Professor, Public Administration
Graduate Certificate in Community Development Policy & Practice
West Virginia University
Morgantown, WV, USA
Email: Margaret.Stout@mail.wvu.edu Phone: (304) 293-7978
Website: https://publicadmin.wvu.edu/faculty-and-staff/public-administration-directory/margaret-stout-ph-d
Interest in CDE Collaborative
As a community development practitioner, I advocate for participatory democratic practice that builds self-efficacy, agency, and solidarity. I bring these practices into graduate education through service learning and applied research in collaboration with host communities.
Quick Bio
Margaret Stout is an Associate Professor at West Virginia University, having joined the faculty in 2009. Prior to her appointment, she taught for two years at Bridgewater State College (now University) in Massachusetts. She holds a Ph.D. in Public Administration (Arizona State University, 2007), a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership and Management (Arizona State University, 2004), a Master of Science in Management (National Louis University, 1988), a Bachelor of Science in Psychology (Northern Arizona University, 1982), and an Associate of Arts in Human Services (Kendall College, 1980).
Dr. Stout is internationally recognized for her theoretical contributions to the field of public administration and governance studies. Her research explores the role of public and nonprofit practitioners in achieving democratic social, economic, and environmental justice with specific interests in administrative theory and sustainable community development. She has a particularly strong interest in the philosophical underpinnings of these issues, as shown in her books. Additional work can be found in a host of academic and professional journals, as listed in her CV.
Dr. Stout is also generating a portfolio of empirical research focused on local governance and community development. This work builds on her practitioner background, having enjoyed a career in community development and nonprofit management spanning over twenty years (some of which was under the married name, Tchida). Specializing in community building and strategic planning, she organized her own neighborhood and then led a group of nine adjacent neighborhoods in organizing for social and physical betterment through a community-based organization called Northwest Tempe Neighborhoods Community Development Corporation, or NewTowN CDC. Its mission was to create a sustainable urban village in the heart of the Phoenix metropolitan area, doing so through neighborhood planning and advocacy, historic preservation, affordable housing, basic goods and service businesses, and a Community Land Trust. While subsequently reduced in scope and name, NewTown CDC continues successful operations today.
Dr. Stout went on to consult with other nonprofits in community and youth development through Venture Catalyst (Tucson) and Fourth Sector Collaborations (Phoenix), with a client list including: the Arizona Department of Commerce Housing and Infrastructure Development, Yuma Neighborhood Development Organization, Capitol Mall Association, Barrios Unidos Land Trust, DreamBuilders Community Development Corporation, Kino Coalition Weed & Seed, Valley of the Sun YMCA, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boys & Girls Clubs of the East Valley, Parents Anonymous, Maricopa County Head Start, Arizona Character Education Foundation, Anytown Arizona, and the Tomales Bay Institute. Her services included community planning, organizational development, program and project design and evaluation, resource development, and project management. Dr. Stout continues her passion for community building through service learning and action research projects as a faculty member.
Dr. Stout contributes to the vitality of her fields of study and practice through ongoing service to sections and executive boards of the American Society for Public Administration, the Public Administration Theory Network, and the Community Development Society. She also serves on the editorial boards of Administrative Theory & Praxis (US), Public Policy & Administration (UK), and Teaching Public Administration (UK) and provides peer review and guest editing for these and a host of other academic journals.