Max Stephenson Jr

Professor of Public and International Affairs, Director of

Institute for Policy and Governance, Virginia Tech

Biography:

Max Stephenson, Jr. serves as a Professor of Public and International Affairs and Director of the Institute for Policy and Governance at Virginia Tech. His current research and teaching interests include leadership, community change and democratization processes, NGOs and international development, peacebuilding and humanitarian relief. He is the author, co-author or editor of 8 books and more than 60 academic articles and book chapters. He also writes essays on current political and policy concerns for two commentary series, Soundings and Tidings, published bi-weekly and quarterly respectively. He is currently at work on two books, scheduled for publication in 2019 by Virginia Tech Press. Conversations in Community Change: Voices from the Field, is an edited collection of interviews with 30 individuals seeking community change at multiple geographic scales and in different parts of the political economy. Fragile Foundations and Enduring Challenges: Essays on Democratic Politics and Governance, is a compilation of 124 essays, originally published as commentaries, addressing the dynamics of democratic politics. Dr. Stephenson obtained his Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD degrees from the University of Virginia.