Dr. Washington’s research focuses on civic engagement, community organizing, empowerment, and educational policies and leadership. He studies processes that enhance oppressed people’s and organizations’ ability to take actions to benefit the groups and communities to which they belong. Much of this work takes place alongside community and youth organizing efforts and community-driven health promotion initiatives. An overarching goal is to identify the mechanisms – at multiple levels of analysis – that account for links between engagement in empowerment processes and human service-based organizations. Dr. Washington’s background is primarily in urban education and the nonprofit sector (community engagement, youth development, and education reform), but he applies concepts from multiple social science disciplines and uses multiple methods to understand and inform community-driven efforts to improve systems of inequity. Consequently, he also engages in applied fields such as community development and organizational leadership. He currently provides educational institutions with restorative justice practices and principles.

At the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh through the College of Education and Human Services, Dr. Washington is an Assistant Professor.