EDUCATION
RESEARCH EXPERTISE
Her research explores nonprofit financial sustainability, with a focus on:
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Fundraising strategy and revenue diversification
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Budgeting and financial risk management
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Debt financing in arts and cultural nonprofits
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Financial governance and board oversight
Ph.D., Public Administration — University of Kentucky
MPA — Baruch College, City University of New York
B.A. — Baruch College, City University of New York
ABOUT ME
Cleopatra Charles, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the School of Public Affairs and Administration at Rutgers University, Newark, where she has been a faculty member since 2010. Her academic career is marked by a deep commitment to understanding how nonprofit organizations — particularly arts and cultural institutions — achieve and sustain financial health.
About
BOOK
Dr. Charles is co-author of *Financial Leadership for the Arts: Sustainable Strategies for Creative Organizations* (UNC Press, 2024), a comprehensive resource for arts nonprofit practitioners and scholars.
About
INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP
Dr. Charles is a two-time Fulbright Scholar. During 2019–2020, she was a Visiting Scholar in the Department of Civil Society Studies at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic. In 2021–2022, she served as a Visiting Scholar at the National University for Public Service in Budapest, Hungary. These experiences have shaped her comparative and international perspective on nonprofit governance and finance.
