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Zachary D. Wood, PhD

Assistant Professor

Biography

Zachary D. Wood is an Assistant Professor in the Dept of Public Affairs and Nonprofit Leadership at Seattle University. He holds a PhD in Public Affairs from Rutgers University, with a specialization in Community Development.

Dr. Wood’s research and teaching foci center on issues of community development and urban social policy, applying critically-grounded frameworks to interrogate the structural power and resource arrangements that shape community access to power and decision-making, and its impacts on cities, neighborhoods, and people. His research has recently been published in a variety of book chapters and academic journals, and Dr. Wood frequently shares his work through invited lectures, media interviews, and public policy venues.

Dr. Wood is a passionate advocate for vibrant and collective expressions of democracy and social justice, with an eye toward centering the voices and lived experiences of people and groups consistently excluded from decision-making and economic structures.Additionally, he has more than a decade of experience working in the nonprofit sector in numerous leadership capacities, particularly in the areas of housing, homelessness and youth services, and he currently serves on the Board of Directors for The Mockingbird Society as well as the national youth advocacy organization, Youth Collaboratory.

Education

  • PhD, Public Affairs, Rutgers University
  • MS, Community Development, Rutgers University
  • MA, Urban Studies, Temple University
  • BA, Political Science, Temple University

Courses Taught

Sample of Recent Classes:

  • Power, Participation, and Social Change (PUBA 2020)
  • Community Development (PUBA 3800)
  • Urban Public Policy (PUBA 3720)
  • Urban Transportation Systems (PUBA 3740)
  • Urban (Re)Development in Berlin and Amsterdam (PUBA 3910)

Publications

Sample of Recent Publications:

  • Wood, Zachary D. and Prentiss A. Dantzler. (2024). “Urban Poverty: A Critical Perspective” in Handbook of Urban Politics and Policy. Ed. Ronald K. Vogel. Edward Elgar Publishing.

  • Nickels, Ashley E., Zachary D. Wood, and Kirk Leach. (2024). “Power, Democracy and Community Development in the US: Three Cases” in The Handbook of Critical Perspectives on Nonprofit Organizing and Voluntary Action: Concepts, Applications and Future Directions. Eds. Roseanne Mirabella, Tracey Coule and Angela Eikenberry. Edward Elgar Publishing.

  • Nickels, Ashley E., Amanda Clark, and Zachary D. Wood. (2020). How Municipal Takeovers Reshape Urban Democracy: Comparing the Experiences of Camden, New Jersey and Flint, Michigan. Urban Affairs Review. 56:3, 790-822.

  • Wood, Zachary D. (2018). “Advocating Against the Grain: Nonprofit Advocacy and Human Services” in Community Development and Public Administration Theory: Promoting Democratic Principles to Improve Communities. Eds. Jason D. Rivera and Ashley E. Nickels. Routledge.