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Dr. Fairholm is Professor of Public Administration with a joint appointment in the Department of Political Science and the W.O. Farber Center for Civic Leadership at USD. His academic and professional interests focus on public administration, leadership theory and practice, and Constitutional governance. Dr. Fairholm's teaching and training experience spans the public, private, non-profit, and university settings. Prior to coming to USD, Dr. Fairholm was the Director of Leadership Studies and Development at the Center for Excellence in Municipal Management (currently the Center for Excellence in Public Leadership) and Instructor of Public Administration at The George Washington University, where he continues to serve as a Senior Fellow. Dr. Fairholm worked in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), entering the federal service as a Presidential Management Intern. After his appointment, he continued to work at DOE in the areas of congressional, intergovernmental, international and public affairs and also in the Department's science research and development division. Previous to DOE, he worked in a software development firm focusing on grassroots political activity. His published articles appear in leadership and public administration journals. He is the author, with his father, of the book Understanding Leadership Perspectives: Theoretical and Practical Applications (Springer). His latest book is entitled Putting Your Values to Work: Becoming the Leader Others Want to Follow (Praeger).
Public Administration; Leadership Theory and Practice; Organizational Behavior and Development, Constitutional Governance
Areas of special interest within the profession include: Leadership Development; Public Administration Theory; Local Government; Executive Education / Public Management and Leadership Capacity Building