Graduate Research in the College of Leadership & Public Service

June 17, 2025

2024-2025 Graduate Research in the College of Leadership & Public Service

Each year, students from across the College of Leadership & Public Service engage in research that addresses complex issues in government, nonprofit leadership, conflict management, sustainability, and beyond. Rooted in service and shaped by purpose, these projects reflect the heart of Lipscomb’s mission—to equip leaders who are ready to serve where it counts. The following list highlights recent graduate research showcasing academic rigor and a deep commitment to the public good.

Institute for Conflict Management

M.A. in Conflict Management

  • Liberty Liefield ('24): "The Internal and External Factors that Perpetuate Generational Trauma"
  • Jayln Holcomb ("24): "Nonverbal Communication and How it Affects Players"
  • Adelita Ferrel ('24): "Emotional Transformation Through Compassion"
  • Ken Robinson ('24): "Reorienting Leaders through Systems Thinking"
  • Melinda Whitley ('24): "Conflict Management in the Symphony Orchestra Tenure Process"
  • Micah White ('25): "Positive Conflict Facilitation in Organizational Teams"
  • Shauna Webb ('25): "A Bow and Arrow Effect: Pulling Back to Move Forward. A conflict management analysis of leaders in large organizations with DEI Teams"
  • Jane Crothers ('25): "Fostering the Parent-Teacher Partnership in Education to Improve Conflict"
  • Casey Presler ('25): "The Music in Conflict: How Nashville's Nonprofit Timely Scores Conflict and Navigates Issues in the Music Industry"
  • Hunter Borash ('25): "Co-op Hubs for Mediation Information in the Eastern Division (TN) Reviewed"

  • Charles Whitmer ('25): "The South Cumberland Regional Land Trust and Consensus Decision Making"

     

Institute for Sustainable Practice

M.S. in Sustainability

  • Alison Baker ('24): "Retrofitting Municipal Buildings"
  • Virginia Petitte ('24): "Designing Potential: Sustainability from a Design Framework"
  • Nick Corniea ('24): "Personal Family High Performance Home Design"
  • Ashley Newby ('25): "Importance of Sustainability within Children's Hospitals"
  • Lee Stephenson ('25): "Undergraduate Sustainability Course for Tennessee Technological University"
  • Haley Zurita ('25): "Promoting Solar Energy Adoption in Underserved Louisiana Communities: Barriers, Solutions, and Policy Recommendations"

 

School of Public Policy

M.A. in Leadership & Public Service

  • Jesse Ball ('25): "Annual Honey Bee Colony Loss"
  • Aaron Hamby ('25): "Addressing the Affordable Housing Crisis Amid East Tennessee's
    Population Boom"
  • Candice Wenger ('25): "Revitalizing Athens: Pathways to Sustainable Growth"
  • Carol Rose ('25): "Reducing Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment in the US Military"
  • Brandon Keys ('25): "Raising Reading Test Scores For Tennessee Third-Graders"
  • Lauren Shahan ('25): "The Hidden Dangers of Screen Time: Negative Effects on Young
    Children’s Health and Development"
  • Jay Deason: "Energy Security for Tennessee: Small Modular Nuclear Reactors and
    Micro-Grids"
  • Clinton Sutherland ('25): "Overcrowding in Rutherford County Schools"
  • James C. Scates ('25): "Navigating Growth: Evaluating Transportation Solutions Along
    Interstate 24 from Murfreesboro to Nashville, Tennessee"
  • Brandon Yelland ('25): "Davidson County’s Homelessness and Mental Health Crisis"
  • James Watkins-Lynch ('25): "Affordable Housing & Good Neighbor Home Loan"
  • Christy Driscoll ('25): "A Call to Stop Equine Exportation for Slaughter"
  • Kimberly Isham ('25): "From Burnout to Balance: Proactively Addressing Mental Health and
    Organizational Factors in the Fire Service"
  • Christie Brown ('25): "Lack of School Bus Drivers in Wilson County"
  • Ciara Nelson ('25): "Congressional Term Limits"
  • Casey Mitchell ('25): "Name, Image, and Likeness: Aggressive Legislation to Attract and
    Empower Student-Athletes"
  • Michael Johnson ('25): "The Future of Construction: Skilled Labor Focus"
  • Tamecca Johnson ('25): "Suicide Prevention in the Military"
  • Wesley Groves ('25): "A Clean Slate: Clemency as an incentive for completing job skills
    training while incarcerated"
  • Eric Osborne ('25): "Social Media Impact On Adolescent Mental Health"
  • Empathy Guerin ('25): "Preparing Tennessee Children to Handle Adverse Childhood
    Experiences"
  • Katherine Lawrence ('25): "Bridging the Insurance Gap for Tennessee Veterans’ Families"
  • Larriel Shaw ('25): "The Maternal Mortality of Black Women: Postpartum Edition"

Master of Public Administration

  • Elizabeth Batluck ('24): "Access to Postsecondary Education for Adults with Disabilities in
    Tennessee"
  • Kira Jimenez ('24): "Tennessee Foster Care"
  • Allison Rutland ('24): "Immigration, Public Charge, and the Unsafe 'Safety Net'"
  • Seeley Smith ('24): "Access to Mental Health Services for Enlisted Women and Women
    Veterans"
College of Leadership and Public Service News
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