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Faculty Fellows
Each year the Wilson Center for Social Entrepreneurship funds fellowships for Pace University faculty to grow our diverse portfolio of research projects with a focus on the identification and analysis of issues facing nonprofits and social enterprises. Fellows are selected by the Faculty Steering Committee in a double-blind review based on the strength of the submitted project. During their fellowship year, each faculty member works on a specific case study or academic research project that actively engages current Pace students. These fellows participate in the Wilson Center Faculty Steering Committee for a 3-year term and present their work in at least one Pace research showcase. Full application details for the program are available.
2024–2025 Faculty Fellows
Soheyla Amirian, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science, Seidenberg School of CSIS
Fair and Explainable AI for Autonomous Diagnosis of Joint Osteoarthritis in Aging Population
Knee and hip osteoarthritis (OA) significantly impact older adults, causing pain, reducing mobility, and placing pressure on healthcare systems and families. Traditional OA diagnosis relies on symptoms and imaging using the Kellgren-Lawrence grading scale, which can be subjective and inconsistent, making disease tracking challenging.
While artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning (DL) have shown promise in automating OA diagnosis, most models are single-modal and overlook critical clinical metadata like age, sex, and race. This oversight risks reinforcing healthcare disparities, particularly for older adults with limited access to accurate diagnoses. Additionally, the lack of transparency in AI models raises concerns about fairness and trust in medical AI applications. This project aims to create a fair, explainable, multi-modal AI framework to improve OA diagnostic accuracy and equity. By addressing transparency and social impacts, this initiative seeks to establish more accessible and trustworthy AI-driven healthcare solutions for aging populations
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Kimberly Collica Cox, Ph.D., Professor,
Criminal Justice, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences
Puppies on The Block and the Benefits of the Carceral Caretaker
Dr. Kimberly Collica-Cox’s research focuses on the benefits of dog fostering programs for populations who are incarcerated. While dog training programs (DTPs) are the most common form of Animal Assisted Interventions within correctional institutions, dog fostering programs (DFPs) are less researched. Puppies on the Block, a dog fostering program at the Westchester County Department of Correction (WCDOC) in New York, in partnership with Pace University and Paws Crossed Animal Rescue, provides rescue dogs to women who are incarcerated in the substance abuse treatment block and young men (ages 18 to 24) who are incarcerated in the Young Opportunities Program (YOP). Participants in these programs serve as canine caretakers for dogs who were rescued from states where they may have otherwise been euthanized. Rescues remain in the facility until they are socialized, increasing their suitability for adoption. With the assistance of a graduate research assistant, pre and posttest interviewing will be conducted with canine handlers to determine if there are statistically significant increases in self-esteem, happiness, self-control, and empathy, in addition to decreased levels of anxiety, stress, depression, and disciplinary infractions, after only four weeks of program participation. With a rise in mental health issues among populations who are incarcerated, DFPs, a benign and cost-effective intervention, can be easily implemented in jail settings to impact psychological well-being, in addition to providing a vital service to the community, when strong relationships with community-based organizations are well established.
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Ali Motamedi, Ph.D., Lecturer,
Department of Computer Science, Seidenberg School of CSIS
Art, AI, and Community Engagement - A Nonprofit Showcase
This project explores how art and artificial intelligence can address social issues, highlighting partnerships with local nonprofits to inspire community conversations and engagement. By collaborating with local organizations, Dr. Ali Motamedi seeks to create a platform that amplifies their missions and fosters meaningful discussions around critical challenges, ultimately raising awareness and promoting social change.
The project will be delivered through various formats, including a curated exhibition, an academic paper, and a public talk. Students will play a vital role in this initiative, engaging in research, exhibition design, and public outreach to encourage collaboration across disciplines. Potential methods include creating AI-generated art and incorporating interactive displays that connect visitors with relevant social issues. Looking ahead, the goal is to build more partnerships with nonprofits and continue helping students develop their skills and understanding of social impact through ongoing involvement in innovative projects.
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Noushi Rahman, Ph.D., Professor, Management & Management Science, Lubin School of Business
How Social Enterprises Make Use of AI to Solve Social Problems in Different Social Entrepreneurial Sectors
With Ai growing rapidly and pervading in all walks of life, we want to understand the different ways in which technologically savvy social enterprises are utilizing Ai to solve social problems in different social sectors. The topic of Ai in organizations is a nascent subject matter, and how Ai is being utilized by tech-savvy social enterprises can be a useful finding for smaller social enterprises that have not yet harnessed the power of Ai in solving societal challenges. As a faculty fellow of the Wilson Center, I will conduct a qualitative study, examining case data from 60 social enterprises that use Ai at varying levels to solve specific social problems. For empirical analysis with qualitative data, I will use fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). This approach requires detailed codification of the qualitative data, particularly evaluating varying scope of Ai, human-Ai collaboration, Ai-stakeholder engagement, type of Ai technology, and Ai maturity of the social enterprises in my sample. I aim to engage several graduate students to this immersive research experience.
