Michael Gearhart received his PhD in 2017 from the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University. His dissertation developed mutual efficacy. Mutual efficacy is defined as group members’ beliefs that collective action can be successful at achieving group goals. His current research will further refine mutual efficacy, assess its relationship with collective action in communities, and develop strategies aimed at facilitating collective action in communities.
While pursuing his doctorate, Dr. Gearhart worked as a research assistant at the National Initiative on Mixed-income Communities, the Community Innovation Network, and the Dr. Semi J. and Ruth W. Begun Center for Violence Prevention, Research, and Education. He also has five years’ worth of practice experience as a research associate for Leverage Point Development.