Alan J. Abramson

Address

Work

George Mason University
608 Van Metre Hall
Mail Stop 3B1
3351 Fairfax Drive
Arlington, VA 22201
work: (703) 993-8189
aabramso@gmu.edu

Home

2039 New Hampshire Ave., NW
Apartment 605
Washington, DC 20009

 

Education

Ph.D., Yale University, Political Science, 1990 M.Phil., Yale University, Political Science, 1979

M.A., Yale University, Political Science, 1977

B.A., Wesleyan University, Government and Psychology, 1976

 

Professional Experience

• Professor (tenured) of Government and Politics (2008-present) and Founding Director, Center on Nonprofit Management, Philanthropy, and Policy (2011-present), Schar School of Policy and Government, George Mason University, Arlington and Fairfax, Virginia
  • Teach graduate and undergraduate classes, conduct research, and work with nonprofit, foundation, and other leaders on issues related to the nonprofit sector and philanthropy. Courses taught include: Introduction to Nonprofit Management, Nonprofit Fundraising, Nonprofit Leadership, Social Entrepreneurship and Social Enterprise, Nonprofit Organizations in Society, and Shared Governance (Public-Private Partnerships). Average student rating of 4.69 out of 5.00 in 41 courses, which is 6.7% above university average. Founded Mason’s Nonprofit Center which conducts research projects, organizes workshops, and hosts events focusing on nonprofit issues. Raised more than $800,000 for Center-related work.
     
• Senior Fellow (2008-present), Director (1996-2007), and Associate Director (1994-1996), Program on Philanthropy and Social Innovation (formerly Nonprofit Sector and Philanthropy Program), The Aspen Institute, Washington, DC
  • As Senior Fellow, have served as advisor on project that seeks to improve data about the nonprofit sector. Previously, as Program Director for more than a decade, oversaw a variety of leadership, research, grantmaking, and communications initiatives focusing on nonprofit organizations and philanthropy. Responsibilities included developing program strategies and budgets; fundraising; managing a research grantmaking program, the Nonprofit Sector Research Fund; managing relations with advisory committees; overseeing communications activities; supervising staff; organizing conferences; and relating to external audiences, including nonprofit and foundation leaders, policymakers, and scholars. Raised $17.7 million for program related work.
     
• Visiting Scholar (2018-2019), Independent Sector, Washington, DC
  • Worked to develop an index of the health of the U.S. nonprofit sector. Contributed to policy and other organizational initiatives. Helped to strengthen links between Independent Sector and the nonprofit research community. Taught three-session course on the nonprofit sector for Independent Sector staff.
     
• Affiliated Scholar (2009-2017), Consultant (1994), and Research Associate (1981-1994), The Urban Institute, Washington, DC
  • As Affiliated Scholar, assisted with projects in the Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy. Previously, as Research Associate, conducted research in a broad range of public policy areas, with a particular focus on the nonprofit sector, federal budgeting, shared governance, and urban policy.
     
• Affiliated Faculty, Policy Studies Program, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, 1995-1996, 2007
  • Taught graduate seminars on the nonprofit sector and the politics of policymaking.
     
• Affiliated Faculty, Public Policy Institute, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, 19982005, 2007
  • Taught graduate seminars on the U.S. nonprofit sector and social entrepreneurship.
     
• Consultant, Independent Sector, Washington, DC, 1987-1997
  • Conducted regular analyses of the impact on nonprofits of changes in federal spending.
     
• Lecturer, Department of Government, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., Spring 1992
  • Taught graduate seminar on bureaucratic politics.
     
• Assistant Professorial Lecturer in Political Science, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, Fall 1991
  • Taught graduate seminar on public policy analysis.
     
• Research Assistant, National Academy of Public Administration, Washington, DC, 1979-1980
  • Wrote background papers on presidential policy formulation, federal regulation, and changes in the broad context in which the U.S. president manages for the National Academy's project, "A Presidency for the 1980s." Also contributed to an Academy study of the General Services Administration.
     
• Teaching Fellow, Department of Political Science, Yale University, 1979
  • Led discussion sections for an introductory class in American politics.

