Northern Illinois University
Center for Nonprofit and NGO Studies
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

I am looking forward to working with all as the new acting director for the Center for Nonprofit and NGO Studies, a unique and innovative interdisciplinary center that provides opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to learn about and contribute to research and practice in the area of nonprofits and NGOS, locally as well as globally. The center has a strong reputation for its collaboration with local and regional nonprofit organizations, and faculty affiliated with the center possess expertise on a variety of topics and issues that are critical to our region and beyond, such as humanitarian aid; migration; nonprofit management; disasters; diversity, equity and inclusion; antiracism; and community organizing and engagement. 

I come to the center from the Department of Educational Technology, Research and Assessment, in the College of Education, where I have served as a faculty member for 18 years, teaching graduate-level classes in qualitative and participatory research and engaging in a number of community-based research projects. My own professional trajectory began as a community-based educator in Humboldt Park, Chicago, as a program director for a family literacy program of the Puerto Rican Cultural Center in 1993. Since that time, I have been involved with several nonprofit and community-based organizations in Chicago that address a host of important issues in the areas of education, housing, economic development, health and wellness, and arts and culture. My own research has involved working with staff and youth at an alternative school on research and programming around mentorship and advocacy for and by Pregnancy & Parenting Youth. I have also conducted extensive research on community-based research, and authored Community-based Qualitative Research: Approaches for Education and the Social Sciences, a book published by SAGE in 2017. I have investigated the forging of equitable and authentic community-university partnerships in diverse settings, with a particular emphasis on projects in Chicago, Puerto Rico, and Taiwan. 

This coming year, we are excited about continuing all of the great work that the center has been involved with, and in some instances expanding center initiatives. Our “Real Talk and Big Ideas” series this year will focus on issues of migration. Entitled “People on the Move,” this series will explore non-governmental organizations’ role in and responses to migration, bringing together experts and scholars from a variety of disciplines. We are also looking forward to engaging with alumni to provide professional development to nonprofit leaders and staff in the region. Stay tuned for more information! 

As I learn more about the center, I continue to be impressed by its extensive and robust network and inspired by the enthusiasm, passion, and dedication of students, alumni, staff, and faculty associated with the center. As a community, region, and world, we face many challenges and obstacles, but also opportunities to engage in collective efforts to make the world a better place.  

Please feel free to reach out to me at LRJOHNSON@niu.edu or stop by Zulauf Hall, Room 114, I look forward to getting to know you and learning more about your experiences and ideas! 

Warmly, 

Laura Ruth Johnson