Biography
Young-joo Lee is a Professor and the Eileen Lamb O’Gara Chair in Women’s Philanthropy at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. She is an organizational theory/behavior scholar, and her research centers on nonprofit governance and management, volunteerism, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). The majority of her research in nonprofit governance and management focuses on women’s leadership in the nonprofit sector. Her research examines how different dimensions of gender disparity in nonprofit leadership are interrelated. Young-joo Lee is also interested in volunteering in diverse contexts. The ultimate goal in her research on volunteering is to help people have a multicolor knowledge of volunteering, not just a black and white one. Her latest research examines the implications of intersectionality and marginalization for philanthropy and why it is important to take intersectionality into account when studying gender and philanthropy.
Young-joo Lee’s research has been highly cited globally. She is the author of one of the 75 most influential articles ever published in Public Administration Review and one of the 14 articles that answer the big questions for the profession, “More similarities or more differences? Comparing public and nonprofit managers’ job motivations” (with Vicky Wilkins) and of Nonprofit Management Leadership article “Participation in formal and informal volunteering: Implications for volunteer recruitment” (with Jeffrey L. Brudney), which is the 6th most cited articles published in the journal between 2010-2019.
Young-joo Lee is an active contributor to the professional community. She is an associate editor of Nonprofit Management and Leadership and Public Administration Review and serves on the editorial board of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly and International Review on Public and Nonprofit Marketing. She also has a strong commitment to mentoring junior scholars. She has mentored a number of doctoral students in the two institutions where she worked, and she currently serves on the ARNOVA Doctoral Fellows Seminar Committee.
Prior to joining the Lilly Family School, she was a professor and Nonprofit Management Director in the School of Public Administration at the University of Central Florida.
Education
- Ph.D. in Public Administration and Policy, University of Georgia, 2009
- Master of Public Affairs; Nonprofit Management Certificate, University of Texas at Austin, 2005
- Bachelor of Art in Social Sciences (Magna Cum Laude), Yonsei University, 2002
Publications
- Lee, Y. Board gender diversity and nonprofit CEO Compensation: Implications for gender pay gap. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly (forthcoming). DOI: 10.1177/089976402311585
- Lee, Y., & Shon, J. (2023). Nonprofits’ online social capital and charitable support. Journal of Nonprofit and Public Sector Marketing, 35(3). 290-307.
- Hwang, H.*, & Lee, Y. (2023) What drives nonprofit missions? Institutional logics dependence perspective. Journal of Professions and Organization,10(1), 1-20. [Lead Article] [2022-2023 Best Paper Award Shortlist]
- Lee, Y. (2023). The color of nonprofit leadership: Organizational characteristics associated with having a CEO of color. Nonprofit Management and Leadership, 33(4), 865-878.
- Lee, Y., & Hwang, H.* (2023). Keep the fire burning: Social entrepreneurs’ motivation, job satisfaction, perceived work competence and passion. Journal of General Management,48(3): 307-319.
- Hwang, H., & Lee, Y. (2023). Community social capital, racial diversity and philanthropic resource mobilization in the time of a pandemic. City & Community,22(1): 22-47.
- Lee, Y. (2023). Over the rainbow: Sexual minorities’ bonding and bridging social capital and their civic engagement. Nonprofit Management and Leadership, 33(3), 585-607.
- Henley, T.*, & Lee, Y. (2023). Pressures to local governments for unrequired ethics policy adoption. Public Administration Quarterly, 47(1), 1-25.
- Lee, Y., & Santiago, L. (2023). Race, class, and gender identity: Implications for transgender people’s police help seeking. Police Practice & Research, 24(1), 17-31.
Research Interests
- Nonprofit Management and Governance
- Gender Gap in Nonprofit Leadership
- Volunteering and Civic Engagement
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)
Honors and Awards
- One of the Most Popular Articles in Nonprofit Management and Leadership (2020)
- The 6th most cited articles published in the journal between 2010-2019
- “Participation in formal and informal volunteering: Implications for volunteer recruitment” (with Jeffrey L. Brudney)
- Pi Alpha Alpha, Honorary Member (2016)
- The University of Texas at Dallas Chapter
- EPPS Outstanding Teaching Comet Award Nominee (2015 & 2016)
- School of Economic, Political & Policy Sciences
- One of Public Administration Review’s 75 most influential articles & One of 14 articles that answer the big questions for the profession (2015)
- "More similarities or more differences? Comparing public and nonprofit managers’ job motivations” (with Vicky M. Wilkins)
News Articles
- Lee, Y. (2019). Male nonprofit CEOs earn more – but the problem runs deeper than a simple gender pay gap. The Conversation. July 2, 2019.
Grants and Funding
- Concha, M. (PI), Lee, Y., White-Jones, A. (2023). Osceola County Capacity Building Training Contract. $66,493.
- Lee, Y. (2022). Women Leaders in the Church: Scarce, Undervalued, and Underpaid. Duke University. National Survey of Religious Leaders Data Award. $2,000.
- Concha, M. (PI) & Lee, Y. (2021). Orange County Citizens’ Commission for Children: Capacity-Building Seminar Series for Nonprofits (2 years). $137,201.
- Lee, Y. (PI), & Santiago, L. (2021). A survey of civic engagement activities by LGBTQ+ individuals. Faculty Essential Activities Funds. $2,000.
- Lee, Y. (PI), An, S., Hastings, S., & Santiago, L. (2019). A new strategic ICT for homeless assistance agencies in Orlando Metropolitan Area. UCF Downtown Interdisciplinary Research Initiative. $7,000.
- Lee, Y. (PI), & Lee, C. (2018). Gender wage equity in U.S. nonprofit sector. Incheon National University Research Grant, $9,000.
Presentations
- Lee. Y. (2022, August). Organizational characteristics predicting the appointment of a racial minority CEO. Presented at the 81st annual meeting of Academy of Management (AOM), Seattle, WA.
- Lee, Y., Hwang, H., Yoon, T., & Lim, S. (2022, June). Perception and reality on gender equity in the Korean government: do family-friendly policies mitigate the gender promotion gap? Presented at the International Conference of Korean Association for Public Administration, Yeosu, South Korea.
- Henley, T.*, & Lee, Y. (2021, September). Institutional isomorphism and local governments’ ethics policy adoption. Presented at the Southeastern Conference for Public Administration, Virtual Conference.
- Lee, Y., & Lee, C. (2021, July). The gender gap in nonprofit executive compensation. Presented at the annual conference of International Society for Third Sector Research, Montreal, Canada.
Other Activities
Associate Editor
- Nonprofit Management and Leadership, 2022-Present
- Public Administration Review, 2017-Present
Editorial Board Member
- Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 2022-Present
- Nonprofit Management and Leadership, 2017-2021
- International Review on Public and Nonprofit Marketing, 2016-Present