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College of Agriculture and Life Sciences 
Agricultural and Human Sciences

Jackie Bruce, PhD

JB

Professor

Undergraduate Coordinator, Leadership in Ag and Life Sciences Minor

Co-Director - The Oaks Leadership Scholars

Director of Strategic Excellence and Well-Being, CALS Office of the Dean

Ricks Hall 213

919-515-8801

Bio

Jackie Bruce is a Professor in the Department of Agricultural & Human Sciences at NC State, where she teaches courses in leadership development & qualitative research methods, advises graduate students and tries to find good parking every day. She also co-directs the award winning Oaks Leadership Scholars Program. A leadership educator by training, her emphasis is on organizational behavior. She’s worked with small organizations (<50 employees), large companies (>150) and multinational corporations throughout her career and is often sought out for leadership training and development and conflict management issues. Twenty-two years in the field, and there aren’t many issues Jackie hasn’t seen, consulted on, or worked with colleagues to consult on. Her co-edited book, Transformative Leadership in Action: Allyship, Advocacy and Activism, was selected as the 2020 Building Bridges selection for the International Leadership Association and is the first textbook in the series. She enjoys collaborating with colleagues both in the US and abroad on projects that center training the next generation of leaders who can critically engage across disciplines, with pragmatism and compassion.

Programs and Initiatives

 

Primary Teaching Responsibilities

  • AEE 323: Leadership Development in Ag & Life Sciences
  • AEE 360: Groups & Teams Leadership in Ag & Life Sciences
  • AEE 460: Organizational Leadership in Ag & Life Sciences
  • AEHS 550: Leadership Theory
  • AEHS 560: Organizational Leadership in Ag & Life Sciences
  • AEHS 777: Qualitative Research Methods

Professional Honors/Offices/Recognitions

  • 2023 – CALS Administrative Faculty Fellow, NC State
  • 2016 – Distinguished Teaching Award, Association of Leadership Educators
  • 2015 – Distinguished Leadership & Service Award, Association of Leadership Educators
  • 2015 – NACTA Educator Award. North American Colleges & Teachers of Agriculture
  • Outstanding Graduate Instructor, CALS, NC State University

Selected Publications

Books

  • Bruce, J.A. & McKee, K.E. (Eds). (2020). Transformative leadership in action: Allyship, advocacy, & activism. Emerald Publishing.

    • The featured text at the 2020 International Leadership Association Global Conference has been adopted for use in graduate courses outside NC State, and by industry for use as a professional development tool

Book Chapters

  • Bruce, J. A. & Headrick, J. (in press– 2025). Leadership Education in Agricultural Contexts in Dugan, J., Patterson, S. & Skendall, K. (Eds.) The Handbook for Leadership Education & Impact. Edward Elger Publishing, UK.
  • Bruce, J.A.  & McKee, K.E. (2021). Teaching Social Justice in Agricultural Contexts in Gutherie, K & Cunhoo, V. (Eds.). Shifting the Mindset: Socially Just Leadership Education. Information Age Publishing.
  • Bruce, J.A., & McKee, K.E. (2020). Developing Advocate Identities. In J.A. Bruce & K.E. McKee (Eds.), Transformative leadership in action: Allyship, advocacy, & activism (pp. 149-162).  Emerald Publishing.
  • McKee, K.E. & Bruce, J.A. (2020). Developing Activist Identities. In J.A. Bruce & K.E. McKee (Eds.), Transformative leadership in action: Allyship, advocacy, & activism (pp. 185-198).  Emerald Publishing.
  • McKee, K.E. & Bruce, J.A. (2020). Becoming a Transformative Leader: The Student Leadership Activist Identity Continuum. In J.A. Bruce & K.E. McKee (Eds.), Transformative leadership in action: Allyship, advocacy, & activism (pp. 49-62).  Emerald Publishing.

