Kimberly D. Bess

Assistant Professor of Human and Organizational Development

Ph.D., Vanderbilt University, 2006

Joined faculty in 2007

Areas of Specialization

Primary Focus
Community, Organizational, and Social Psychology: Second-Order Community Change, Sense of Community Theory, Empowerment Theory, Prevention, Strength-Based Practice, Learning Communities, Institutional Theory, Multi-level/Systemic Interventions

Organizational Development: Role of Human Service Organizations as Mediators of Community Change, Non-Profit Organizational Learning & Learning Organizations, Organizational Adaptation & Transformation, Organizational Identity, Professional Identity, Human Service Practice, Role of Change Agent

Secondary Focus
Applied Human Development: Adult Development and Constructivist Developmental Theory

Research Methods: Mixed Method Designs, Qualitative Case Studies, Survey Research, Narrative and Content Analysis, Social Network Analysis, Transactional and Ecological Theory and Methods, Action Research, Program Evaluation, Community-Based Participatory Research

Higher Education: Experiential Education Theory and Practice, Service Learning, Higher Education Reform, Classrooms as Learning Communities, Public Health Literacy

Learn More about Kimberly D. Bess:

Selected Publications
CV

Selected Publications

Perkins, D.D., Bess K.D., Cooper, D.G., Jones D.L., Armstead T., & Speer P.W. (in press). "Community organizational learning: Case studies illustrating a three-dimensional model of levels and orders of change." The Journal of Community Psychology.

Book Chapters

Hanlin, C.E., Conway, P. Evans, S.D., Prilleltensky, I., Bess, K. D., Perkins, D.D. (in press). Qualitative Approaches in Community Psychology.

Bess, K. D., Fisher, A. T., Sonn, C.C. & Bishop, B. J. (2002)."Psychological Sense of Community Theory, Research, and Application." In A. Fisher, C. Sonn, & B. Bishop (Eds.), Psychological sense of community: Research, applications, and implications (pp. 3-22). New York: Plenum.

Invited Papers

Perkins, D.D., Griffith, B., Bess, K., Dokecki, P.R., Newbrough, J.R., & Speer, P.W. (2002). "The uncaged bird: Experiential learning in human, organizational, and community development at Vanderbilt University." The Community Psychologist, 35.

Areas of Expertise

Human and Organizational Development

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