Merritt Advances Public Leadership Through New Endowed Professorship

For Associate Professor Cullen Merritt, a commitment to serving the public good began at home. His parents were both public servants who made time to volunteer in their community and stay involved in his schools. Today, Merritt carries that commitment into his work as a scholar, educator and mentor at the School of Public Policy. He was recently appointed the Levenson Family Do Good Institute Endowed Professor, a role that builds on his research into how organizations and their leaders can better serve the public good.

As the Do Good Institute celebrates its 10th anniversary, Merritt will help advance its mission through research, academic program development and engagement. He will develop and lead research initiatives focused on social impact, community engagement, nonprofits, philanthropy and leadership, while helping strengthen the Institute’s connections across the university and beyond.

Merritt believes that meaningful public leadership requires contributions from across sectors. While government plays an essential role in advancing the public good, nonprofit organizations and businesses have important responsibilities as well. “Effective public leadership centers on a commitment to elevating the public good,” said Merritt, “particularly for society's most vulnerable populations, and on the courage to challenge the status quo in how we meet this goal.” That perspective aligns closely with the Do Good Institute's commitment to developing public leaders and helping students and scholars create positive social impact. 

One area Merritt is particularly interested in is the role of service in higher education. Although universities consider research, teaching and service fundamental to their missions, his current research examines why faculty service is often discouraged or undervalued in academic settings. He is exploring how that disconnect limits universities’ ability to create public value and what institutions can do to better recognize and support service.

For Merritt, the value of research extends beyond publication. He wants his findings to challenge conventional thinking, inform how organizations operate and help people become more effective leaders. “Publishing high-quality research matters, but it can only gain impact if it challenges my discipline to think differently, if I embed this knowledge in the classroom and if it informs the work of governments, organizations and managers,” said Merritt.

Merritt has brought that same approach to his work as research director of the Institute for Public Leadership (IPL), where he has developed initiatives to support faculty research and emerging scholars. The IPL Seed Grant Program supports multidisciplinary faculty research with the potential for external funding and impact in Maryland. The Summer Doctoral Research Fellowship helps advance doctoral scholarship on public leadership, while the Public Leadership Research Summit brings together early-career scholars from across the country to share ideas, build connections and develop their work.

Merritt’s commitment to mentorship extends to students in the Project for Research on Organizations, Management, and Publicness Theory (PROMPT) lab, where he supports emerging scholars pursuing research on organizations and public management. 

Building on his work in research and mentorship, Merritt will take on new responsibilities with the Do Good Institute as it enters its second decade. “As I step into the Levenson Family Do Good Institute Endowed Professor role,” said Merritt, “I am excited to apply my work as a scholar to become a change agent.”