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Eric K. Kaufman

Professor and Associate Department Head
  • Leadership Education
kaufmanimage31011
214D Litton-Reaves Hall
Mail Code 0343
Blacksburg, Virginia
24061
ekaufman@vt.edu
(540) 231-6258

Ph.D., Agricultural Education and Communication, 2007, University of Florida, Gainesville FL

M.S., Agricultural Education and Communication, 2004, University of Florida, Gainesville FL

B.S., Agricultural Education, 2000, The Ohio State University, Columbus OH

Major Awards:

  • Distinguished Agricultural Leadership Educator Award. 2021. American Association for Agricultural Education
  • Outstanding Innovative Practice Paper. 2019. Association of Leadership Educators Conference. Recipient team:  Eric Kaufman, Patrick Schuermann, Mark Cannon, Jama Coartney, Shreya Mitra, & James Anderson. 
  •  Distinguished Research Paper. 2019. Association of Leadership Educators Conference. Recipient team:  Ibukun D. Alegbeleye & Eric Kaufman. 
  •  Best Overall Paper. 2019. Leading Change Conference. Recipient team:  Ibukun D. Alegbeleye & Eric Kaufman.
  • Outstanding Educator Workshop.  2018.  Association of Leadership Educators.  Recipient team:  Eric Kaufman, Ibukun D. Alegbeleye, and D. Adam Cletzer.
  • Distinguished Teaching Award.  2018.  Association of Leadership Educators.
  • Diversity Incentive Fund Award. 2015. Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
  • Outstanding Practice Paper. 2012. Association of Leadership Educators. Recipient team: Kerry Priest, Eric Kaufman, Kelsey Brunton, and Megan Seibel.
  • Rising Star Award. 2012. Association of Leadership Educators.
  • Teacher Fellow. 2012. North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture.
  • Faculty Land Grant Award. 2012. Department of Agricultural and Extension Education, Virginia Tech.
  • Outstanding Teaching Award. 2011. Department of Agricultural and Extension Education, Virginia Tech.
  • Outstanding Extension Program Award. 2010. Department of Agricultural and Extension Education, Virginia Tech.
  • Outstanding Research Award. 2009. Department of Agricultural and Extension Education, Virginia Tech. Recipient team: Eric Kaufman, Richard Rateau, Keyana Ellis, Holly Kasperbauer, and Laura Stacklin.
  • Mary Merrill Memorial Award for Outstanding Feature Article in The International Journal of Volunteer Administration (IJOVA). Designated article: “Leadership development for local volunteer leaders: A case study of andragogy in practice,” by Eric K. Kaufman, Hannah S. Carter, Rick D. Rudd, and Donna M. Moore.

 

The nature of leadership is changing: The challenges are becoming more complex, there is a greater reliance on interdependent work, and leadership is increasingly being viewed as a collective process (Eva et al., 2019).  The emerging eco-leadership discourse and related theory are shifting the focus from individual leaders to shared leadership (Western, 2020).   Dr. Kaufman is working to advance the eco-leadership discourse through investigation of collaborative leadership in community and volunteer settings.  Beyond the general aspects of leadership, his research with community groups has investigated group cohesion and group exchange structures (Seibert, et al., 2003), as well as cognitive differences in problem-solving style (KAI Foundation, n.d.). 

Although higher education has long been involved in preparing leaders for the societal and industry-related challenges (Astin & Astin, 2000), the vast majority of Americans believe there remains a “crisis of leadership” in the United States (Shollen & Gagnon, 2019).  Research by the Association for Talent Development (ATD) reveals the gap for leadership-related skills exceeds the gap for technical skills (Fyfe-Mills, 2015).  Recognizing the need, the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) has focused attention on related employability skills, placing curriculum development in this area as a primary goal (APLU, 2020).  Leadership education programs are adapting to the new, more collaborative nature of leadership, but a lack of research and validated models has limited the scholarly and curricular support for such changes (Leigh, Shapiro, & Penney, 2010).  Dr. Kaufman is working others to investigate best practices for leadership education and leadership development. 

Recent Grant Projects (selected)

Dr. Kaufman’s appointment at Virginia Tech includes a 30% allocation for Extension programs.  With this time, he has focused efforts in two areas: (1) engaging citizens in the leadership for educational programming and (2) preparing future leaders for the agricultural community. 

The first area of work, engaging citizens in the leadership for educational programming, has required regular involvement with Extension agents and volunteers.  Specifically, his work surrounds the use of Extension Leadership Councils (ELCs), which are critical for community involvement in planning Extension programs (Fornash, 2011).  Dr. Kaufman has guided related work through the Virginia Cooperative Extension program teams structure and by facilitating professional learning opportunities for other Extension professionals.

The second area of work, preparing future leaders for the agricultural community, has had substantial interface with teaching and other scholarly pursuits.  What is now a full-fledged outreach program, the Virginia Agriculture Leaders Obtaining Results (VALOR) program started with a special study course on “Designing Leadership Education Programs.”  Although Dr. Kaufman passed the VALOR program responsibilities on to a formal program director, he continues to do work to prepare future leaders for the agricultural community, particularly through support of other Extension personnel.  Recent responsibilities have included serving as a co-coordinator for the Virginia Cooperative Extension Faculty Leadership Development Program.

