Hannah M. Sunderman

Ph.D., Human Sciences and Leadership, 2020, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE

M.S., Leadership Education, 2018, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE

B.A., Psychology, 2016, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE

Kirton's Adaption-Innovation (KAI) Certified Practitioner

Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) Qualified Administrator

• Certificate of Teaching Excellence – 2025, Virginia Tech College of Agricultural and Life Sciences
• Distinguished Workshop Award – “Exploring non-traditional grading methods for leadership educators” 2024, Association of Leadership Educators
• Distinguished Research Paper Award – “Who am I?” Exploring leader identity low points through meaning making” 2024, Association of Leadership Educators
• Rising Star Award – 2023, Association of Leadership Educator
• Distinguished Research Paper Award – “Growth-based grading: A non-traditional approach to assessment and grading in leadership education” 2023, Association of Leadership Educators 
• Outstanding Research Paper Award – “But can they actually do it? Creating a short-form scale for assessing student leader behaviors” 2023, Association of Leadership Educators 
• Outstanding Practice Paper Award – “A turning point: Utilizing responsive interviewing and graphing as meaning-making techniques to develop leader identity” 2023, Association of Leadership Educators 
• Distinguished Practice Paper Distinguished Practice Paper – “Transforming the leadership education undergraduate advising process: Incorporating growth mindset and design thinking” 2022, Association of Leadership Educators 
• Outstanding Research Paper Award – “Leadership identity development, meaning-making, and the intersection of marginalized social identities: A scoping review” 2022, Association of Leadership Educators 
• Outstanding Practice Paper Award – “Building a training and development intervention for peer leaders: Consideration vs. structure” 2022, Association of Leadership Educators 
• Distinguished Research Methods Workshop – “Overcoming statistics anxiety: Understanding advanced quantitative statistics for leadership educators” 2021, Association of Leadership Educators
• Distinguished Research Methods Workshop – “How do we know if anything changed? Using degree-of-change methodology to improve leadership research and program evaluation” 2021, Association of Leadership Educators

Dr. Sunderman’s research utilizes qualitative and quantitative approaches to study leader/leadership development, seeking to answer the question: What processes and experiences (e.g., being a mentor or mentee, formal leadership positions) affect leader/leadership development and why? Dr. Sunderman’s emerging research focuses on the intersection of leader/leadership identity development and meaning making. Specific and related areas of focus include leadership development interventions, mentoring, group/team effectiveness, and leadership education pedagogy (e.g., non-traditional grading).

• ALCE 3634: Communicating Ag and Life Sciences in Speaking 
• ALCE 2014: Principles of Peer Leadership
• ALS 5324: Research Ethics in Agriculture & Life Sciences
• LDRS 5544: Leading Groups and Teams Through Change
• Additional courses taught: Foundations Of Leadership Theory, Dynamics Of Effective Leadership In Groups And Teams, Interpersonal Skills For Leadership

• Sunderman, H. M., & Orsini, J. (2024). Leader(ship) identity development and meaning making: A scoping review. Journal of Leadership Studies – Feature Article, 18(23), 23 – 47. 
• Adebayo, B. O., & Sunderman, H. M. (2024). Intercultural mentoring: Enhancing cultural competence through intergroup contact and experiential learning. International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, 14(1), 20 – 37.
• Sunderman, H., & Orsini, J. (2023). Introduction to leading from the middle in higher education: Mentoring. Journal of Leadership Studies Symposium - Leading from the Middle in Higher Education: Mentoring, 17(3).
• Sunderman, H. M., & Hastings, L.J. (2023). Building a training and development intervention for peer leaders: Consideration vs. structure. Journal of Leadership Education, 22(2), 134 – 144.
• Sunderman, H. M. & Hastings, L. J. (2023), Generativity development among college students who mentor: A sequential multimethod quantitative study. International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, 12(2), 145-161.
• Sunderman, H. M., McCain, K., & Hastings, L. J. (2022). “Under my wing”: Exploring the connection between generativity and mentoring through storytelling. Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning, 30(4), 454-478.
• Sunderman, H. M. & Hastings, L. J. (2021). Theory-driven approaches to targeting socially responsible leadership in emerging adults: Consciousness of self. Journal of Campus Activities Practice & Scholarship, 3(20), 30-38.
• Hastings, L., Sunderman, H. M., Hastings, M., McElravy, L. J., & Lusk, M. (2021). Leadership transfer in rural communities: A mixed methods investigation. Community Development, 52(3), 328-410. 
• Sunderman, H. M., McCain, K., & Headrick, J. (2021). Addressing complex issues and crises in higher education with an adaptive leadership framework. Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, 52(06), 22-29.