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Lu Shi, Ph.D., Associate Professor,
Health Sciences, College of Health Professions
Artificial intelligence and mobile health tools in health-related nonprofit organizations: A Mixed-Method Approach
Dr. Lu Shi’s project aims to empower Greater New York nonprofits by helping them leverage AI tools for effective community needs assessment. This initiative partners with two local organizations: one that supports neuro-diverse adolescents and young adults transitioning into adulthood, and another that assists immigrants on Long Island with accessing resources for their new lives in the U.S. The project team, led by Dr. Shi, will work closely with these nonprofits to conduct multilingual needs assessments for their client communities.
Pace University students, both graduate and undergraduate, will participate under Dr. Shi’s mentorship. Together, they will design, pilot-test, refine, and implement multilingual surveys, tailored to capture specific needs within these unique populations. Graduate students will lead the coordination of data collection, interpretation, and team training, while undergraduate students will support survey distribution, execution, and data preparation.This collaborative effort will yield in-depth assessment reports that identify service gaps, resource demands, and priority needs within each community. These reports will provide essential insights for the nonprofits, enabling them to enhance program planning, support funding applications, and advocate for policy improvements.For the students, this project offers hands-on experience in AI-assisted survey research, data analysis, and community engagement. The results will be documented in comprehensive reports that may be used for publication, underscoring the students’ contributions. Ultimately, Dr. Shi’s project seeks to create a sustainable, cost-efficient needs assessment model, accessible to nonprofits with limited resources, that addresses critical communication challenges faced by neuro-diverse and immigrant communities.
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Laura Tamman, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Political Science, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences
Has the Decline in Local News Coverage Increased the Power of Political Advertising?
Historically, much of the information voters receive about local political candidates has come from local news coverage. Over the last three decades, however, there has been a decline in the volume of information about candidates and campaigns generated by local news outlets. Declines in local political news coverage have led to lower voter turnout rates and less informed citizens. A question that has not yet been examined, however, is whether the decline in local news coverage has produced an increase in the size of the effects political advertising. Due to term limits, generous matching funds, off-year primary elections, and a dynamic local media environment, New York city council primary elections between 2001 and 2017 offer a useful case for analysis of changes in the size of persuasive effects of political advertising over time. If the decline of local news coverage in New York is increasing the influence of political advertising, the shift is likely being replicated in cities across the country. This project will use regression analysis to determine whether the size of the persuasive effects of political advertising in New York City municipal elections between 2001 and 2017 increased as the volume of local news coverage decreased.
2023–2024 Faculty Fellows
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Jessica Magaldi, JD., Associate Chair & Professor, Legal Studies and Taxation, Lubin School of Business
An Examination of How Business School Case Studies Reflect Gender Diversity in Educating Future Business School Graduates
Dr. Magaldi’s project will assess the gender inclusiveness of case studies provided by a professional nonprofit case research organization for adoption by business school professors. With a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), the study addresses the critical role of case studies in shaping the learning experiences of future business leaders. Investigating a 20-year span of case studies, Dr. Magaldi and her research assistants will examine the representation of women as protagonists and antagonists, as well as the gender of case study authors. As existing research indicates a concerning lack of female representation in both faculty and case studies, Dr. Magaldi’s research aims to highlight these disparities and propose recommendations for the nonprofit case research organization, and by extension others, to foster inclusivity in this important educational resource, contributing to the broader goal of enhancing diversity and gender equity in business education. This study holds significance in the context of evolving accreditation standards that emphasize diversity in various aspects of business schools.
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Gina Scutelnicu-Todoran, PhD., Professor, Public Administration, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences
Gender Representation and Pay Gap in the Nonprofit Sector: The Case of a New York County
Dr. Scutelnicu’s research focuses on the understudied topic of gender diversity and equity in the nonprofit sector, particularly in Westchester County, New York. Despite women's predominant representation in the nonprofit workforce, they are underrepresented in executive and board leadership roles, leading to gender inequity and pay disparities. The study aims to contribute to existing literature by examining gender diversity and compensation in the nonprofit sector, addressing questions about workforce representation and pay differences based on gender, position type, and service area. Utilizing a combination of secondary data from the Internal Revenue Service and Bureau of Labor Statistics and primary data from a 2022 survey, the research intends to shed light on social equity issues within nonprofits. The proposed timetable outlines data analysis, paper drafting, and presentation milestones, culminating in a manuscript submission for publication in August 2024.
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Susanne O'Callaghan Ph.D., Professor, Accounting, Lubin School of Business
A Comparison of Program Spending by Mental Health Not-for-Profits and other Health Related Not-for-Profits
A committed advocate for better mental health outcomes and an accounting professor, Dr. O’Callaghan teaches accounting for nonprofits that involves understanding how nonprofits spend money on their stated missions. Generally accepted accounting principles require nonprofits to disclose three breakdowns for all expenses: a) expenses for program mission; b) expenses for fundraising; and c) expenses for management and administration. Along with her students, she will be comparing nonprofits whose missions include issues around mental health and a control group not involved in the mental health arena. They will be studying the spending propensity of the two groups to determine whether either of these groups spends significantly more or less on their specific programs. Prof. O’Callaghan believes, that based on the findings of this study, society will be better informed about spending differences between mental health providers and non-mental health providers. The outcomes of this research will help inform foundations and government entities that provide financial support to nonprofit organizations and will help her students learn about the mechanisms for preparing financial statements for nonprofits and gain a better understanding of the social necessity and purpose of nonprofit organizations.
