About PNLC

We cultivate adaptive transformative leaders.

Research-based Knowledge
We generate rigorous and relevant research with public value.

We conduct research that builds public and nonprofit capacity. Our research helps people frame and solve problems. Because we integrate research, teaching, and programs, we leverage a network of deep skills and expertise.

Practitioner Network
We provide resources, connections, and community for public affairs leaders and managers.

We have unique practitioner relationships that inform everything we do, from choosing research projects to customizing our professional programs to connecting students with current developments in practice. These relationships form a network that allows us to connect practitioners, faculty, staff, students, and the public.

Relevant Teaching Tools
We create learning materials that build individual capacity.

We capitalize on the educational benefits of technology through web-enhanced course management as well as blogs, video, and podcasts regularly in our teaching and engagement efforts. Our multi-media materials are available to anyone committed to public affairs education, building skills and highlighting critical lessons for effective practice.

About the Public and Nonprofit Leadership Center

Our faculty's research strengths, our access to additional researchers within the Humphrey School and the University, and our combined ability to convene high-level policymakers for planning and action make us a vital resource for the community. We are unique in the United States in our concentration on all three public service institutions—nonprofits, philanthropy, and the public sector—and our focus on furthering understanding of the effectiveness of cross-sector partnerships for solving complex public problems.

Building on 20-years of experience, beginning with the Reflective Leadership Center, and the “Program on Philanthropy, Nonprofits, and Public Policy,” directed by our late colleague Bill Diaz, the PNLC supports high-quality, well-trained, and experienced leaders who understand how to work collaboratively for the public good. We assemble the School's nationally-ranked scholarship and education efforts in nonprofit management, interdisciplinary leadership, and management research, while accessing the broader University’s teaching, research, interdisciplinary activities, and crucial state and local partnerships to serve the common interest.