Elias

Nicole Marie Elias

Associate Professor of Public Management, CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Connect with Nicole

About Nicole

Elias's research addresses diversity and representation in governance with a particular focus on sex/gender orientation and identity. She explores means of increasing sex/gender representation through technology and social media in public administration. As a Faculty Partner at the Prisoner Reentry Institute at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, she developed and teaches an independent study course as part of The David Rockefeller Fund Fellowship experience. Elias regularly collaborates with practitioners at the federal level. She is a Research Fellow at Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute (DEOMI) with the U.S. Department of Defense, held a Research Fellowship at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Office, and served as the Lead Faculty Advisor to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management on the 2016 Government-wide Inclusive Diversity Strategic Plan.

Contributions

Policing Intimate Partner Violence in the LGBTQ+ Community

  • Meghan Scarlott
  • Maria J. D'Agostino

Addressing the Need for Representation in Public Sector Boards and Commissions

  • Maria J. D'Agostino
  • Meghan Scarlott

COVID-19 as a Catalyst for Reform of U.S. Childcare Policy

  • Maria J. D'Agostino

Publications

"Gender Equity in Public Affairs Pedagogy: Structure, Content, and Practice for a More Inclusive Public Sector" (with Maria J. D'Agostino, Vanessa Diez, and Erik Krause). Journal of Social Equity and Public Administration 2, no. 1 (2024): 52-70.

Highlights the importance of incorporating gender into Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) pedagogy within public affairs education. Provides recommendations to strengthen gender equity both inside the classroom and in public sector workplaces.

"Gender Equity Commission Priorities: An Archival Study and Prospects for the Future" (with Maria J. D'Agostino). State and Local Government Review 54, no. 2 (2022): 102-119.

Explores the priorities of the gender equity commission in New York City over forty-five years. Recommends that local-level administrators embed an intersectional approach in their policies and programming and transition from a commission model to a permanent office or agency.

"Constructing and Implementing Transgender Policy" Administration & Society 49, no. 1 (2017): 20-47.

Addresses organizational behavior and management issues by presenting a successful case of a workplace transition. Interviews an administrator guiding the transitioning process and one of the first federal employees to complete a transition while in a federal field office are conducted.

"Merit, Luck, and Historical Recognition: A More Comprehensive Treatment of Justice in Public Administration" (with Courtney Jensen). Public Administration Quarterly 38, no. 4 (2014): 466-487.

Argues for a more comprehensive treatment of merit, deservedness, and fairness than found in Rawls's  A Theory of Justice, one that incorporates luck and takes into account social values rooted in historical preference and identity.

"Shifting Diversity Perspectives and New Avenues for Representative Bureaucracy" Public Administration Quarterly 37, no. 3 (2013): 331-372.

Analyzes federal policy seeking to increase representation in the following Executive Orders: 13078, 13163, 13171, 13518, 13548, and 13585. Prime emphasis is devoted to the most recent and comprehensive, Executive Order 13583 and the Government-wide Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan. Demonstrates significant implications for management and governance, particularly in the text, discursive practice, and social practice surrounding the meaning of “diversity” purported for the federal bureaucracy.