2025-2026 Graduate Student Research
August 19, 2026
Each year, College of Leadership & Public Service students step into their fields with curiosity and conviction, tackling the kinds of questions that help shape communities. Rooted in service and shaped by purpose, students' final research projects reflect the heart of the CLPS mission: to equip leaders who are ready to serve where it counts.
The following list displays the breadth of research completed by graduate students in the 2026 academic year.
Institute for Sustainable Practice:
M.S. in Sustainability
Karen Cubides (‘26) - “Interactive Map of the Glen Leven Farm’s Arboretum” Applying GIS Specialization to Support Urban Forestry in Nashville, Tennessee”
Peter Dudley (‘25) - “Making Nashville Living Building Challenge Ready”
Anthony Frattaroli (‘25) - “An Analysis of Construction Material Sustainability and Options for Improvement and Internships in Geologic Consulting and Applications”
Braden Galbreath (‘26) - “Careers for Mechanical Engineers in a Changing Profession”
Melanie Jebens (‘25) - “Sustainable Food Systems in Sports Venues: A review of current practices and future opportunities”
Alaina Kurt (‘25) - “The Sustainability Field and Career Impacts of the LEED GA and CC-P Candidate Certifications”
Stephen Minton (‘25) - “Scaling the Commons Beneath Our Feet”
Sam Potter (‘25) - “Sustainability of the Game of Golf”
Hilary Swaim (‘26) - “Botanical Garden Education as a Leverage Point: Designing and Launching a Certificate Program for Ecological Transitions in Residential Landscapes”
Institute for Conflict Management:
M.A. in Conflict Management
Manny Belay (‘26) - “Organizational Conflict in Law Firms”
Lily Corley (‘26) - “Creative Arts in Peacebuilding: Practices from Dance, Theatre, and Storytelling”
Mallory Eason - “Hyperresilience in Special Operations Forces: Trauma Exposure, Family Impact, and PTSD Development”
Nick Ingold (‘26) - “Conflict Escalation, Legitimacy, and Honor-Based Violence: A Conflict Management Analysis of the Hatfield-McCoy Feud”
AnnMarie Alexander (‘26) - A Residence Hall Peer Mediation Program
Kevin Starks (‘26) - “Stewarding Conflict through Athletics, Community, and Student Formation”
School of Public Policy
M.A. in Leadership & Public Service
Courtney Blaise (‘25) - “Culturally Relevant Food Distribution”
Mark Billingsley (‘25) - “The Mental Health Crisis in the Shelby County Jail”
Tyler Boldin (‘25) - “Closing the Mentoring Gap in Tennessee”
Jorge Castaneda (‘25) - Improving Municipal Solid Waste Management in a Peruvian Community”
Allison Comer (‘25) - “The Role of Play in Enhancing STEM Engagement and Shaping Career Trajectories for Tennessee Students”
Derek Driskill (‘25) - “The Economic Impact of Natural Disasters”
Barry Gobble (‘25) - “Immigration: Examining Autonomy to the State”
Britney Gunn (‘25) - “Military Reservists in the Civilian Workforce: Overcoming Underemployment Barriers”
Andrew Harris (‘25) - “Emergency Services in Rural Appalachia”
Jeannie Hayes (‘25) - “Behind Closed Doors: The Silent Struggle of Unsupported Informal Caregivers”
Teshanda Middleton (‘25) - “Addressing Mental Health Disparities Among Marginalized Youth”
David A. Morgan (‘25) - “Modernization of Tennessee Utility Districts”
Patrick Morris (‘25) - “Reviving Volunteerism in the Volunteer State”
Alec Richardson (‘25) - “Tennessee’s Energy Supply and Demand Challenge”
Jenny Rish (‘25) - “English Language Access to Rural Areas”
Katie Scarboro (‘25) - “Isolating Factors: Reviewing Platform-Based Work for Causes and Effects of Social Isolation and Loneliness”
Clint Shrum (‘25) - “Lessons Not Learned: Police Leadership, Culture and Mindset”
Karen E. Vogelsang (‘25) - “The Importance of Parental Involvement in Public Education in Tennessee”
Jynnifer J. Walker (‘25) - “Examining Homelessness in Metro Nashville”
Herman Williams (‘25) - “Rethinking the Future of Work in Tennessee and Beyond, in light of the 4th & 5th Industrial Revolutions”
Master of Public Administration
Kevin Clark (‘25) - “Impacts of Immigration Policy on Tennessee’s Construction Industry”
William Clayton (‘25) - “Equitable Greening in Nashville”
Carson Coward (‘25) - “Addressing the Affordable Housing Crisis Amid East Tennessee’s Population Boom”
Nicole Hooper (‘25) - “Testing for English Language Learners: How Tennessee Can Reform Testing Accommodations to Show What ELL Students Truly Know”
Joshua Joslin (‘25) - “Powering the Tennessee of Tomorrow, Today”
Elizabeth Peters (‘25) - “Addressing Tennessee’s Affordable Housing Crisis: State-Level Policy Solutions”
Madison Schomer (‘25) - “The STRONG Act: Administrative, Financial, and Programmatic Challenges”
Kayla Torres-Wood (‘25) - “Navigating Growth: Evaluating Transportation Solutions Along Interstate 24 from Murfreesboro to Nashville, Tennessee”
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