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Alibasic, Haris

Dr. Haris Alibašić

  • Position: Associate Professor and Whitman Faculty Fellow
  • Department: Business Administration
  • Office Location: Building 76A, Room 329
  • halibasic@uwf.edu
  • Campus: 850.474.2316

Biography

Dr. Haris Alibašić is an Associate Professor in the Public Administration Program. He researches and teaches strategic planning, resilience, governance, ethics, artificial intelligence, administration and public policy. He brings a combination of almost 30 years of professional and teaching expertise and experience. His expertise spans governance, strategic planning and management, artificial intelligence ethics, and cybersecurity planning for government leaders. His career includes significant service with NATO, the United Nations Mission, and the Office of the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where he contributed to governance reform and institutional capacity building in post-conflict regions.

In 2022, as a Fulbright Project Specialist through the US Department of State, Dr. Alibašić advised the Republic of Kosovo's Prime Minister and the Office of Strategic Planning on national development strategy, strategic management frameworks, national energy assessment and planning, policy implementation, and governance structure. This international engagement complements his extensive domestic strategic planning and public sector innovation work.

As Legislative and Strategic Planning Director for Grand Rapids, Michigan's second-largest city, Dr. Alibašić served under three mayors, directing strategic planning, legislative affairs, and organizational development. His leadership strengthened municipal operations and enhanced public service delivery through innovative governance approaches and strategic management.

Currently serving as an Associate Professor and Whitman Faculty Fellow in the Public Administration program at the University of West Florida, Dr. Alibašić has spent the past decade shaping future public sector leaders. He specializes in public-sector strategic planning, ethics, management, and AI/ML applications in governance. His development and teaching of Florida's Cybersecurity Incident Response and Resilience Planning (CIRRP) program for public sector executives demonstrates his commitment to preparing government leaders for emerging cyber threats and implementing the Florida Cybersecurity Act. His research on ethical AI frameworks, including his work on "Developing an Ethical Framework for Responsible Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) Applications," demonstrates his commitment to responsible technology adoption in governance. His current research focuses on the effective use of AI and ML in government efficiency.

As an Associate Professor in the Public Administration program at the University of West Florida, for the past ten years, Dr. Alibašić has been teaching doctoral and graduate-level courses in Public Service and Administrative Ethics, Political Economy, Strategic Management, Public Budgeting, and Finance, Leadership, and Graduate Capstone.

Select Publications and Research

Dr. Alibašić's scholarship has significantly influenced the field of public administration, with over 58 publications, including three books, 31 peer-reviewed journal articles, 14 book chapters, and 10 non-refereed publications. His recent scholarship focuses on ethical AI implementation, planning, development, strategic management, and public sector governance. His books, including "The Post-Factual Polity" and "Strategic Resilience and Sustainability Planning," have become essential resources for practitioners and academics alike. Dr. Alibašić is a regular presenter at national and international conferences on governance, strategic planning, management, and ethics. Featured speaker at prestigious institutions, including the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA), International Public Policy Association, Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration, Southern Political Science Association, and several prestigious international conferences, including in Oxford, UK; San Joes, Costa Rica; Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina; and Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.

His research regularly appears in prestigious journals such as Public Administration Review, Public Integrity, and FinTech. Key works include The Post-Factual Polity and Strategic Resilience and Sustainability Planning textbooks, published by Information Age Publishing in 2024 and Springer in 2022, respectively.

Multiple peer-reviewed articles on AI, ethics, strategic management, public policy, and public administration, including:

  • Advancing Disaster Resilience: The Ethical Dimensions of Adaptability and Adaptive Leadership in Public Service Organizations. A review of disaster response and the role of adaptive leadership in effective crisis management. 
  • Developing an Ethical Framework for Responsible Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) Applications in Cryptocurrency Trading" - A comprehensive analysis of AI ethics and governance.
  • Navigating collaborative governance in Florida: An analysis of local governments resilience amidst the COVID-19 pandemic" - Strategic management during the crisis,
  • Leveraging Hybrid Intelligence for Enhanced Sustainability and Resilience" - AI applications in public sector operations.

His research has appeared in prestigious journals, including:

  • Public Administration Review
  • Public Integrity
  • Public Money & Management
  • Public Policy and Administration
  • FinTech
  • Journal of Public Affairs
  • Energy Research & Social Science

Dr. Alibašić's extensive scholarship demonstrates his expertise in public administration, AI ethics, strategic management, and governance, which has significantly impacted the following fields.

Artificial Intelligence and Ethics: Pioneering work on AI/ML ethical frameworks and applications in public and private sectors and research on hybrid intelligence and technological governance

Strategic Management and Public Administration: Multiple publications on organizational resilience and strategic planning and significant contributions to public sector management literature.

Policy and Governance: Research on policy implementation and work on strategic management frameworks for government organizations.

University and Community Leadership and Service

Throughout his career, Dr. Alibašić has demonstrated remarkable institutional leadership, serving as the Master of Science in Public Administration Program Coordinator (2015-2023) and continues to serve as a program contact person at UWF, where he led the program transition to online offerings, recruitments, assessment, curriculum development and mentored over fifty students each semester. His service extends to roles on the Faculty Senate, the Academic Committee, and University Research Council Member, contributing significantly to academic governance and policy development. Dr. Alibašić's academic service extends across multiple domains, including membership on the International Affairs Committee Center for Entrepreneurship and Center for Leadership Fellowship and service on various university committees, including the Academic Standard Review Committee and Doctoral Program Planning Committee. He has also contributed to cultural awareness through his work on the Holocaust Remembrance Event Planning Committee.

His service as a Whitman Faculty Fellow (2019-2022; 2023-2025) has advanced research initiatives and mentored emerging scholars. As a Partner in the Florida League of Cities Municipal Research Program, Dr. Alibašić bridges academic research with practical governance applications. Under his leadership, the UWF team won the 2019 Municipal Modernization "Hackathon" Competition, demonstrating his ability to inspire innovation in public sector solutions.

His dedication to community service is evidenced through his advisory roles on the Gulf Breeze Middle School Advisory Committee and Santa Rosa Online Advisory Committee and his strategic planning work with the City of Pensacola.

In the professional realm, Dr. Alibašić served as an editor and reviewer for several academic journals, including Public Integrity, and has led special issues. His role as an Executive Committee member of the ASPA Section on Ethics and Integrity in Governance reflects his commitment to advancing ethical standards in public administration. His extensive peer review service for leading journals has helped shape the field's scholarly discourse in public administration and policy.

Dr. Alibašić holds a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration from Walden University, complemented by an MPA and BBA in International Business and Marketing from Grand Valley State University. His ongoing work continues to advance the field of public administration, with particular emphasis on ethical technology implementation, strategic planning, and innovative governance approaches.

Through his academic work, professional engagement, and global initiatives, Dr. Alibašić continues to advance the field of public administration, focusing on ethical technology implementation, strategic planning, and innovative governance approaches. His expertise in governance, cybersecurity, AI ethics, development strategies, and strategic management makes him a valuable contributor to public sector excellence and organizational development.

Keywords: sustainability and resilience planning, local governments, administrative evil, climate preparedness, sustainable energy, energy policy, corporate social responsibility