Erin Elliott, MPA, Ph.D., recently graduated with her doctorate in public affairs and policy at Portland State University where her research centers on nonprofit theory and civic identity. She is also an instructor in PSU’s Civic Leadership minor as well as the University Studies program where she employs a community based learning approach in her courses. Most recently, she has served as a research and program assistant with PSU’s Nonprofit Institute. Erin earned her MPA from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA, with her research focusing on nonprofit social services, diversity education, and critical theory. She has also served in the nonprofit sector as a service specialist at the Community Action Council working with low income families as well as with an economic rights organization before moving to Portland, OR. She holds a B.A. from the University of Florida in anthropology and women’s studies where she gained extensive experience with the primary prevention of domestic violence as part of a coordinated community response team. She recently co-authored a book chapter on community based learning and sustainability in the text Sustainable Solutions: Let Knowledge Serve the City (2017) as well as a recent article entitled Sustainability of Our Planet and All Species as the Organizing Principle for SLCE (2017) in the Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning.
Research Interests
Nonprofit Theory, Critical Theory, Role of Civil Society, Third Sector Research, Civic Engagement, Citizenship Studies, Community Leadership, Community-Based and Service Learning, Social Sustainability, Collective Impact
Professional Associations
The Association for Research on Nonprofit Organization and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA)
The Public Administration Theory Network (PATNET)
International Society for Third Sector Research (ISTR)
International Association for Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement (IARSLCE)
Recent Awards
PSU Laurels Graduate Award
PSU PAP Best Community Engagement Doctoral Award
Sustainable Neighborhoods Initiative Professional Development Award
PhD Fellow, ISTR, Stockholm, Sweden
PSU Cultural Competency and Diversity in Teaching Award