Leonard Lira, PhD

Dr. Leonard (Len) Lira joined SJSU in 2017 as Assistant Professor of Public Administration and a Faculty Fellow for the SJSU Veterans Resource Center. Dr. Lira’s scholarly and teaching focus is on organizational theory and public management. His current research effort looks at collaboration and its impact on performance, as well as Veteran studies and policy research. Before joining SJSU, Dr. Lira was the founding Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence at the Army University. He also taught Strategic and Operational Studies, Enterprise Leadership, and Public Management courses for ArmyU's Army Command and General Staff College and the Army Management Staff College. In addition to university teaching, Dr. Lira has over 28 years of public service with direct, organizational and enterprise management and leadership experience, and he retired from the U.S. Army as a Colonel in 2016. Dr. Lira received a B.A. from Sam Houston State University in Criminal Justice and Police Administration. He received an M.A. in International Relations, a Master of Public Administration, and a Certificate of Advanced Study in Conflict Resolution from the Maxwell School of Public Affairs and Administration at Syracuse University. Dr Lira received his Ph.D. in Public Administration from the University of Kansas.