 

Honors, Prizes, Fellowships

Fellow, National Academy of Public Administration, 2016-present

Nominee, Teaching Excellence Award, George Mason University, 2015

Leadership Greater Washington, Member, Class of 2008

The NonProfit Times Power and Influence Top 50, 1999-2001

Leonard D. White Award, American Political Science Association's Prize for the Best Dissertation in the Field of Public Administration, 1991

Herbert Kaufman Award, Best Paper in Public Administration Delivered at the American Political Science Association's Annual Meeting, 1990

National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship, 1977-1979, 1982-1983

Yale University Graduate Fellowship, 1976-1977

Davenport Prize (co-recipient), Department of Government, Wesleyan University, 1976

Magna Cum Laude, Wesleyan University, 1976

Phi Beta Kappa, Wesleyan University, 1975

 

Professional and Community Service

Secretary, Board of Directors, Adira Foundation, 2019-present

Co-Chair and Member, Beckner Advancement Committee, 2018-present

Member, Founding Board of Directors, China Institute of Philanthropy and Social Innovation, Renmin University of China, 2016-present

Member, Research Advisory Council, BoardSource, 2016-2019

Member, Non-Profit Community Council, Benevity, 2016-2019

Chair and Member, Nominations Committee, Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA), 2017, 2019

Member, Annual Conference Issues Working Group, Council on Foundations, 2016

Member, Working Group, Fourth Sector Group, 2015-present

President, ARNOVA, served as President-Elect in 2014, President in 2015-2016, and PastPresident in 2017.

Member, Programs and Practice Committee, Independent Sector, 2014-2017

Member, Editorial Board, Nonprofit Policy Forum, 2010-present

Member, Executive/Steering Committee, Nonprofit NoVA (Nonprofit Northern Virginia), 2009-2016

Member, Editorial Board, Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 2004-present

Member, Board of Directors, Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington, 2003-2009, 2015-2016

Chair, Development Committee, ARNOVA, 2012-2014

Member, Selection Committee, Washington Post-Center for Nonprofit Advancement Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Management, 2011-2013

Member, Technical Working Group for the evaluation of the Social Innovation Fund, U.S. Corporation for National and Community Service, 2010-2011

Track Co-Chair, Track on Nonprofits and Public Policy, ARNOVA annual conference, 20102011

Member, Host Committee, ARNOVA annual conference, 2010, 2016 

Member, President’s Committee on Research, ARNOVA, 2009-2010 

Member, Board Development Committee, Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington, 2009

Member, Advisory Committee, Young Nonprofit Professionals Network–DC (YNPN-DC), 2009-present

Member, Advisory Committee, “Next Phase: Arlingtonians for Community Good,” project examining volunteering by those 55 and older, Arlington Community Foundation, 2008

Member, Advisory Committee. Association of Black Foundation Executives, National Fund for Research on Black Philanthropy, 2005

Member, Annual Conference Program Committee, Independent Sector, 2005

Member, Board of Directors, NPower Greater DC Region, 2003-2009

Member, Advisory Committee, The Grantmaking School, Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership, Grand Valley State University, 2003-2005

Member, Advisory Board, Centennial Center for Political Science and Public Affairs, American Political Science Association, 2003-2005

Member, Emerging Leaders Advisory Committee, Independent Sector, 2002-2004

Member, Steering Committee, Washington Grantmakers’ Community Capacity Fund, 20012002

First Vice Chair, Secretary, and Member, Board of Directors, National Council of Nonprofit Associations (now the National Council of Nonprofits), 1999-2006

Member, Research Advisory Committee, Independent Sector, 1999-2004

Member, Robert W. Scrivner Award Selection Committee, Council on Foundations, 19992001

Member, Advisory Committee, Changing Charity Project, The Union Institute, 1999-2001

Member, Advisory Committee, Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy, The Urban Institute, 1997-2007

Member, Measures Project Advisory Committee, Independent Sector, 1997-2002

Member, Advisory Committee, Giving USA, AAFRC Trust for Philanthropy, 1997-2002

Chair, Wesleyan University Club in Washington, D.C., 1997-1999

Member, Executive Committee, Wesleyan University Alumni Association, 1995-1999

 

