Professional Dissertations
Class of 2023
A Stakeholder Approach to Re-imagining Private Departments Of Public Safety: The Implementation of a Community Advisory Board Recommendation Report
Author: Elizabeth Carreno-Diaz
Chair: William Resh
Philanthropic foundations and social impact bonds: understanding impact investment approaches among philanthropic foundations
Author: Megan Goulding
Chair: Gary Painter
Municipal Employee Reactions to City Council Incivility: An Exploratory Data Analysis
Author: Kevin Kearney
Chair: Peter Robertson
Local Votes and Outside Money: Campaign Contribution Geographic Origins and their Impact on Los Angeles City Council Election Outcomes
Author: Brian Mico-Quinn
Chair: Peter Robertson
Using Analytics to Evaluate the San Diego Housing Commission’s Approach to Maximizing Housing Efficiency: Moving to Work, Path to Success, and the Achievement Academy
Author: Timothy Walsh
Chair: T.J McCarthy
Class of 2022
A Multi-Attribute Decision Model for the Selection of Radioisotope and Nuclear Detection Devices
Author: Antonia Boadi
Chair: Detlof von Winterfeldt
A Framework for Evaluating Urban Policy and Its Impact on Social Determinants of Health (SDOH)
Author: Gia Grant-Rutledge
Chair: LaVonna Lewis
The Role of Leadership and Collaboration as a Catalyst for Regional Economic Development: A Grounded Theory Study
Author: Stone James
Chair: Christian Redfern
Cryptocurrency and Economic Security: Threats, Opportunities and Regulatory Challenges
Author: Bijan Karimi
Chair: Peter Robertson
Class of 2021
Social Engagement and Cognitive Decline in Mexican Americans: Implications for Age-Friendly Cities
Author: Iris Aguilar
Chair: Emma Aguila
Global Health Diplomacy: A New Era of Health in U.S. Foreign Policy
Author: Coral Andrews
Chair: Peter Robertson
A Framework for Good Local Governance: Achieving Prosperity in an Increasingly Complex Environment
Author: Michael Falkow
Chair: Frank Zerunyan
Threat Assessment of Physical Attacks of Electric Infrastructure: How do terrorist groups select their targets?
Author: James Madia
Chair: Detlof Von Winterfeldt
A Strategic Talent Management Retention Model: An Effective Way to Shape the United States Space Force
Author: Myles McCadney
Chair: Erroll Southers
Class of 2020
Resilience by Anticipating Change; Simple and Robust Decision Making for Coastal Adaptation Planners, Communities and Elected Officials
Author: Claudia Avendano
Chair: Peter Robertson
Making an Impact with High Net Worth Philanthropists: Understanding Their Attributes and Engagement Preferences at Nonprofit Organizations
Author: Muna Deriane
Chair: Deborah Natoli
The Interplay between Green Space and Transit: A Revitalization Case Study of Atlanta’s Adair Park
Author: Brian Dollar
Chair: James Moore
Constructing the Achievement Index: An Assessment to Help People Achieve High-Performance Leadership in the Workplace
Author: Apollo Emeka
Chair: Juliet Musso
Critical Factors in Evaluating Compliance to United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540: Developing a Methodology for Compliance Evaluation
Author: John Holmes
Chair: Juliet Musso
Supporting a High Value Maternity System of Care: Prioritizing Resilience of and Relationships with of Mothers as a Means to Improve Maternal and Child Health
Author: Moraya Moini
Chair: LaVonna Lewis
Jobs, not Jail: Homeboy Industries, a Radical Approach to Redirecting Adolescents Away from the Criminal Justice System
Author: Sofia Moreno
Chair: Deborah Natoli
Does Organizational Culture Play a Role in Aviation Safety?
Author: Stephen Robertson
Chair: Deborah Natoli
The Future of Work: Defining A Healthy Ecosystem That Closes Skills-Gaps
Author: Kevin Williams
Chair: Ali Abbas
Class of 2019
Looking to the Stars: Celebrity Influence in the Nonprofit Sector
Author: Erin Barber
Chair: Elizabeth Currid-Halkett
Gangs beyond borders: California and the fight against transnational crime – have recommendations become reality?
