John Ronquillo

John C. Ronquillo is the inaugural director of the Institute for Public Leadership and associate professor at the University of Maryland School of Public Policy. He joins the faculty after nine years at the University of Colorado Denver where he co-led the effort to establish the university's primary strategic goal of becoming an equity-serving institution. He previously held a faculty appointment at DePaul University, where he also directed the MPA program. Ronquillo researches in the areas of nonprofit and public management; diversity, inclusion and social equity; public service ethics and leadership; and indigenous leadership and governance in Native American, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian communities. 

An award-winning teacher and academic leader, Ronquillo has taught extensively across PhD, Executive MPA, MPA, and BA programs. His research is published in Public Administration Review; American Review of Public Administration; Decision Support Systems; Public Integrity; Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit organizations; Transylvanian Review of Administrative Sciences; and in numerous edited volumes particularly on the subject of leadership and innovation in nonprofit organizations. He has provided commentary to several media outlets including WalletHub, The Arizona Republic, The Salt Lake Tribune, The Denver Post, and Colorado Public Radio, among others.

A highly-engaged community partner, Ronquillo has served on several boards and commissions, including for the Colorado COVID-19 Eviction Defense Project; Servicios de La Raza; the Arapahoe County Foundation, Inc.; and was twice a candidate for elected office in Colorado. He previously served for six years on the Board of Directors for the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA), and currently serves on the editorial boards of the American Review of Public Administration, and Public Integrity. 

Prior to his academic career, Ronquillo worked as a policy and research analyst for the Arizona Association of Counties, and in a number of other applied research, policy and advocacy roles.

Ronquillo holds a Ph.D. in public administration and policy from the University of Georgia, a Master of Public Administration from Arizona State University and a BA cum laude in journalism and mass communication from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, also at ASU.