Recent University Service

Member, University Gift Acceptance Committee, George Mason University, 2019-present

Member, Search Committee, Vice President for University Advancement and Alumni Relations and President, George Mason University Foundation, 2018

Member, University Naming Committee, George Mason University, 2017-present

Member, Faculty Senate Executive Committee, 2016-2018

Faculty Representative, Board of Visitors Development Committee, George Mason University, 2015-present

Member, Faculty Senate, George Mason University, 2015-2018, 2019-present

Member, Faculty Handbook Committee, George Mason University, 2015-2018

Chair, Co-Chair, and Member, Faculty Matters Committee, Faculty Senate, George Mason University, 2015-2018

Member, Ph.D. Comprehensive Exam Field Committee for Public Administration,

Department of Public and International Affairs and Schar School of Policy and Government, George Mason University, 2011-2012, 2014, 2016, 2017-2018

Member, Intellectual Life of the College Committee, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, George Mason University, 2010-2014

Member, Advisory Council, Center on Social Entrepreneurship, George Mason University, 2010-2016

Member, MPA Admissions Committee, Department of Public and International Affairs, George Mason University, 2010-2012

Member, Departmental Promotion and Tenure Committees, Department of Public and International Affairs, George Mason University, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2015, 2017

 

Grants and Contracts

“Advocacy for Broad, Sector-Wide Interests: How the Charitable and Business Sectors Compare,” Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation ($72,221) and ASAE Foundation ($7,500)

“Public Policy toward the Fourth Sector,” Schar Initiative grant, Schar School of Policy and Government, George Mason University, 2018-2020 ($235,000)

“Staffing for Public-Philanthropic Partnerships,” principal investigator, Council on Foundations, 2016 – 2017 ($20,000)

Executive education program on “Understanding Civil Society in the United States: The U.S. Nonprofit Sector,” delivered for visiting Mexican undergraduate and graduate students, The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars, principal investigator and consultant, 2014 – 2015, 2017 ($100,000)

“Connect Northern Virginia,” community administrator for website with information on community needs and nonprofit service providers, support from various funders, 2012 – 2017 ($122,000)

Workshops on performance management, Virginia Community Action Partnership (VACAP), co-principal investigator, August 2013 ($25,000)

“Exploring Foundation-Government Partnerships,” principal investigator, Council on Foundations, December 2011 – April 2012 ($17,800)

“Strengthening Nonprofit Organizations in Fairfax County, Virginia,” co-principal investigator, Fairfax County, Virginia, December 2008 – 2012 ($380,000)

“Navigating in a System of Shared Governance: New Management Strategies for 21^stCentury Federal Managers,” co-principal investigator, Smith Richardson Foundation, July 2009 – 2012 ($150,000)

Funding to support the programs of the Aspen Institute’s Nonprofit Sector and Philanthropy Program, responsible for raising funds and overseeing spending, various foundations, 1996 – 2007 ($17.7 million)

 

Research Projects in Progress

• Advocacy for Broad, Sector-Wide Interests: How the Nonprofit and For-Profit Sectors Compare - This project will deepen understanding of advocacy for broad, nonprofit sector-wide interests by comparing the activities and impacts of advocates for the nonprofit and for-profit sectors. A special interest is the efforts of sector advocates during the recent battles over tax reform.
• Public Policy for the Fourth Sector – Hybrid organizations that seek both to do good and make money appear to be increasing in number to the extent that some would say they constitute an emerging fourth sector of the economy, alongside the business, government, and nonprofit sectors. This project will examine current legal and regulatory provisions in the U.S. and around the world related to fourth sector activity and develop policy recommendations for the fourth sector in the U.S.
• A Dow-Jones Index for the Nonprofit Sector – While the Dow-Jones and other indices provide timely information about the health of the business sector of our society, there is no comparable measure of how the nonprofit sector is faring. Working with the organization Independent Sector, this project will develop and begin to implement an index of the health of the nonprofit sector.

