Work, Initiatives, Research, Publications

Dr. Janel Curry has spent her career and research life exploring what helps organizations and individuals thrive. Through decades of hands-on work as a a senior leader in academia, a professional geographer, and as an active community member, she has cultivated the knowledge and skills needed to develop institutions that are focused on measured effectiveness. Dr. Curry is experienced in building and leading teams that shape successful organizations. With three Fulbright engagements, Dr. Curry has extensive cross-cultural and international experience that demonstrates an ability to thrive and form cross-cultural partnerships.

Perspectives from Dr. Curry

In this section I present seven areas that have been the substance of my mission as I have lived it out professionally and personally. Across all these aspects of my career, I bring a passion for the flourishing of individuals, institutions, communities, and environments. This desire to understand the factors leading to flourishing has resulted in extensive and deep experiences across a broad range of contexts and cultures. Curiosity has also led me to develop extensive knowledge of best practices across all aspects of organizations. As a social scientist and seasoned administrator, I continue to ground all my work in a realistic hope that exhibits itself in approaches that are both data-informed and humanitarian. Likewise, I come alongside others in their journeys, with a commitment to integrity and honesty in delivering information and a practice of listening that arises out of both mediation training and ethnographic research. Thus all the themes are underlain by a deep desire to contribute to wholeness and health in all places and all ways.

Institutional Effectiveness and Best Practices

As a social scientist, I approach all my work with the question—how do we know and then ask key questions: What does success look like?”and How will we know that we are effective? How are we going to measure success? Only after we probe our assumptions and after these 3 questions have been answered can you begin to build the road map to get to a better place, anticipating unexpected twists and turns along the way.

Professional and Leadership Development

Institutional resilience increases in direct relationship to the effectiveness of the organization in building a culture of learning. This learning involves best practices in growing the skills of its staff and leaders while also developing practices of communal reflection on results of initiatives. Best practices come from clear assessment of professional and leadership development programs.

Educational Theory and Practice

Educational theory and practice have changed dramatically in the past fifty years and moved from rote learning to high impact practices involving “engaged learning.” These practices include service-learning, capstone synthetic projects, and applications of knowledge through internships and study abroad. In every context, my direction is student-centered and involves the assessment of student learning.

Geography and Environmental Thought

The outworking of the patterns of human-land relationship on the landscape are impacted by economic, social, environmental, and religious factors. Much of my work as a geographer has involved understanding the societal and religious worldviews that underlie the expressions of human-nature relationships on the landscape and in natural resource policy. My research has explored the relationship between worldviews and how different human societies relate to nature.

Environmental Sustainability

The flourishing of humans and nature together in communities across the world will only be possible with strong leadership, intercultural and international contextual understanding, and knowledge of institutional and natural systems. Much of my work has been spent building capacity in communities and institutions to move toward sustainability with a view toward the flourishing of the whole.

Intercultural and International Perspectives

To ensure the flourishing of humans and nature together in communities across the world requires intercultural skills and international perspectives. As a professional geographer, I have deepened my understanding through living and working abroad and working in many different cultural settings. My colleagues from around the world have profoundly shaped the way I see the world.

Christian Thought

My career has been spent at the intersection of empirical research, theological exploration, and pragmatic application of knowledge. Everything I do has been shaped by my faith, yet also my understanding of God has also been shaped by my exploration of the world. The question that has driven my desire for all understanding has been: What does it look like to be at peace with God, with the creation, and with humanity?