This fall, students from Eastern University’s PhD in Organizational Leadership program traveled to Prague to participate in the International Leadership Association Conference (ILA). The ILA is the world's largest gathering of leaders, educators, and professionals that creates a space fostering leadership growth, meaningful connections, and the future of leadership. Two students, Katherine Black and John Riley, PhD candidates expected to graduate in 2028, were challenged by Dr. Abere Kassa to submit their individual work to be approved in order to present at the conference. Individually, their personal proposals were accepted, but they decided to stretch themselves by teaming up and competing in an international student competition to propose innovative solutions to real world challenges. In this competition, Black and Riley not only chose to represent Eastern, but also the city of Philadelphia.

The students centered their project on the housing crisis in the city, where the struggle for affordable and safe housing has become increasingly difficult. With the combination of the 400,000 residents on the waitlist for affordable housing and many existing homes and units falling below code, the team identified a critical leadership gap at the root of the issue. Drawing from personal experience and prior knowledge of the city, the team also incorporated three months of focused research to identify a solution that could be proposed and implemented on a local level. This solution was discovered through research about the city’s information technology system known as eCLIPSE. They identified that the city uses eCLIPSE primarily to support landlord-centered workflows. The current system does not mandate inspections, require licensing renewal, or provide a formal process for tenant input. The team was able to propose a proper and effective use of this underutilized system by recommending there be more enforcement of housing codes while also giving a voice to tenants that allows them to submit anonymous retaliation-free complaints.

Eastern’s Black-Riley team entered the competition alongside more than twenty other teams from around the world. Through multiple rounds of this competition, they were able to come out on top winning first prize for their research! They felt that with their deep understanding of the issue, strong execution in developing local solutions, and commitment to identifying and closing critical gaps, they were able to claim Eastern’s first ILA win since 2009. Following their success, the students are eager to potentially take their research to the next level and present a proposal to city leaders for a better Philadelphia.