Kyle Hanlan

My research interests are in the areas of public service for community improvement. I have always believed that the intent of scholarly research is the academic contribution to the community. Veteran integration, cross-cultural communication, social program analysis, and I/O Psychology in the public sector have been areas that I have focused on for previous research. I have collaborated with scholars worldwide to develop new perspectives toward public sector leadership. 

My dissertation was an ethnographic study on the culture shock veterans encounter upon returning to civilian society. This study aimed to identify the unmet reacculturation needs of post-active duty veterans in Chester County, Pennsylvania. Through the Transition Assistance Program (T.A.P.) policy lens, the study found that veterans do not perceive separation from the military as solely a career change but as a cultural and lifestyle change. Working with the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), policy recommendations have been submitted to the House Armed Services Committee to expand the application of 10 U.S.C. §1142(b)(10) to include cultural transition as a part of the transition plan. These policy recommendations will help reduce the 20 veteran suicides per day due to readjustment issues. 

The contribution to Public Policy and Administration that I have made is through consulting, teaching (undergraduate & graduate), and publications. In my consulting practice, I have used action research to develop new methodologies for policy implementation. The Hanlan model of organizational development was one of these new approaches. The experiential learning model engages individual experiences to foster an epistemology-driven drive to become a more productive global citizen. In addition to my dissertation, I have published a textbook for Pennsylvania State University on business acumen and an article on military leadership education published in a peer-reviewed military journal. My long-term goal is to continue to publish on veteran reintegration, organizational culture, public law implementation, political psychology, and industrial-organizational psychology. I am an active member of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA), the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP), the International Society for Political Psychology (ISPP), and various veteran organizations that publish their journals. 

The impact of the previous is grounded in the realm of service to others. Whether through consulting, teaching, or writing, I shared the knowledge and experience with others so that they can nurture the environment around them. I intend to have my future research follow in the same service to others that my previous work has accomplished. Focusing more time and resources on scholarly research would enable positive social change in public policy and administration.