  • ALCE 5224: Team Science, Cooperation, and Interdisciplinary Work
  • LDRS 5984: SS: Ethics of Leader/Follower Relationships
  • ALCE 1004: Strengths Development for Careers in Agricultural Sciences
  • ALCE 3014: Leadership for Professionals in Agriculture
  • ALCE 3634: Communicating Agriculture and Life Sciences in Speaking
  • ALCE 5154: Partnerships and Volunteerism
  • ALCE 5984: SS: Designing Leadership Education Programs
  • ALS 1234: CALS First Year Seminar
  • LDRS 3104: Dynamics of Leadership
  • LDRS 3304: Elements of Team Leadership
  • LDRS 4044: Leadership Studies Capstone
  • LDRS 5454: Leadership Foundations for Diverse Contexts
  • LDRS 5464: Leadership in a Global Society
  • LDRS 5544: Leading Teams Through Change
  • UH 1004: First-year Honors Seminar
  • UH 2104: Honors Residential College Community and Discussion Seminar
  •  Kaufman, E. K., Mitra, S., Anderson, J. C., Coartney, J. S., & Cash, C. S. (2020). Leading collaborative change in an educational organization. Journal of Leadership Education, 19(4), 56-67. doi:10.12806/V19/I4/R5
  •  Cletzer, D. A., & Kaufman, E. K. (2020). Eco-leadership among county 4-H organizations: Relationship to programmatic success and best practices for eco-leaders. Journal of Leadership Education, 19(4), 20-36. doi:10.12806/v19/i4/r2
  •  Elliott-Engel, J., Westfall-Rudd, D. M., Seibel, M., & Kaufman, E. (2020). Extension’s response to the change in public value: Considerations for ensuring financial security for the Cooperative Extension System. Journal of Human Sciences & Extension, 8(2), 69-90. https://www.jhseonline.com/article/view/868
  • Alegbeleye, I. D., & Kaufman, E. K. (2020). Relationship between middle managers’ transformational leadership and effective followership behaviors in organizations. Journal of Leadership Studies, 13(4), 6-19. doi:10.1002/jls.21673
  • Burbaugh, B. J., & Kaufman, E. K. (2017). An examination of the relationships between leadership development approaches, networking ability, and social capital outcomes. Journal of Leadership Education, 16(4), 20-39. doi:10.12806/V16/I4/R2
  • Friedel, C. R., Clegorne, N. A., Kaufman, E. K., Seibel, M., & Anderson, J. C. (2016). Connecting preferences towards adaption and innovation to leadership. Journal of Leadership Studies, 10(1), 37-39. doi.10.1002/jls.21437
  • Burbach, M. K., Floress, K., & Kaufman, E. K. (2015). Are water-related leadership development programs designed to be effective: An exploratory study. Journal of Leadership Education, 14(1), 107-123. doi:10.12806/V14/I1/R7
  • Mosely, C., Broyles, T. W., & Kaufman, E. K. (2014). Leader-member exchange, cognitive style, and student achievement. Journal of Leadership Education, 13(3), 50-69. doi:10.12806/V13/I3/RF4
  • Priest, K., Kaufman, E. K., Brunton, K., & Seibel, M. (2013). Appreciative inquiry: A tool for organizational, programmatic, and project-focused change. Journal of Leadership Education, 12(1), 18-33. doi:10.12806/V12/I1/18
  • Grace, P. E., & Kaufman, E. K. (2013). Effecting change through storytelling.  Journal of Sustainability Education, 4. Available at http://www.jsedimensions.org/wordpress/content/2013/02/
  • Kaufman, E. K., Rateau, R. J., Carter, H. S., & Strickland, L. R. (2012).  What’s context go to do with it?  An exploration of leadership development programs for the agricultural community.  Journal of Leadership Education, 11(1), 121-139. doi:10.12806/V11/I1/RF7
  • Kaufman, E. K., & Grace, P. E. (2011). Women in grassroots leadership: Barriers and biases experienced in a membership organization dominated by men. Journal of Leadership Studies, 4(4), 6-16. doi:10.1002/jls.20188
  • Kaufman, E. K., Rateau, R. J., Ellis, K. C., Kasperbauer, H. J., & Stacklin, L. R. (2010). Leadership program planning: Assessing the needs and interests of the agricultural community. Journal of Leadership Education, 9(1), 122-143. doi:10.12806/V9/I1/RF8
  • Kaufman, E. K., Carter, H. S., Rudd, R. D., & Moore, D. M. (2009). Leadership development for local volunteers: A case study of andragogy in practice. The International Journal of Volunteer Administration, XXVI(3), 21-31. Available at: http://www.ijova.org/the_ijova_volume_xxvi_no3.php
  • Kaufman, E. K. (2009). Extension Leadership Councils: Planning for Success (VCE Publication No. 490-394). Blacksburg, VA: Virginia Cooperative Extension. Available at: http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/490/490-394/490-394.html 
  • Kaufman, E. K., Israel, G. D., & Irani, T. A. (2008). Voter confidence in the agricultural industry. Journal of Applied Communications 92(1-2), 31-55. Available at http://newprairiepress.org/jac/vol92/iss1/5/
  • Kaufman, E. K., Israel, G. D., & Rudd, R. D. (2008). Exploring goal setting as a tool for leadership development. Journal of Leadership Studies, 1(4), 51-61. doi:10.1002/jls.20032 
  • Kaufman, E. K., & Rudd, R. D. (2006). Rural leadership development: A synthesis of research. Journal of Leadership Education, 5(3), 128-141. doi:10.12806/V5/I3/RF7

 

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