Oksana Grybovych Hafermann is an Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, EdD Program Director and Associate Professor at the University of Northern Iowa. She holds an EdD from the University of Northern Iowa (USA), an MSc in Leisure and Environments from Wageningen University and Research Centre (the Netherlands), and a BA in Economics/ Management from the Institute of Economics and Law (Ukraine). Her research interests include practices of deliberative democracy, civic and community engagement, participatory community planning, economic impacts, and sustainability.