Derrick Boakye Boadu, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Public Policy and Administration

EXPERTISE

• Local Government Administration
• Public and Nonprofit Management & Leadership
• Collaborative Governance
• Social Urban Policy

EDUCATION

Ph.D. in Public Affairs, Florida International University

Joint Master’s in Development & International Cooperation Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Charles University, & People’s Friendship University of Russia

Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Philosophy, & Classics, University of Ghana

BIOGRAPHY

Dr. Derrick Boakye Boadu is an Assistant Professor of Public Administration and Policy at the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). He is a Fellow of the prestigious Edward A. Bouchet Graduate Honor Society at Yale University, an honor that recognizes excellence in scholarly achievement. Dr. Boakye Boadu previously worked at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters in Manhattan, New York, and is a community consultant with Catalyst Miami in Florida. 

His expertise lies in leadership practices within local government administration, public and nonprofit management, collaborative governance, emergency management, and social urban policy. Dr. Boakye Boadu’s current research examines the management and collaboration of local government and nonprofit organizations, with a particular focus on collaborative fatigue, distributed (shared) leadership, housing displacement, community engagement, and gentrification. His research has been published in prominent journals, including the International Journal of Public Administration, Cities: The International Journal of Urban Policy and Planning, and Public Performance & Management Review. 

He speaks five languages, including English, Italian, and Twi.

SELECTED PUBLICATION 

• Boakye Boadu, D. & Kaizer, Z. R. M. A. (2026). Local government transparency and citizen satisfaction: The role of public trust and transformational leadership. International Journal of Public Administration (IJPA), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1080/01900692.2026.2667210 
• Boakye Boadu, D. & Kaizer, Z. R. M. A. (2026). Urban governance and sustainable city concept: Do the individual characteristics of city leaders and cities’ contextual factors affect the adoption of sustainable city policies?  Cities: The International Journal of Urban Policy and Planning, 170, 106626. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2025.106626 
• Chen, C., Boakye Boadu, D., & Xiao, R. (2022). Mask or no mask for COVID-19? Do the individual characteristics of governors affect the adoption of statewide public mask mandates? Public Performance & Management Review (PPMR), 45 (5), 1214-1234. https://doi.org/10.1080/15309576.2022.2093231 
• Fraser, N., Broxton, B., Wooten, A., & Boakye Boadu, D. (2021). Transformational leadership in times of crisis. International Journal on Organization Leadership, 9(2), 40-57. https://isolpublications.com/ijsol-vol-9-iss-2-july-2021/ 

SELECTED BOOKS & CHAPTERS

• Williams, K., Ganapati, E. N., Albrecht, F., Tagliacozzo, S., & Boakye Boadu, D. (2023). “Chapter 19: Crisis communication during the COVID-19 pandemic: A comparative perspective from the online communication of public health agencies in Italy, Sweden, and the U.S.” In crisis communication case studies on COVID-19: Multidimensional perspectives and applications. Perreault, M.F. & Smith-Frigerio, S. eds. Peter Lang. AEJMC Peter Lang Scholar Sourcing Printing.

• Boakye Boadu, D. & Kroll, A. Collaboration Fatigue: Keeping Cross-Organizational Partnerships from Falling Apart (2026). Contract Signed, Book in preparation for submission to Cambridge University Press.

SELECTED WORKING PROJECTS

• Boakye Boadu, D. The impact of team identification on distributive leadership: The case of shared and lived experience of anti-displacement community collaboration. 
• Boakye Boadu, D. Balancing social equity with urgency and scarcity in local government: The case of U.S. COVID-19 vaccination
• Boakye Boadu, D. & Kroll, A. Mechanisms explaining activated and sustained distributed leadership in collaborative governance. 
• Sultanova, A., Boakye Boadu, D., & Kroll, A. What type of boundary spanning matters for local governments? Comparing collaboration, professional networking, and public engagement
• Boakye Boadu, D., Nvidah, E., & Asamoa, E. Climate governance impact on democratic satisfaction: Evidence from developing and developed countries 
• Caraballo, A., Vogel, H. S., LaChapelle, K., Boakye Boadu, D., Niguidula, A., & Lewis, M. Student advocacy and organizing for disability justice in higher education. 

AWARDS

Dr. Boakye Boadu has received numerous honors and awards, including recognition as an Anthony R. Abraham Scholar. His achievements include the 2026 Best Reviewer Award from the Organizational Behavior Division of the Academy of Management, the ASPA Students and New Administrators Section (SNAPS) Emerging Scholar Dissertation Award, First Place in the ASPA National Capital Area Chapter Public Administration Essay Competition, the FIU Outstanding Graduate Student Scholar Finalist and Leadership Award, the People’s Choice Award at the FIU Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition, and the Distinguished Professor Meier Inclusion Award presented at the Public Management Research Association (PMRA) Conference. He is a Fellow of the Public Administration Theory Network (PATNet), the Maurice A. Ferré Institute for Civic Leadership, the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) Founders’ Fellowship, and the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM) Equity and Inclusion Fellowship. He also served as a Writing Fellow at the FIU Graduate School and the Association for Writing Across the Curriculum (AWAC).

PERSONAL WEBSITE 

www.dbboadu.com

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