SP2 professor elected president of nonprofit research organization

Chao Guo, professor of nonprofit management in the School of Social Policy and Practice, has been elected president of the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action. 

ARNOVA is a United States-based organization that connects scholars, educators, and practitioners to develop the field of nonprofit research. Guo will serve a four-year term in his new position, including one year as president-elect, according to the SP2 announcement. 

Founded in 1971, ARNOVA aims to understand how nonprofit and philanthropy work can help improve civil society. Guo has a long history of involvement with the association, serving on the board of directors from 2009 to 2015. More recently, he was co-editor-in-chief of the organization's journal, Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly. 

Guo also helped establish an ARNOVA conference series in Asia, now in its seventh year. He co-chaired the first three conferences in Beijing, Hong Kong, and Taipei. 

Guo’s research focuses on the interactions between nonprofits, voluntary action, and the government. He described ARNOVA as his “intellectual home” in a statement on the association’s website.

“In the past quarter century, ARNOVA has been my community of support and source of inspiration, transforming my career in fundamental ways,” Guo said. “I appreciate this opportunity to give back to our association by serving as ARNOVA president.”  

Guo is also faculty director of SP2’s Master of Science in Nonprofit Leadership program, which prepares students for careers in nonprofits, international NGOs, and charitable foundations. 

In February, SP2 announced a partnership between its NPL program and the Bonner Foundation to expand access to higher education. Through the Bonner Community Scholars program, students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds receive a one-time scholarship to complete the NPL degree, which is intended to help them engage with and support vulnerable communities.