Todd Sukol Advances Applied Research, Learns from the Best, and Celebrates Progress Alongside Fellow ‘Pracademics’ at Final IU Doctoral Program Summer Residency

The Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy's Professional Doctorate in Philanthropic Leadership (phild) 2027 cohort

Mayberg Foundation Executive Director Todd Sukol attended his annual summer residency for the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy's Professional Doctorate in Philanthropic Leadership (PhilD) program, now in his third and final year before graduating in May 2027. The residency brought together practitioners spanning three current cohorts as well as members of the most recent graduated class, alongside leading researchers from the Lilly Family School, including economists, legal scholars, sociologists, and others regarded as top scholars in the philanthropic and nonprofit sector.

The gathering embodies the program's "pracademic" model: practitioners engaging in academic research to strengthen the field and its impact. Attendees represented organizations of all sizes and used the week to advance their own research, get updates on milestones and presentations, hear from top researchers and fellow practitioners, celebrate progress, and build cross-cohort mentorship relationships between newer and more experienced students — all in service of the program's broader goal of bridging philanthropic practice and scholarship to improve sector performance.

Todd sukol, Michael moody, Phd, and other members of the 2027 PhilD cohort

Todd's applied research project (ARP) is guided by his doctoral chair, renowned philanthropic studies expert Michael Moody, PhD, professor of philanthropic studies at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and co-author of books including Understanding Philanthropy: Its Meaning and Mission with Robert Payton, and Generation Impact: How Next Gen Donors Are Revolutionizing Giving with 21/64 Founder and Vice President Sharna Goldseker, among numerous other scholarly and practitioner publications. Todd's project proposes a new leadership methodology for senior professionals at small to mid-sized nonprofits, a group that represents more than 90 percent of all U.S. public charities.

As Todd puts it, “The philanthropic and nonprofit sector can do things that simply won't happen otherwise — things government and commerce aren't equipped to do. Our ‘third’ sector has tremendous potential for good, but for a variety of reasons it is currently underdelivering on that promise. One of the most promising levers for changing that is well-prepared professional leadership." Based on his 30+ years of experience, secondary research, and primary research including interviews with two dozen highly successful nonprofit leaders, Todd’s work uncovers how great senior professionals navigate six pervasive organizational dynamics falling into three broad categories: relational, procedural, and structural. "My theory is that great professional leaders can engender higher levels of impact by navigating these six dynamics well," Todd explains. "So I wanted to mine how the best of the best think and act, and build a leadership methodology around their specific mindsets and practices. By modeling what the best do to succeed, I hope to create a path for aspiring professional leaders to maximize impact in their own organizations."

Todd's next checkpoint comes in mid-October, when he'll present his progress to date to a small review panel. A larger presentation will follow in early 2027, where he'll share more complete research findings and have his work challenged by a diverse spectrum of participants — a critical step on the path toward his May 2027 graduation.