 

Published Books

Mapping New Worlds: Selected Research on the Nonprofit Sector Around the Globe, Alan J. Abramson, ed. (Washington: The Aspen Institute, 2001).

Health Conversions and Philanthropy: Important Issues for Practice and Research, Alan J. Abramson, ed. (Washington: The Aspen Institute, 1999).

Foundations: Exploring Their Unique Roles and Impacts on Society, Alan J. Abramson, ed. (Washington: The Aspen Institute, 1998).

Competing Visions: The Nonprofit Sector in the Twenty-First Century, Alan J. Abramson, ed. (Washington: The Aspen Institute, 1997). 

Broken Purse Strings: Congressional Budgeting, 1974-88 (with Rudolph G. Penner) (Washington: Urban Institute Press, 1988).

Government Spending and the Nonprofit Sector in New York City (with Lester M. Salamon) (Washington: Urban Institute Press, 1986).

The Nonprofit Sector and the New Federal Budget (with Lester M. Salamon) (Washington: Urban Institute Press, 1986).

The Federal Budget and the Nonprofit Sector (with Lester M. Salamon) (Washington: Urban Institute Press, 1982).

 

Published Articles and Book Chapters

“New Legal Forms for Hybrid Organizations,” (with Kara C. Billings), in Helmut K. Anheier and Stefan Toepler, eds., Routledge Companion to Nonprofit Management, (London: Routledge, forthcoming 2020).

“Challenges Facing Social Entrepreneurs in the U.S.,” (with Kara C. Billings), Nonprofit Policy Forum, vol. 10, issue 2 (2019).

“Assessing the Vitality of the U.S. Nonprofit Sector: Toward a Nonprofit Health Index,” (with Allison L. Grayson and Jeffrey G. Moore), Nonprofit Policy Forum, vol. 9, issue 3 (2018).

“Book Review: Meghan Kallman and Terry Nichols Clark, The Third Sector: Community Organizations, NGOs, and Nonprofits,” Journal of Planning Education and Research, 2018.

“The Washington, DC, Region’s Modest Foundation Sector,” (with Stefan Toepler), in David C. Hammack and Steven R. Smith, eds., American Philanthropic Foundations: Regional Difference and Change. (Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2018).

“Today’s Charitable Sector and Its Roots and Challenges,” in article series on “Civil Society for the 21^st Century,” Stanford Social Innovation Review, June 19, 2018.

“A Dearth of Funding for Nonprofit Research and a Call to Work Collaboratively to Increase Support,” Nonprofit Academic Centers Council (NACC) News, February 2018. 

“Weathering Explosive Growth: Weatherization Assistance Grants under ARRA,” in Timothy J. Conlan, Paul L. Posner, and Priscilla M. Regan, eds., Governing under Stress: 

The Implementation of Obama’s Economic Stimulus Program. (Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press, 2017).

“Prospects for Nonprofits and Philanthropy in the Trump Presidency,” (with Lester M. Salamon), Nonprofit Policy Forum, 2016.

“Strengthening Government-Nonprofit Partnerships,” in Paul L. Posner, Janice R. Lachance, and Tonya T. Neaves, eds., Memos to National Leaders (Washington, DC: National Academy of Public Administration, George Mason University Schar School of Policy and Government, and American Society for Public Administration, 2016).

“No Taxation, No Representation: How Government Is Organized – or Not – to Address Nonprofit Issues,” in Elizabeth T. Boris and C. Eugene Steuerle, eds., Nonprofits and Government: Collaboration and Conflict, 3d edition. (Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers/Urban Institute, 2016).

“Meeting Social Needs through Charitable and Government Resources,” (with C. Eugene Steuerle, Ellen Steele, and Virginia Hodgkinson), in Elizabeth T. Boris and C. Eugene Steuerle, eds., Nonprofits and Government: Collaboration and Conflict, 3d edition (Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers/Urban Institute, 2016).

“Opinion: Nonprofits Need a Seat at the White House Table,” Chronicle of Philanthropy (October 4, 2016).

“Making Public Policy toward the Nonprofit Sector in the U.S.: How and Why Broad, “Sector” Interests Are Advanced – or Not – in Federal Policymaking,” Nonprofit Policy Forum, 2016.

