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Photograph of Ruth Zaplin

Ruth Zaplin Senior Executive in Residence Department of Public Administration and Policy

Degrees
DPA, MPA, MA, BA

Bio
Dr. Ruth Zaplin is an Executive-in-Residence, School of Public Affairs, Department of Public Administration & Policy and Director of International Programs, Key Executive Leadership Programs at American University. Dr. Zaplin served as a senior advisor and project director with the National Academy of Public Administration in Washington, DC and founded the Academy’s Global Leadership Consortium. As a Senior Manager at BearingPoint, she led enterprise-wide transformation plans, large-scale government reform, workforce restructuring, and work redesign initiatives in both the public and private sectors. Selected achievements include: leadership development, succession planning, and diversity study for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; designing a Government Center for Innovation to strengthen the capability of the State of Qatar’s public sector leaders and serve as a leadership development model of excellence for the Middle East; and leading the organizational change effort to integrate the core IRS financial management systems. Equally adept at bridging research, organizational theory and practice, her background includes executive leadership of a nationally known non-governmental organization and social science research in criminal justice. Dr. Zaplin has two nationally known textbooks in criminal justice and numerous book chapters related to leadership development. She holds a DPA, MPA, MA, and BA. She is certified to score the subject-object qualitative research methodology developed at Harvard University. She received her Executive Coaching accreditation from Georgetown University and is certified as a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) by the International Coach Federation.
For the Media
To request an interview for a news story, call AU Communications at 202-885-5950 or submit a request.

Teaching

Spring 2024

  • PUAD-028 Executive Skill Modules: Leader as a Coach MRP 16

  • PUAD-084 Leading Organizational Analys: Lding Orgniztnal Analys OE 96

  • PUAD-650 Leadership in Chngng Workplace

  • PUAD-650 Leadership in Chngng Workplace

Summer 2024

  • PUAD-028 Executive Skill Modules: Leader as a Coach MRP 17

  • PUAD-048 Group Theory and Facilitation: Group Theory & Fac OIG SES 2

  • PUAD-084 Leading Organizational Analys: Leading Org Analys DHS97

  • PUAD-084 Leading Organizational Analys: Leading Org Analys USSS10

  • PUAD-650 Leadership in Chngng Workplace

  • PUAD-650 Leadership in Chngng Workplace

  • PUAD-684 Organizational Analysis

Fall 2024

  • PUAD-620 Public Marketing & Strat Comm: Pub Mktg & Strat Comm Key 56