NC State
Bruce D. McDonald, III

Training and interacting with doctoral students is one of the more rewarding aspects of my career. I have had the opportunity to work with a number of talented people who pursued a variety of research projects. In addition to serving on dissertation committees, frequently with doctoral students to develop research ideas, carry out the research projects, and turn their work into a research agenda. The outcome of these interactions has been successful with students publishing in a number of well-established venues, including Public Administration Review, American Review of Public Administration and Public Budgeting and Finance, among others.

Current Students

Matthew Leight, Public Administration (Chair)

Expected Completion: 2023

Honey Minkowitz, Public Administration (Co-Chair)

Expected Completion: 2023

Michaela E. Abbott, Public Administration (Chair)

Expected Completion: 2024


Dissertations Chaired

John Winston Decker, Public Administration

Dissertation: Tax and Expenditure Limitations (TELs): Their Diffusion Across the U.S.A. and Effect on Government Outcomes
Defended: March 2021
Initial Placement: Senior Policy Analyst, The Hunt Institute, Duke University

Vincent Reitano, Public Administration

Dissertation: Fiscal Stabilization in Local Governments
Defended: March 2017
Initial Placement: Public Finance Associate, Government Finance Officers Association
Current Position: Assistant Professor, Western Michigan University


Dissertation Committees

Marta Squadrito, Public Administration

Graduating Institution: Virginia Commonwealth University
Dissertation: Moving Forward: Self-Efficacy to Empower and to Achieve Organizational Inclusion
Defended: July 2021

Sean Brazier, Public Administration

Graduating Institution: Virginia Commonwealth University
Dissertation: States’ Pursuit of Growth: Does Economic Development Spending Make a Difference
Defended: December 2020

Jaeyong Lee, Public Administration

Graduating Institution: Virginia Commonwealth University
Dissertation: Understanding Knowledge Sharing Motivation in the Public Sector: Application of Self-Determination and Person-Environment Fit Theories
Defended: May 2017
Current Position: Senior Researcher, Korea Research Institute for Local Administration

Monica Bixby, Sociology

Dissertation: Does Perception of School Safety Bolster the Effects of Family and School Social Capital?: An Examination of Educational Attainment, Running Away from Home and Violence
Defended: January 2017
Current Position: Assistant Professor, Southeast Missouri State University