SAGE Publishing Leadership Education Most Publishable Paper Award
The Most Publishable Leadership Education Paper award is given each year to the best presentation submission in the Leadership Education stream for the Global Conference. The winner is determined by peer review average scores and stream lead rank. The winner(s) are honored at the Global Conference.
Submission Deadline: The CFP deadline for ILA's Global Conference
To be considered for this award, please submit a proposal to the Leadership Education stream for ILA’s Global Conference. The call for conference proposals typically opens in December and closes by 31 January each year. Visit the Global Conference home page for Call for Proposals details.
Congratulations to 2025 Winners Jemilia Davis & Cole Smith
Jemilia Davis, Program Director & Clinical Assistant Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Cole Smith, Graduate Program Assistant, PhD Student, Human and Organizational Leadership Development (HOLD), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Education
Jemilia Davis and Cole Smith were recognized for their work examining how leadership programs can ensure their learning outcomes are truly realized in practice. Their research focused on the Human and Organizational Leadership Development (HOLD) undergraduate program, where they developed a comprehensive evaluation plan, collected data across three student cohorts, and used findings to drive meaningful curriculum improvements. With the World Economic Forum projecting that nearly 40% of core workforce skills will shift by 2030, their commitment to evidence-based program design offers a timely and replicable model for leadership educators navigating the demands of an evolving workplace.
Past Winners of the Leadership Education Most Publishable Paper Award
2023
Understanding “Leadergogy” — The Unique Teaching and Learning Methods in a Leader Development Course
John M. Hinck, Assistant Professor, Leadership and Innovation Institute, Air University
Steven B. Davis, Assistant Professor, Leadership and Innovation Institute, Air University
Robert Hinck, Associate Professor of Leadership, Air University
Sara Kitsch, Assistant Professor of Leadership, Air University
Derrick Iwanenko, Vice Commandant, Officer Training School, United States Air Force
2021
Reimagining Culture with Care and Inclusion: Support Networks for Foreign-born Leadership Educators
Jeff Bourgeois, Assistant Professor, Global Leadership at the Indiana Institute of Technology
Sara Zare, Organizational Effectiveness Consultant; Doctoral Student at Pepperdine University
2020
Re-Operationalizing and Measuring Impact of a Leader Development Course
John M. Hinck, Assistant Professor, Leadership, Air University
Steven B. Davis, Assistant Professor, Leadership, Air University
2019
Can Mental Agility Be Taught? Advancing Agile Thinking Capacities in U.S. Military Leaders
Olenda E. Johnson, Professor of Strategic Leadership and Leader Development, U.S. Naval War College
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2018
Changes to Undergraduate Students’ Attitudes to Learning About Leadership, Religion, and Spirituality
Stuart Allen, Professor of Organizational Leadership, Robert Morris University
Peter Williams, Professor of Leadership, EdD Organizational Leadership, ACU Dallas
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2017
It’s Good for What Ails You: Leadership Education in Medical School
Stephen J. Linenberger, Professor of Leadership, Bellevue University
John Schmidt, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Creighton University School of Medicine
Jennifer Moss Breen, Associate Professor & Program Director, Interdisciplinary Leadership EdD, Creighton University
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2015
Aligning Curricular Experiences and Student Development in Leadership Education
Aaron J. McKim, Graduate Student, Agricultural Education and Agricultural Sciences, Oregon State University
Jonathan J. Velez, Associate Professor, Agricultural Education and Agricultural Sciences, Oregon State University