2022–2023 Faculty Fellows
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Kate Fink, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Media and Communication Arts, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences
Sustaining Local News Nonprofits
This project focuses on the struggles of local news nonprofits to attract funding while maintaining their commitment to public service. Given increasing interest in nonprofit models for news, and the relationship between press independence and democracy, donor influence on journalism is a concern. Depending on a limited pool of donors can lead to real or perceived conflicts of interest—a significant risk as the public’s trust in news media remains low.
Nonprofit news models are popular partly due to the perceived failure of profit-driven media to serve the public interest. However, nonprofit news media often struggle with sustainability. Foundations provide the most funding, although their support can be fleeting, ideologically biased, and include conditions that journalists feel compromise their independence. Foundations also favor national outlets, limiting fundraising options for local news nonprofits. Financial struggles have been more severe for local media generally. One-fourth of local newspapers closed in the years 2004-2019, a trend that accelerated during the pandemic. The U.S. now has hundreds of “news deserts”—or communities that lack regular local news coverage. News deserts are most common in disadvantaged communities, such as those with lower incomes and higher ethnic diversity. This study will be based on interviews with leaders of nonprofit news organizations about their funding sources, how fundraising is integrated into their operations, and specific challenges to sustainability they have faced.
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James Lawler, DPS, Professor, Department of Information Technology, Seidenberg School of CSIS
A Case Study for Enabling Advocacy Non-Profit Organizations to Better Help Entrepreneurial People with Disabilities to Enter Industry Programs in STEM
A strong advocate for disadvantaged people in STEM, in his current study, Prof. Lawler is evaluating how advocacy non-profit organizations can engage capable client people with disabilities in careers in STEM. Entrepreneurial people with disabilities, especially students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), can be guided into industry opportunities in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). Possibilities in STEM are real for those with disabilities interested in industry positions. Prof. Lawler is planning to review further the industry practices in integrating young people with ASD productively in neurodiversity programs in technology.
Based on his findings, Lawler plans to propose a model of industry requirements to be shared with local non-profit organizations, so that they can be better positioned in presenting entrepreneurial people with disabilities, such as ASD, but foundationally skilled in STEM, to the industry. Most non-profit organizations do not have enough post-pandemic resources to help people with disabilities into STEM. Prof. Lawler will be integrating moreover CIS 102W disability-focused non-profit organization students interested in joining the study. Findings from the current study will be a foundation for further study with students with ASD at the university. The benefit of this study is anticipated to help non-profit organizations in helping young people with disabilities join people without disabilities in the potential of STEM.
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Joshua Mendelsohn, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Health Sciences, College of Health Professions
Reducing HIV-related stigma among young people attending school in Northern Uganda: a community-based participatory model for developing and delivering a transformative arts-based educational population health intervention using not-for-profit management in a low-income setting.
HIV-related stigma negatively impacts HIV prevention, care, and treatment, particularly among children and adolescents living in sub-Saharan Africa. Interventions that are culturally grounded, participatory, and community-driven show promise for addressing the root causes of stigma experienced by young people living with, or affected by, HIV. This proposed work, to be conducted in a post-conflict, rural setting in Omoro District, Uganda, will develop and test a transformative educational arts-based HIV-related stigma intervention drawing on local cultural knowledge, community-based participation, and engagement with a local not-for-profit organization. The school-based intervention will be delivered to young people (10 years of age) who attend primary or secondary school in Omoro District. The approach aims to re-establish the important cultural and social role of Elders within a community that has suffered the loss of inter-generational transfer of cultural knowledge due to a 25-year civil war. The formative research phase covered by the Wilson Center grant will collect qualitative data from interviews with not-for-profit personnel, community Elders, teachers, and students to generate preliminary data to inform intervention approach and content. Undergraduate students will be trained to assist with data analysis and reporting. The intervention will be evaluated using a stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial with 12 schools randomized into three blocks that will crossover from the control to intervention condition. This work is expected to generate a comprehensive dataset to inform a community-based protocol for developing and implementing a transformational arts-based HIV-stigma reduction interventions among young people attending schools. Findings will have widespread implications for HIV prevention, treatment and care in low-income and post-conflict settings. The study is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and includes a consortium of co-investigators representing six universities. The trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov..
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Christelle Scharff, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Computer Science, Seidenberg School of CSIS
Developing Ethical AI in Social Startups in Africa
Organizations are attempting to leverage a growing demand of innovative products and services by focusing on the uptake of novel technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI). The adoption of such technology does not go without a prepared workface and the needs of public policy and regulations. Misaligned AI-adoption strategy entails the risk of leading to the incorporation of technologies not serving the needs of their users, alienating communities, and, even, causing death. Through this research, Professor Scharff will study the adoption of AI and ethical AI practices in social startups in Africa and the existing frameworks for the design, development and deployment of ethical AI practices, and adapt them to produce a framework for social startups in Africa.