Community-Engaged Learning and Civic Leadership with Dr. Jason Headrick

In this episode, Dan and Lauren are joined by Dr. Jason Headrick, Associate Professor of Leadership and Community Development at Texas Tech University. Jason's work sits at the intersection of leadership education, rural community development, and inclusive leadership practices. He also serves as director of the Civic Leadership Academy at Texas Tech's Davis College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources — a yearlong program that helps students develop civic leadership principles.

The conversation explores how leadership educators can move students from the classroom into genuine community engagement — and why that shift matters. Jason shares how his own roots as a first-generation college student from Kentucky, deeply involved in 4-H, shaped his understanding of leadership as something lived in community. He discusses community-engaged learning as a pedagogical approach that centers community partners in the learning process, and walks through concrete examples from his Civic Leadership course, including an interdisciplinary asset-mapping project spanning multiple departments and multiple semesters. Dan and Lauren reflect alongside Jason on their own teaching experiences with civic engagement, stakeholder analysis, and helping students see their capacity to lead and make change — now, not later.

 

Resources and works mentioned in this episode include:

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• Matkin, G. S., Headrick, J., & Sunderman, H. M. (Eds.). (2023). Developing Human Potential: A Personal Approach to Leadership. Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, & Communication, University of Nebraska–Lincoln. (Free OER — includes a civic leadership chapter focused on developing a personal leadership philosophy)
• Komives, S. R., Lucas, N., & McMahon, T. R. (2013). Exploring Leadership: For College Students Who Want to Make a Difference (3rd ed.). Jossey-Bass. — referenced in connection with the Passion Project Headlines activity and Strategies for Change chapter
• New Directions for Student Leadership, Issue #188 — co-edited by Jason Headrick; recently published
• Deep Roots Podcast — Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources, Texas Tech University; Jason was featured as a guest
• Association of Leadership Educators 2026 Conference – Philadelphia — referenced by Dan and Jason; registration open