Melissa A. Gaeke
Director, Center for Civic Engagement and Leadership; Senior Professional Lecturer in Political Science
Bio
Prior to arriving at Marist in the fall of 2014, Melissa was the Executive Director of Academic Partnerships from 2010 - 2014 at the University of Southern California. In that role, she created and supported partnerships between USC’s civic engagement programs, the research of the University’s academic units, and community stakeholders. She was involved in documenting USC’s civic engagement efforts, as well as strengthening the infrastructure that supported the work.
From 2003-2010, Melissa served as the Director of the USC Volunteer Center, where she was responsible for implementing a variety of community service and service learning programs for undergraduate students. Melissa began her career in New York City where she held a variety of leadership positions at Jacob Riis Neighborhood Settlement, a mid-sized social service agency in Queens, NY from 1994-1999.
Education
PhD, University of Southern California
MPA, New York University
BA, Colorado State University
Research Interests / Areas of Focus
Her research and teaching interests include civic engagement, models of civic education, citizenship, American politics, deliberative democracy, and public ethics. Professionally, she has more than 15 years of experience creating and supporting civic engagement programs for students, faculty and community stakeholders.
Selected Publications
Gaeke, Melissa A. (2009). Exploring student motivations toward civic engagement: An application of expectancy-value theory. (Doctoral Dissertation) ProQuest/UMI (Publication No. 3355336).
Myrtle, R. C., Gaeke, M. & Cooper, T. (2003). "Trust, Deliberation and Changing Administrative Culture"; in Engaging the Global Community. Los Angeles: Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics, pp. 30-34.
Gaeke, M., Musso, J., Kitsuse, A., Lincove, E. & Salazar, P. (2002). Issues and Practices in Neighborhood Council Organizing: Community Case Studies. Neighborhood Participation Project Report.
Selected Presentations
Juliet Musso, Melissa Gaeke, & Carl Avery. The Geography of Neighborhood Organizational Activity in Los Angeles. Paper presented at the Annual Research Conference of The American Society for Public Administration, March 2002.
Melissa Gaeke, Juliet Musso, & Terry Cooper. Beyond NIMBY vs. Neighborhood Participation: Missions and Activities of Community Organizations in Los Angeles. Paper presented at the Annual Research Conference of The American Society for Public Administration, March 2001.