Author: Patrick Butler
Chair: Peter Robertson
Resilient and Equitable Urbanism by Design: Insights from the collaborative process to reimagine the SF Bay Area
Author: Sandra Mendler
Chair: Daniel Mazmanian
Class of 2018
Case Studies in Complex Real Estate Valuation
Author: Vicki Valentine Deguzman
Chair: Raphael Bostic
A public sector organizational change model: prioritizing a community-focused, inclusive, and collaborative approach to strategic planning
Author: John Lee Drake
Chair: Deborah Natoli
Using innovative field model and competency-based student learning outcomes to level the playing field in social work distance learning education
Author: Suh Chen Hsiao
Chair: Deborah Natoli
The Context of Leadership in the Development of California’s Innovation Hubs
Author: Mandale White
Chair: Robert Denhardt
Making it: a strategies primer for African-American entrepreneurs seeking capital in Los Angeles
Author: Arlene Warmack Williams
Chair: Peter Robertson
Class of 2017
Green healthcare, an environmentally sustainable methodology: an investigation of the ecological impacts of the healthcare industry and the role of green initiatives in sustainable medical services
Author: Roya Azizi
Chair: Peter Robertson
Older Adult Community Service Worker Program for Riverside County: Community-Based Solutions for Social Service Delivery
Author: Jamiko Bell
Chair: Peter Robertson
Emerging technology and its impact on security policy
Author: Matthew Bogaard
Chair: Peter Robertson
Choice Neighborhoods Initiative: A Spatial and Exploratory Analysis of the Housing Authority City of Los Angeles’ Public Housing Transformation Plan
Author: Brandy Chappell
Chair: Leonard Mitchell
The Crisis of Potable Water in Mexico City: Institutional Factors and Water Property Rights as Conditions for Creating Adequate Metropolitan Water Governance
Author: Homero Clemente
Chair: Tridib Banerjee
Organizational spiritual maturity (OSM)
Author: Adam Smith Freer
Chair: Peter Robertson
University campus expansion: an analysis of Harvard University’s expansion into Boston, Massachusetts
Author: Gerard Hollins
Chair: Lisa Schweitzer
Lessons learned from the FHWA State Infrastructure Bank (SIB) program, 1995 to 2016
Author: Stephen Hubbard
Chair: Juliet Musso
Black infant mortality in Kalamazoo, Michigan: understanding key elements of the social determinants of health model in eliminating health disparities in communities
Author: Grace Lubwama
Chair: LaVonna Lewis
Research to develop a manual for parents, caregivers, and volunteers to teach children from birth to five years of age with intellectual disability living in rural communities in the Dominican Republic
Author: Carlos Madrid
Chair: LaVonna Lewis
Elements of A Successful Multi-Sectoral Collaborative from A Local Government Perspective: A Framework for Collaborative Governance – Dimensions Shared by Award Winning Multi-Sectoral Partnerships
Author: Peter Pimejad
Chair: Frank Zerunyan
Class of 2016
An exploratory case study on the social viability of Alvarado Street Bakery’s employee-owned cooperative model
Author: Alaina Jackson
Chair: Elizabeth Currid-Halkett
Childhood Obesity and Prevention: Nutrition, Cooking, and Gardening Learning Approach for an Educational Intervention Program to Increase Fruit and Vegetable Knowledge, Preference, and Consumption among Elementary Children.
Author: Elizabeth Mathew
Chair: LaVonna Lewis
Workplace conflict and employment retaliation in law enforcement; an examination of the causes, effects and viable solutions
Author: Anthony Otero
Chair: Robert Denhardt
Water security, national security and MCIWEST: A Grounded Theory for Operationalizing Risk Management
Author: John Simpson
Chair: Hilda Blanco
A Time of Crisis: The Australian Experience and What Can California Learn?
Author: Marguerite Wheeler
Chair: Daniel Mazmanian
Mitigating the energy efficiency gap through Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE): an assessment of the HERO Program in Riverside County, CA
Author: Grace Williams
Chair: Leonard Mitchell
Class of 2015
Where there is discretion, should law enforcement officers at the local level be involved in enforcing federal immigration law? a study for consideration
Author: Irma Becerra
Chair: James Moore
Education based incarceration: educate to change the organizational culture of corrections in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department
Author: David Carlson
Chair: Peter Robertson
China-Africa cooperation: an assessment through the lens of China’s development experience
Author: Anna Xi Chen
Chair: Peter Robertson, Ph.D.
