Academic Biography

Dr. Cullen C. Merritt, an award-winning researcher and teacher, is an associate professor and research director of the Institute for Public Leadership (IPL) in the School of Public Policy (SPP) at the University of Maryland, College Park.
 
His research explores how managers across industries drive organizational performance to achieve public impact.  His current work includes a book project examining how organizational norms can undermine the missions of public organizations, with a particular focus on public higher education. Dr. Merritt's research appears in Public Administration Review, The American Review of Public Administration, Public Administration, Perspectives on Public Management and Governance, Inside Higher Ed, and numerous other outlets. His research has been nationally recognized by the American Society for Public Administration and the American Political Science Association.
 
Dr. Merritt's commitment to advancing his research agenda is not only reflected in his scholarly pursuits but also in his dedication to mentoring students within the Project for Research on Organizations, Management, and Publicness Theory (PROMPT) lab.
 
As an innovative research director at the Institute for Public Leadership, he has developed and led numerous initiatives to advance public leadership research at the University of Maryland and the broader public administration discipline. Key programs include the IPL Seed Grant Program, which funds University of Maryland faculty projects with potential for external funding, particularly those advancing public leadership in Maryland; the Summer Doctoral Research Fellowship, designed to support SPP doctoral research that significantly advances public leadership theory and practice; and the Public Leadership Research Summit, which promotes the work and development of early-career scholars across the United States making significant contributions to public and nonprofit management research.

As a leader within his academic community, Dr. Merritt served as associate editor of Public Administration Review (2021-2023) and co-chaired the 2023 Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA) Annual Conference.
 
A native of Texas, Dr. Merritt earned his Ph.D. in Public Administration and Master of Public Administration from the University of Kansas and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Texas A&M University.