Shinn’s teaching includes substantive courses in environmental and natural resource policy and administration, public policy process, analysis and advocacy, organizational theory, development and change and collaborative governance.
Dr. Shinn is involved in the community of practice by providing applied workshops, consulting services and outreach in the region, across the nation and globe. Dr. Shinn's research stems from his interests in how policy agreement is created and sustained in society including administrative aspects of adaptive management, social aspects of sustainability, civic capacity building and inter-jurisdictional administration of natural resources. He has worked with over fifty doctoral student and many, many masters students. Dr. Shinn coauthored Rural Resource Management (1994), co-managed the Oregon State of the Environment Report (2000), and co-authored Foundations of Public Service (2008, 2013 and 2021). He and his former doctoral students have contributed to edited volumes, applied research studies and final reports. A new book, Public Service Leadership, (Morgan, Ingle and Shinn, 2019) integrates thirty years of theory and practice regarding “leading from where you sit” in a world where building trust, improving governing institutions and ensuring commonweal outcomes matter more than ever.