Collaboration: is it worth it? The Magnolia Community Initiative from the perspective of initiative partner participants
Author: Cara Esposito
Chair: Jim Ferris
Improving post-secondary success for first generation college students through community partnerships: programming practices for charter high schools
Author: Chantelle Frazee
Chair: Deborah Natoli
Emerging best practices for using offline mobile phones to train English teachers in developing countries
Author: Katherine Guevara
Chair: Deborah Natoli
Urban Conservation in the Middle East: Globalization and Lack of Identity
Author: Arash Kalantari
Chair: Tridib Banerjee
County governance reform in California: introduction of the council‐executive model and the elected county‐executive
Author: Justin McCusker
Chair: Peter Robertson
Lessons from TAP implementation: obstacles and solutions to improve the transit users experience
Author: Grace Nadel
Chair: Juliet Musso
The use of mobile technology and mobile applications as the next paradigm in development: can it be a game-changer in development for women in rural Afghanistan?
Author: Abdullah Shefa
Chair: Peter Robertson
Building Spiritual Capital in Religious Communities: How and Why?
Author: James Thomas
Chair: LaVonna Lewis
“Life Without Nuclear Power” A Nuclear Plant Retirement Formulation Model and Guide based on Economics San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station Case: Economic Impacts and Reliability Considerations Leading to Plant Retirement
Author: Frank Wasko
Chair: Robert Denhardt
Class of 2014
The impact of social capital: A case study on the role of social capital in the restoration and recovery of communities after disasters
Author: Jacob Anthony Avila
Chair: Peter Robertson, Ph.D.
Conditions for an app serving unplanned urban communities: Integrating cell phones into health promotion messaging
Author: Shirley Feldmann-Jensen
Chair: Juliet Musso, Ph.D.
Embedding sustainability: a change management guide for ports
Author: Jan Green Rebstock
Chair: Dan Mazmanian
The nature of gang spawning communities: African American gangs in Compton, CA: 1960-2013
Author: Aubrey Relf
Chair: Leonard Mitchell
The Role of Green Codes and Sustainable Rating Systems in Practicing Sustainability
Author: Azita Rezvan
Chair: Tridib Banerjee
Homegrown violent extremism: Designing a community-based model to reduce the risk of recruitment and radicalization
Author: Erroll Southers
Chair: Eric Heikkila, Ph.D.
Urban universities’ campus expansion projects in the 21st century: a case study of the University of Southern California’s “Village at USC” project and its potential economic and social impacts on its local community to provide a template for future expansion projects
Author: Jeffrey Wigintton
Chair: James Moore
Institutional analysis of factors critical to facilitating project management and implementation of Metro ExpressLanes
Author: Yvonee Zheng
Chair: Genevieve Giuliano
Class of 2013
San Francisco Recreation & Park Department Climate Action Plan: repositioning to a sustainable parks & open space system
Author: Ana Alvarez
Chair: Dan Mazmanian
Planning care with the patient in the room: a patient-focused approach to reducing heart failure readmissions
Author: Lynn Garofalo
Chair: Robert Myrtle
Improvement of health care delivery in America: medical office compliance certification system implementation
Author: Thomas Nowlin
Chair: LaVonna Lewis
The Spatial economic impact of live music in Orange County, California
Author: Jeremy Daniel Olson-Shelton
Chair: Gary Painter, Ph.D.
Intersect policing: bringing CompStat to the field level to reduce the fear and incidence of crime
Author: Edward Pape
Chair: Harry Richardson
Tailoring Philanthropic Strategies to New Generational Cohorts
Author: Tina Mallinson Pakfar
Chair: Robert C Myrtle, D.P.A.
Class of 2012
Emerging catastrophes in slums of the developing world: considerations for policy makers
Author: Steven Jensen
Chair: Peter Robertson
Values-based discipline: The key to organizational transformation within law enforcement agencies
Author: Bernard Melekian
Chair: Terry Cooper, Ph.D.
A robust model for disaster risk and decision analysis
Author: Carl Southwell
Chair: Detlof von Winterfeldt
Public-private partnerships in freight-rail capacity improvement
Author: Cameron Wilson
Chair: Harry Richardson