Heather Carpenter PhD

Biography

Dr. Carpenter is a highly networked nonprofit professor, researcher, consultant, and trainer passionate about nonprofit capacity building and talent development. She has served as a nonprofit professor and academic program director for over ten years and a nonprofit leader for over 20 years. She serves as Executive Director of the Institute for Nonprofit Administration and Research at LSU Shreveport. INAR’s mission is to conduct research and disseminate knowledge about nonprofit organizations. It has three programmatic areas: academics, professional development, and research.

She has published numerous academic journal articles and books. She previously served as co-editor and chief of the Journal of Nonprofit Education and Leadership and was on the board of the Nonprofit Academic Centers Council, the national accrediting body for nonprofit academic degree programs from 2017-2023. In 2022, the Nonprofit Times selected Dr. Carpenter as a Top 50 Power and Influence Nonprofit Leader.

Dr. Carpenter is a lifetime member of Girl Scouts, active in the Downtown Shreveport Rotary Club, and serves on the advisory committee for the Greater Shreveport Chamber of Commerce Leadership Program. She was recently named to the Volunteer Louisiana Commission by the Governor. This state service commission has a mission to "Strengthen Louisiana communities through volunteerism and national service."

She earned her Ph.D. in Leadership Studies with an emphasis on Nonprofit and Philanthropic Leadership from the University of San Diego and a Master of Management in Nonprofit Administration from North Park University in Chicago, Illinois. Her husband is a Navy Veteran and Captain at Spirit Airlines, and they have a 13-year-old daughter.

Degrees

Research Interests

Nonprofit and Philanthropic Studies Education
Nonprofit Workforce
Nonprofit Careers
Service-learning
Community engagement
Nonprofit Professional Development
Nonprofit Capacity Building

Selected Publications

• Carpenter, H., Taylor, M., Petrescu, C., Fox, J. Goodman, H. (2023). "Ten years a retrospect: A content analysis of the Journal of Nonprofit Education and Leadership." Journal of Nonprofit Education and Leadership. 13.1
• Mirabella, R., Dolch, N. Wise, H., Carpenter, H. (2022). Nonprofit Management and Social Change. Sagamore Nonprofit Studies Book Series. Sagamore Press. (Peer Reviewed).
• Carpenter, H., Stork, N., Coontz, E. (2022). State of the Nonprofit Sector in Louisiana: Economic Report and Survey Report. Institute for Nonprofit Administration and Research, Louisiana State University Shreveport. Funded by the Norman A. Dolch Super Professorship.
• Carpenter, H. (2022) "Assessing Nonprofit Academic Programs: A More Inclusive Approach." In W. Brown & M. Hale (Eds.). Preparing Leaders of Nonprofit Organizations: Routledge.
• Mirabella, R., Carpenter, H., Dolch, N. Wise, H., Hoffman, T. (July 2020). Nonprofit Crisis Management: Response to COVID:19 Sagamore Nonprofit Studies Book Series. Sagamore Press.
• Bezboruah, K. & Carpenter, H. (April 2020 hardback, September 2021 paperback) (Eds. & Chapter Contributors). Teaching Nonprofit Management Textbook. Edward Elgar Publishing. (Peer Reviewed).
• Carpenter, H. (2017). Philanthropy: Evidence in Favor of a Profession. Foundation Review. 9(4). 65-75.
• Lake, D., Mileva, G., Carpenter, H. L., Carr, D., Lancaster, P., Yarbrough, T. (2017). Shifting Engagement Efforts Through Disciplinary Departments: A Mistake or a Starting Point? A Cross-Institutional, Multi-Department Analysis. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement. 21(3), pp. 135-164.
• Carpenter H. (2017). Talent Management. Eds. Word and Sowa. The Nonprofit Human Resource Management Handbook: From Theory to Practice. Taylor & Francis. 8. pp. 122-141.
• Carpenter, H. (2017). Curriculum Mapping Models and other Processes that Might Work for Nonprofit and Philanthropy Accreditation. Journal of Nonprofit Education and Leadership. V7(SI1). 111-117.
• Carpenter, H. (2017). Teaching and Training in Nonprofit Organizations. Ed. Ali Farazmand. Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance. Springer.
• Carpenter, H. (2016). Perceptions for a Professional Doctorate in Philanthropy Program. Journal of Nonprofit Education and Leadership. 6(3). 224-242.
• Carpenter, H., Qualls, T. (2015). The Talent Development Platform: Putting People First in Social Change Organizations (pp. 600) San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
• Carpenter, H., Adler, S. (2015) Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Success: PAWS With A Cause. In Hugo Asencio, Rui Sun (Eds.). Cases on Strategic Social Media Utilization in the Nonprofit Sector. Hershey, Pennsylvania: IGI Global.
• Carpenter, H. (2014). A Look at Experiential Education in Nonprofit-Focused Graduate Degree Programs. Journal of Nonprofit Education and Leadership, 4(2), 114-138.
• Carpenter, H., Selimyan, G. (2014). 2014 Professional Development Needs Assessment: A Profile of the Most Urgent Professional Development Needs of Council on Foundations. Report for the Council on Foundations.
• Carpenter, H., Beck, D., Choi, I. (2013). ARNOVA Professional Development Needs Assessment. Report for the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action.
• Carpenter, H., Clarke, A., Gregg, R. (2013). 2013 Nonprofit Needs Assessment: A Profile of Michigan's Most Urgent Professional Development Needs. Report for the Johnson Center on Philanthropy.
• Ronquillo, J. C., Hein, W. E., Carpenter, H. (2013). Reviewing the literature on leadership in nonprofit organizations. In Ronald J. Burke, Cary L. Cooper (Eds.), Human Resource Management In The Nonprofit Sector: Passion, Purpose, and Professionalism. Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar Publishing.
• Word, J., Carpenter, H. (2013). The New Public Service? Applying Public Service Motivation Model to Understanding the Motivation of Nonprofit Employees. Public Personnel Management (IPMA-HR), 42(315-336).
• Altman, S., Carpenter, H., Deitrick, L., Strom, S. A., Van Horn, T. (2012). Impact of the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance, an Undergraduate Competency-Based Nonprofit Program, on Alumni Career Paths. Journal of Nonprofit Education and Leadership, 2(3), 123-139.

Teaching Assignments

NPA 708, Nonprofit Administration Theory and Research
NPA 761, Nonprofit Financial Management
NPA 798, Directed Project

Office Hours