Jennifer M. Brinkerhoff

Jennifer Brinkerhoff is a professor of public administration and international affairs at the George Washington University. She holds a Ph.D. in public administration from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. She teaches courses on public service, international development policy and administration, and development management. She is particularly keen on encouraging people to pursue service careers, thoughtfully grounding their commitment to change in self-awareness and working in communities. To that end, she and her husband, Derick W. Brinkerhoff, published the book Working for Change: Making a Career in International Public Service; and with Aaron Williams and Taylor Jack, she co-authored The Young Black Leader’s Guide to a Successful Career in International Affairs: What the Giants Want You to Know.

Dr. Brinkerhoff has expertise on public-private partnerships, governance, NGOs, development management, and diasporas. Her publications include eight books, as well as four co-edited journal issues and over seventy articles and book chapters on topics ranging from institutional reform, to evaluation; NGOs; failed states; governance; and diaspora identity, development contributions, citizenship, and policy.

Dr. Brinkerhoff has consulted for multilateral development banks, bilateral assistance agencies, NGOs, and foundations. Her applied work encompasses partnership, civil society, institutional development, development management, and training methodologies, and includes work for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Netherlands; and in Africa, China, Mongolia, Central Asia, and Russia for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the World Bank. She has delivered training related to diasporas and development to U.S. State Department Foreign Service and Desk Officers, USAID staff, international development consulting firms, and diaspora organizations and other government officials in the U.S., the Netherlands, and Sweden.

Professor Brinkerhoff's CV