“Opinion: 5 Ways to Improve Nonprofit-Advocacy Clout,” Chronicle of Philanthropy (January 19, 2016).

“Metro TeenAIDS: From Service Provider to Advocate,” (with Lehn Benjamin and Stefan Toepler), in Ram Cnaan and Diane Vinokur-Kaplan, eds., Making a Difference: Innovative Nonprofits and Their Social Entrepreneurs (Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, 2015).

“Public-Philanthropic Partnerships: A Review of Recent Trends,” (with Benjamin Soskis and Stefan Toepler), Foundation Review (2014). 

“Effective Advocacy: Lessons for Nonprofit Leaders from Research and Practice,” (with Gary Bass and Emily Dewey), in Robert Pekkanen, Steven Smith, and Yutaka Tsujinaka, eds., Nonprofits and Advocacy: Engaging Government in an Era of Retrenchment (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2014).

“Book Review: John Donahue and Richard Zeckhauser, Collaborative Governance,” American Review of Public Administration, vol. 43, no. 4 (July 2013), pp. 493-496.

“Nonprofit Infrastructure Organizations: From Growth to Consolidation," (with Rachel McCarthy), in Lester M. Salamon, ed., The State of Nonprofit America (Washington: Brookings Institution Press, 2^nd edition, 2012).

“The Nonprofit World Must Stand Up for Itself,” (with Lester M. Salamon), op-ed, The Chronicle of Philanthropy (August 7, 2008). 

"The Nonprofit Sector and the Federal Budget: Recent History and Future Directions," (with Lester M. Salamon and C. Eugene Steuerle), in Elizabeth T. Boris and C. Eugene Steuerle, eds., Nonprofits and Government: Collaboration and Conflict (Washington: Urban Institute Press, 2^nd edition, 2006). 

"Nonprofit Infrastructure Organizations: From Growth to Consolidation," (with Rachel McCarthy), in Lester M. Salamon, ed., The State of Nonprofit America (Washington: Brookings Institution Press, 2002).

“Collaborating for Usable Knowledge: A Work in Progress by the Nonprofit Sector Research Fund,” (with Cinthia H. Schuman), Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly vol. 29, no. 1 (March 2000), pp. 11-23.

"The Nonprofit Sector and the Federal Budget: Recent History and Future Directions," (with Lester M. Salamon and C. Eugene Steuerle), in Elizabeth T. Boris and C. Eugene Steuerle, eds., Nonprofits and Government: Collaboration and Conflict (Washington: Urban Institute Press, 1999).

"Will Federal Budget Cuts Increase Burden of Charities?" (with Lester M. Salamon), FORUM for Applied Research and Public Policy vol. 12, no. 4 (Winter 1997), pp. 29-32.

"The Federal Budget and the Nonprofit Sector: Implications of the Contract with America" (with Lester M. Salamon), in Dwight F. Burlingame, William A. Diaz, Warren F. Ilchman, and Associates, Capacity for Change? The Nonprofit World in the Age of Devolution (Indianapolis: Indiana University Center on Philanthropy, 1996).

"Sources of Data on Nonprofit Finance," Nonprofit Management and Leadership vol. 5, no. 4 (Summer 1995), pp. 443-451.

"The Changing Geography of Metropolitan Opportunity: The Segregation of the Poor in U.S. Metropolitan Areas, 1970 to 1990" (with Mitchell S. Tobin and Matthew R. VanderGoot), Housing Policy Debate, vol. 6, no. 1 (1995), pp. 45-72.

"Special Interests, Public Opinion, and Public Policy," (with Rudolph G. Penner), The Urban Institute, 1990. Reprinted in Randall B. Ripley and Elliot E. Slotnick, eds., Readings in American Government and Politics, 2d ed. (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 1993).

"Nonprofits and the Federal Budget: Deeper Cuts Ahead" (with Lester M. Salamon), Foundation News, vol. 26, no. 2 (March/April 1985), pp. 48- 54.