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

Articles denoted with an * are those authored with graduate students where I served in a supporting role.
  • Holden, S. & Bruce, J. (2024). Trauma Informed Pedagogy for Leadership Education: An Integrative Literature Review. The Journal of Leadership Education.
  • Deviney AV, Classen JJ and Bruce JA. (2024). Pathways to sustainable transitions in a complex agricultural system: a case study of swine waste management in North Carolina. Front. Sustain. Food Syst. 7:1292326. doi: 10.3389/fsufs.2023.1292326.
  • *Bradshaw, M., Bruce, J., McKee, K., Orders, A., Sutton, R., & Dunn, C. (2024). The Effects of Burnout in Female Higher Education Administrators. Advancing Women in Leadership Journal, 43, 15-28. https://doi.org/10.21423/awlj-v43.a422
  • *Deviney, A. V., Classen, J. J., & Bruce, J. A. (2023). A methodology for using a multilevel perspective framework to analyze complex systems. Methodological Innovations, 16(2), 123-137. https://doi.org/10.1177/20597991231160280
  • Bruce, J. & McKee, K. (2023). The Case for Leadership [Education] in Social Movements: Transformative Leadership as a Framework for Creating Movement Leaders. Sociological Teaching, 2(2), 26-46.
  • *Green, B., Bruce, J., McKee, K.E., Morgan-Fleming, J. & Edwards, H. (2022). Strategies for Diversity & Inclusion: A Case Study of Faculty Decision Making. NACTA Journal, 66.
  • *Cunningham, G., Bruce, J., McKee, K., Jayaratne, K., & Correa, M. (2022). Assessment of the organizational culture of the cooperative extension system. Advancing Women in Leadership Journal, 41, 129-140. https://awl-ojs-tamu.tdl.org/awl/article/view/432

Education

BS Political Science Colorado State University

Mag Agricultural and Extension Education; Community Education emphasis Colorado State University

PhD Agricultural Education, Leadership Education Emphasis Texas A and M University

Area(s) of Expertise

  • Leadership Development/Organizational Behavior
  • Transformative Leadership for Social Change
  • Trauma-Informed Leadership Pedagogy & Trauma Informed Leadership

Grants

Date: 09/30/20 - 9/29/22
Amount: $14,999.00
Funding Agencies: National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health

Mental health issues and suicidal actions are increasing in rural populations, especially among agricultural producers (Anderson, 2009). Agriculture is an incredibly stressful vocation, and it is not getting easier. External factors including weather, the future of production, market prices and taxes, health care costs, and not having enough time away from working (Tutor Marcom et al., 2018) all contribute to the rising mental health crises among agricultural producers. When uncontrollable events, like a drought, occur, producers become more economically vulnerable, which adds to their mounting stress (Bryan and Garnham, 2013). Previous studies also identify that many producers have more negatively associated emotions than positive ones (Tutor Marcom et al., 2018). While agricultural producers may be able to recognize these issues, evidenced by increased requests for help relating to mental illness to the NC Agromedicine Institute, (Tutor Marcom et al., 2018), there is still evidence that producers feel that their ability to rely on others for mental and emotional support are severely lacking, and they are limited to coping mechanisms like repression and distraction (Tutor Marcom et al., 2018). Ultimately, they feel that they, alone, must shoulder the responsibility of keeping their operations afloat and provide enough for their families. While the mental health of producers continues to deteriorate, the instances of suicide and suicidal ideation continues to rise (Tutor Marcom, 2018). This project will provide funding for targeted mental health counseling targeting current and future ag producers.

Date: 09/01/11 - 5/31/15
Amount: $138,840.00
Funding Agencies: US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA)

North Carolina State University will specifically plan, coordinate, and execute a contextually-rich graduate student teacher/faculty development experience in Costa Rica. The team will coordinate efforts with the CALS International Program Office to work with one or all of the four institutions we possess memorandums of agreement with: Escule Agricultura de la Region Tropical Humeda, Organization for Tropical Studies, Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center and/or Universidad de Costa Rica. The NCSU College of Agriculture and Life Science has many existing projects and faculty connections with these institutions through the agroecology, food science, animal science and crop science disciplines. Specifically the team will focus on the sustainable economic development of the country based on agricultural commodities and trade and the ability of the country to provide food for its? own people. From 2006-2008 food prices in Latin America increased at a rapid rate which increased hunger rates in many countries. Our group, with the help of a consultant from NCSU, would make an initial trip to study Costa Rica?s response to this food crisis and will explore related food security issues. Approximately six graduate teaching assistants and faculty at North Carolina State University would then be recruited based upon expertise aligned with the USDA strategic goal to ?Global Security and Hunger? to go on the second trip to study their own commodities/ disciplines in the context of global food security.

Date: 07/01/10 - 6/30/11
Amount: $10,000.00
Funding Agencies: NCSU Office of Extension & Engagement & Economic Development

A growing need for leadership is evident in the shifting demographics of today?s society, as well as in the changing nature of the problems individuals are asked to address. More and more, educational responsibilities are being turned over to local governments and community organizations like Cooperative Extension. This increased responsibility equates to a need for all Extension educators to assume positions of leadership, if indeed they are to succeed in this increasingly competitive environment. The Wolfpack Leadership Academy will provide the opportunity for 4-H Extension agents to attend a targeted, purposeful, intense leadership development academy designed to engage them in learning and applying the skills needed for future job success.


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