We are a network of individuals – scholars, educators, and activists – committed to democratizing knowledge production. Any and all are invited to join!

Organizers

Dr. Lonnie Rowell is a scholar-activist, educator, and ARNA co-founder. He recently retired as Associate Professor, School of Leadership and Education Sciences, University of San Diego, USA, where he taught graduate courses in action research, group dynamics, and research methods in counseling. Lonnie served on the editorial board of Educational Action Research, was lead editor for The Palgrave International Handbook of Action Research, and co-chaired the 1st Global Assembly for Knowledge Democracy in 2017. He now Co-Coordinates ARNA’s team for Strategic Priority #1 and is President of Social Publishers Foundation (SPF).

Dr. Mary McAteer is former Director of Professional Learning Programmes at Edge Hill, UK.  Having moved to part-time she is now Programme Lead for an MA Educational Enquiry and Professional Learning.  She teaches courses on research methodology and evidence-based practice, and supervises research students.  Her own research has an action-oriented, interdisciplinary focus, drawing on eclectic and episto-flexible methodologies.  Its purpose is always directed towards theorising as a means to understand and improve human and social conditions and practices. 

She founded and leads the interdisciplinary CREATE Research Network at Edge Hill University, and is a member of the Collaborative Action Research Network (CARN)  coordinating group. She has published articles, books and book chapters on action research in a range of contexts, including professional learning and development of teachers, and community-based participatory work.

Dr. Melissa Hauber-Özer is an Assistant Professor of Qualitative Methodology in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Missouri. With a background in adult second language and literacy instruction, Melissa employs critical participatory methodologies to examine educational access and equity in migration contexts. Her work can be found in Action Research, Forum: Qualitative Social Research, and Forced Migration Review along with various edited volumes.

José Maria Ramos is director of the boutique foresight consultancy Action Foresight, is Senior Consulting Editor for the Journal of Futures Studies, and Senior Adjunct Professor at the University of the Sunshine Coast. His consulting work has involved federal, state and municipal governments, as well as citizen innovation experiments. He has taught and lectured at universities in Australia, Singapore, and Germany. His scholarly work addresses varied topics in futures studies and social innovation. Using action research, he has co-founded numerous civil society organizations, a social forum, a maker lab, an advocacy group for commons governance, and a peer to peer leadership development group. He holds a B.A. in Comparative Literature, a Master’s degree in Strategic Foresight, and a Ph.D. in Critical Globalisation Studies. He is originally from California of Mexican ancestry and now lives in Sydney, Australia with his wife and two children.

Matthew Moors recently graduated from the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) in the UK, completing an MA in Power, Participation and Social Change with a focus on participatory action research methods, epistemic injustice, shifting power in organisations, and cultivating networks that support activist action researchers.

He has an interest in participatory action research and the expansion of the concept of knowledge democracy in international development. Previously he managed projects with the British Red Cross that focused on the needs of refugees, vulnerable carers and people with learning disabilities. He recently coordinated a programme for Age UK called Dementia Action Alliance which used participatory action research principles to amplify the voice of people living with dementia in local health policy making processes. He is on the board of trustees of Sussex Interpreting Services, an organisation that provides interpreting services to refugees, migrants and others.

Matthew had over 20 years’ experience as a probation officer. He has a daughter with Down Syndrome and has been a long standing and passionate advocate for people with learning disabilities. He also is very interested in using participatory methods in intergenerational work that looks at challenging ageism and recently completed two years volunteering for HelpAge International.