“Governance: The Politics of Retrenchment" (with Lester M. Salamon), in John L. Palmer and Isabel V. Sawhill, eds., The Reagan Record (Boston: Ballinger, 1984).

"Voluntary Organizations and the Crisis of the Welfare State" (with Lester M. Salamon and James C. Musselwhite, Jr.), New England Journal of Human Services, vol. 4, no. 1 (Winter 1984), pp. 25-36.

"The Nonprofit Sector" (with Lester M. Salamon), in John L. Palmer and Isabel V. Sawhill, eds., The Reagan Experiment (Washington: Urban Institute Press, 1982).

 

Research Reports

“Staffing for Public-Philanthropic Partnerships: Current Status and Future Directions,” (with Char Mollison and Stefan Toepler), report for the Council on Foundations, 2017.

“Public-Private Partnerships in the Twenty-First Century: Trends, Innovations, and Challenges,” (with Benjamin Soskis and Stefan Toepler), report to the Council on Foundations, 2012.

“Domestic Public-Philanthropic Partnerships: A Literature Review,” (with Benjamin Soskis and Stefan Toepler), report to the Council on Foundations, 2012.

“The Nonprofit Technology Gap: Myth or Reality?” (with Stephanie Geller and Erwin deLeon), Johns Hopkins University Listening Post Project, Communiqué No. 20, 2010.

“The Nonprofit Sector and the Federal Budget: Fiscal Year 2006 and Beyond,” (with Lester M. Salamon), Working Paper, The Aspen Institute Nonprofit Sector Research Fund, 2005. 

"The Nonprofit Sector and the Federal Budget: President Clinton's FY 1998 Budget Proposal," (with Lester M. Salamon), Report to Independent Sector, 1997.

"The Nonprofit Sector and the Federal Budget: Update as of December 1996," (with Lester M. Salamon), Report to Independent Sector, 1996.

"Congressional FY 1996 Budget Resolution: Implications for the Nonprofit Sector," (with Lester M. Salamon), Report to Independent Sector, Washington, D.C., 1995.

"Washington, D.C. in Comparative Perspective," (with Matthew R. VanderGoot), Briefing documents prepared for the Federal City Council, Washington, D.C., 1994.

"The Community Development Block Grant Program: Funding History and Characteristics of Recipient Communities," in Federal Funds, Local Choices: An Evaluation of the Community Development Block Grant Program, The Urban Institute, 1994. 

"The Federal Budget and the Nonprofit Sector: FY 1995," (with Lester M. Salamon), Report to Independent Sector, Washington, D.C., 1994.

"Growth without Prosperity: San Antonio's Experience in the New Economy," (with Michael E. Fix), The Urban Institute, 1993.

"The Federal Budget and the Nonprofit Sector: FY 1994," (with Lester M. Salamon), Report to Independent Sector, Washington, D.C., 1993.

"Corporate Philanthropy," Prepared for former Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, 1993.

"Contracting Out by Government in San Antonio: City Support for 'Delegate' Social Service Agencies," (with Pamela A. Holcomb), The Urban Institute, 1992.

"Demographics, Economics, and City Government in San Antonio," The Urban Institute, June 1992.

"The Federal Budget and the Nonprofit Sector: FY 1993," (with Lester M. Salamon), Report to Independent Sector, Washington, D.C., 1992.

"The Economics and Politics of the Deficit," (with Rudolph G. Penner), A Report to the Midwestern Universities Alliance, Washington, D.C., 1991

"The Federal Budget and the Nonprofit Sector: FY 1992," (with Lester M. Salamon), Report to Independent Sector, Washington, D.C., 1991.

“Responsive Budgeting: The Accommodation of Federal Budgeting to Different Programs and Spending Regimes" (Ph.D. dissertation, Yale University, 1990).

"The Federal Government and the Nonprofit Sector: Implications of the Reagan Administration's Budget Proposals" (with Lester M. Salamon), The Urban Institute, 1981.

 

Recent Conference and Other Pressentations

“Advocacy and Lobbying for Sector-Wide Interests: How the Nonprofit and For-Profit Sectors Compare,” presentation at the ARNOVA annual conference, 2018

“Nonprofits and Philanthropy: The Trump Effect,” (with Michael M. Sweigart), presentation at the ARNOVA annual conference, 2017.

