Dr. Dustin Evatt (he/him) serves as the Associate Director in the Shelton Leadership Center with primary responsibilities for the Center’s academic programs, assessment efforts, and research agenda. He coordinates the Leadership: Cross Disciplinary Perspectives Minor and teaches a variety of interdisciplinary courses aimed at developing students’ capacities for values-based leadership. Dustin collaborates with faculty, staff, and community partners to deliver and assess high-impact learning experiences inside and outside the classroom. 

As a scholar-practitioner, Dustin has worked in higher education for nearly 15 years. Before joining the Shelton Center team, he served as an Assistant Professor of Practice in Higher Education at Western Carolina University where he oversaw the undergraduate Leadership Minor and Social Justice Minor as well as taught courses in the Higher Education Student Affairs (HESA) master’s program and the Educational Leadership doctoral program. Previous to faculty life, Dustin worked in Student Affairs for 12 years in the areas of student engagement and leadership, career development, fraternity and sorority life, and young alumni engagement. 

Dustin’s research explores critical perspectives of leadership and equity-mindedness in college students and administrators. He has presented over 40 sessions on topics related to leadership education, student engagement, and inclusive leadership at a variety of regional and national conferences. Dustin received the 2020 Dissertation of the Year Award from the Southern Association for College Student Affairs (SACSA) and was honored to be selected as a member of the 2023-2024 NASPA Emerging Faculty Leader Academy (1 of 7 selected nationally). His research has been published in the Journal Committed to Social Change on Race and Ethnicity (JCSCORE), the Journal for Campus Activities Practice & Scholarship (JCAPS), and American College Personnel Association’s (ACPA) Developments magazine.

Originally from South Carolina, Dustin received his Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degree from Appalachian State University, a Master of Education degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs from the University of Vermont, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Integrated Marketing Communication from Winthrop University.

Email: wdevatt@ncsu.edu
Phone: 919-513-2790