Episode 054: From Practice to Scholarship: Doing Timely, High-Impact Research Through the DBA with Kimberly Bright

Kimberly Bright is a Doctor of Business Administration candidate at the University of Rhode Island and a seasoned leader whose career spans public service, higher education leadership, strategic planning, and organizational change. Her work sits at the intersection of practice, policy, and scholarship, demonstrating the powerful role DBA research can play in addressing real-world challenges as they unfold. Holding a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, Kimberlybrings a deeply practitioner-oriented lens to her doctoral research. Her study examines the lived experiences of Black Chief Diversity Officers in higher education, focusing on how race-based trauma, political pressures, and institutional dynamics influence leaders’ health, well-being, and intentions to remain in their roles. Conducted during a time of heightened scrutiny around higher education and diversity initiatives, Kimberly’s work reflects the core promise of the DBA: enabling experiencedprofessionals to translate lived expertise into rigorous scholarship that informs leadership, policy, and organizational practice in real time.But this episode is about more than a dissertation topic. It is about the journey from practice to scholarship, the intellectual transformation that happens in a DBA program, and theresponsibility of researcher-practitioners to bring credible evidence into complex societal conversations. Why This Episode MattersKimberly Bright’s research illustrates how the DBA serves as a bridge between scholarship and practice. Rather than studying events long after they occur, practitioner-scholars can investigate critical issues as they are happening, producing insights that organizations, policymakers, and leaders can use today.Her work also highlights a broader lesson for the DBA community: research is not just about adding to academic literature, it is about bringing evidence, lived experience, andcredible analysis into conversations that shape institutions and society.For DBA students, aspiring practitioner-scholars, and leaders navigating complex organizational environments, this episode demonstrates how timely research can illuminatehidden pressures, elevate overlooked voices, and strengthen decision-making in uncertain times. Connect with UsLinkedIn: DBA ChroniclesWebsite: www.dbachronicles.org Subscribe & ReviewIf this episode resonated with you, please leave a reviewand share it with your network. Your support helps us continue highlighting the voices and insights shaping the global DBA scholar-practitioner community.