“Foundations and the Federal Government: Prospects for Partnership,” (with Stefan Toepler), presentation at the ARNOVA annual conference, 2017.

“An Index of the Health of the Nonprofit Sector,” panel organizer and moderator, ARNOVA annual conference and Independent Sector annual conference, 2017

“A Federal Office for the Nonprofit Sector,” presentation at the ARNOVA annual conference, 2016.

“Research and Teaching on Nonprofits in Public Administration,” roundtable presentation at the ARNOVA annual conference, 2016.

“Nonprofits: Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities,” presentation at the 8^th Annual Business Symposium, Harry F. Byrd, Jr. School of Business, Shenandoah University, 2016.

“Is the Federal Policy Apparatus Too Broken to Bring Philanthropy’s ‘Game Changers’ to Scale?” panel member, Council on Foundations annual conference, 2016.

“Open 990 Data on the Horizon: Transparency, Impact, and Innovation,” panel member, ARNOVA annual conference, 2015.

“Metro TeenAIDS: From Service Provision to Advocacy,” presentation at the ARNOVA annual conference, 2015.

“Research Needs of the Foundation Community,” presenter at the annual meeting of the Council on Foundations, June 2014.

“Community-Based Participatory Research,” roundtable member at the C. Everett Koop Memorial NIH Research Symposium on Women’s Health, National Institutes of Health, May 2014 

“Overcoming Challenges Facing Research Associations in Moving Research into Practice,” organized and moderated roundtable discussion at ARNOVA annual conference, 2013. 

“Foundations and Government: Historical Context and Current Realities,” presentation at the annual meeting of the Council on Foundations, 2013.

“Impact of Federal Budget Cuts on Nonprofits: Filling a Critical Gap in Information,” presentation at the ARNOVA annual conference, 2012.

“Government-Foundation Partnerships in the 21^st Century,” (with Benjamin Soskis and Stefan Toepler), presentation at the ARNOVA annual conference, 2012.

“Developing an On-Line, Community Platform for Northern Virginia: Connect Northern Virginia,” presentation at the ARNOVA annual conference, 2012.

“Enough about the State: Giving More Emphasis to Nonprofit and Corporate Perspectives in Teaching about Shared Governance,” (with Lehn Benjamin), presentation at the annual conference of the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA), 2012.

“The Weatherization Assistance Program under the 2009 Recovery Act: The Challenge of Assuring High-Quality Performance,” presentation at a symposium on shared governance, George Mason University, Centers for the Public Service, 2012. “Foundations in the Washington, DC, National Capital Region,” presentation at the ARNOVA annual conference, 2011.

“Nonprofits and the Federal Budget in the Great Recession,” presentation at the ARNOVA annual conference, 2010.

“How Are We Doing?: The State of the Washington-Area Nonprofit Sector,” organized and moderated forum for the Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington, UniversityNonprofit Dialogue Series, 2010. 

Remarks at the introduction of new legislation proposed by Cong. Betty McCollum, “The Nonprofit Sector and Community Solutions Act of 2010” (HR 5533), Washington, DC, 2010.

Forum on Legal Issues Related to Hybrid, Nonprofit/For-Profit Organizations, co-organizer and co-moderator, Aspen Institute, 2010.

“Overview of the U.S. Nonprofit Sector,” Presentation to visiting students from Queen’s University, Ontario, Canada, 2010.

 “Overview of the U.S. Nonprofit Sector,” Briefing to group of visiting government and community leaders from South Africa, World Learning Visitor Exchange Program, 2009.

“Change for Your Dollars: How Your Philanthropy Can Make a Difference,” Speech at Cedar Lane Unitarian Church Forum (Bethesda, MD), 2009.

“Public Policy Toward Social Entrepreneurship, Social Enterprise, and the Nonprofit Sector,” Opening Address, 5^th Annual Mason Entrepreneurship Research Conference, School of Management and School of Public Policy, George Mason University, 2009.