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AWKO Center for Leadership Fellows

Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz (AWKO) Center for Leadership Fellows cultivate opportunities for established professionals with noteworthy leadership experience to support the development of the Center’s curriculum and leadership programming to address the most pressing challenges through innovative policy solutions. These fellowships offer unparalleled opportunities for leadership scholars to engage in interdisciplinary research, policy analysis, and advocacy projects that span the domains of leadership, strategic planning, policy development and implementation, and ethics. By fostering a diverse and dynamic cohort of fellows, the Center for Leadership seeks to create a vibrant network of innovative leaders prepared to face the complexities of the modern world and advance the public good.

Dr. William Crawley portrait

Dr. William Crawley

William Crawley, Ph.D., Ed.D. is a Professor of Criminology, Criminal Justice, and Legal Studies. Dr. Crawley has more than 25 years of experience in higher education, including 20-plus years in various academic leadership positions such as dean, associate dean, executive director of philanthropy, international campus director, department chair, and grants coordinator. In 2014, Dr. Crawley was appointed dean of UWF’s College of Education and Professional Studies, and more recently was named an inaugural Leadership and Public Policy Research Fellow at the Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz (AWKO) Center for Leadership at the UWF.

Specializing in interdisciplinary and transformational leadership – leadership behavior that draws out and nurtures the highest levels of human potential and enhances organizational performance – Dr. Crawley is an innovative leader, author, and presenter whose research has informed his work in the classroom, as a peer reviewer and editor of scholarship, as an academic administrator, and through collaborations with government and community-based organizations.

With leadership at the core of his work, Dr. Crawley’s research interest has led him to be extensively involved in public-service and community-based initiatives, where he has led more than $8 million in grant funding. Because of his organizational leadership experience, Dr. Crawley is frequently invited to serve on non-profit executive boards. For example, he currently serves as a president of the Gulf Coast Freedom Schools, a literacy program serving 150 early and middle school students.

Dr. Crawley is an American Council on Education Fellow (2010), a Nippon Foundation Fellow (2022), and has held Research and Teaching (2009) and multiple Visiting Scholar appointments (2012, 2014, 2016). He holds two undergraduate degrees: a BS in resource management from Iowa State University and a BA from the University of Iowa in Asian studies. He continued his education at the University of South Carolina, receiving a master’s degree in criminal justice and a graduate certification in drug and alcohol studies. Thereafter, he completed a Doctor of Philosophy in criminal justice and criminology at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, and a second Doctorate of Education in interdisciplinary organizational leadership at Creighton University.

Continuing his professional leadership development, he completed the Management Development Program (MDP) at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, earned an executive certificate in Strategy and Innovation from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Sloan School of Management, took a certificate in Communications from the University of Cambridge’s Institute for Sustainability Leadership, and most recently completed the University of Oxford’s Executive Finance Programme.

Dr. Crawley is a prolific author and presenter, sharing his work at more than 60 symposia and conferences, most recently presenting on topics such as Covid Learning Loss at the Oxford International Roundtable, and on Improvement Science as a New Research Paradigm for Creating a Better Future at Waseda University (早稲田大学) in Tokyo. Dr. Crawley has disseminated his research via peer-reviewed journal articles, books, monographs, technical reports, and book chapters.

Haris Alibasic portrait with gray background

Dr. Haris Alibašić

Haris Alibašić, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in the Lewis Bear Jr. College of Business, where he teaches strategic management, resiliency, capstone, ethics, and budgeting courses in the Masters of Science of Administration program and Ed.D. program concentrating on leadership and administration. With a wealth of local and international experience, including roles with the United Nations and NATO and as a director of legislative, resilience, and sustainability initiatives in Grand Rapids, MI, he has been instrumental in generating significant economic and environmental impacts and advancing innovative public-private partnerships. Notably, during his tenure as a Business and Economic Development Specialist at the Office of the High Representative in Brčko, Bosnia, Dr. Alibašić facilitated over $150 million in foreign direct investments and privatization of state-owned enterprises, enhancing the economic landscape of Southeast Europe. His strategic efforts in Grand Rapids’ Executive Office led to pivotal renewable energy partnerships between Consumers Energy and the city, helping it achieve its renewable energy target. His work reflected his profound expertise in policy and administration and his commitment to practical, real-world applications of leadership principles. In 2022, Dr. Alibašić served as a Fulbright Project Specialist in the Republic of Kosovo's Prime Minister Office of Strategic Planning, in coordination with the European Union Ministry of Integration and the U.S. Department of State, and completed the project of National Development Strategy 2023 and National Energy Strategy alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals.

Dr. Alibašić’s academic achievements are underpinned by a Bachelor’s degree in International Business and Marketing and a Master’s and PhD in Public Policy and Administration, emphasizing sustainability and strategic planning. Before joining UWF, Dr. Alibašić taught graduate and undergraduate in public policy, public administration, economic development, and sustainability courses at Grand Valley State University, Central Michigan University, and Davenport University. At Davenport University, Michigan, Dr. Alibašić leveraged his extensive knowledge to teach business, leadership, and sustainable business development courses, preparing the next generation of leaders to navigate complex intersectoral landscapes. As an associate professor at UWF, he teaches doctoral and graduate-level courses in public service and administrative ethics, political economy, strategic management, leadership, public budgeting and finance, and public administration.

Dr. Alibašić is a partner in the Florida League of Cities Municipal Research Program. Through the Partners in Municipal Research Program, the Center for Municipal Research & Innovation links Florida's public policy researchers and municipal governments, bridging the gap between academics, public policymakers, and administrators. In the past, for four years, he led the UWF interdisciplinary team of undergraduate and graduate students to the statewide Municipal Modernization competition organized by the Florida League of Cities and held in Orlando, FL. In 2019, the UWF team he selected won the statewide “Hackathon” Competition To Help Modernize Municipal Government. In the past, Dr. Alibašić advised the Resilient Communities of America on climate resilience and served as co-chair for the energy sector of the White House Resilience Task Force.

Dr. Alibašić, a prolific author and advocate for sustainability, has published several books and numerous research articles on sustainability, ethics, governance, and resilience planning. His contributions extend to presentations and keynote addresses at numerous national and international conferences, where he presented on governance, sustainability, resilience, and strategic planning. His work has garnered him multiple awards and recognitions, including the 2018 CEPS Outstanding Contribution in Research Award, the 2016 Sustainable Hall of Fame Merit Award from the West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum, the 2012 West Michigan Environmental Action Council (WMEAC) – The C.R. Evenson Award, and the 2011 Grand Valley State University's Sustainability Champion Award to name a few. They reflect his unwavering commitment to enhancing strategic sustainability and resilience planning in public and private sectors and advancing favorable policies and effective administration. As an inaugural Leadership and Public Policy Fellow at the Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz (AWKO) Center for Leadership at the University of West Florida and a professor, Dr. Alibašić will apply his vast expertise to mentor future business and public administration leaders.