About

Eric K. Kaufman is a Professor and Associate Department Head in Leadership Education at Virginia Tech, with a location at 214D Litton-Reaves Hall. His educational background includes a Ph.D. in Agricultural Education and Communication from the University of Florida, Gainesville, earned in 2007, a Master's degree in the same field from the same university in 2004, and a Bachelor's degree in Agricultural Education from The Ohio State University in 2000. Dr. Kaufman's research focuses on the nature of leadership, particularly the evolving and complex challenges it presents, and the shift towards shared and eco-leadership models. He investigates collaborative leadership in community and volunteer settings, exploring group cohesion, exchange structures, and cognitive differences in problem-solving styles. His work emphasizes the importance of leadership education in addressing societal and industry-related challenges, recognizing a perceived 'crisis of leadership' in the United States and the need for more collaborative and validated models in leadership development. Beyond research, Dr. Kaufman actively engages in extension programs, dedicating a significant portion of his role to community involvement and preparing future leaders in the agricultural sector. He has contributed to initiatives such as the Virginia Agriculture Leaders Obtaining Results (VALOR) program and has served as a co-coordinator for the Virginia Cooperative Extension Faculty Leadership Development Program. His scholarly contributions include numerous publications on leadership and community engagement, and he has been recognized with awards such as the Distinguished Agricultural Leadership Educator Award in 2021.

Research topics

• Sociology
• Political Science
• Computer Science
• Pedagogy
• Public relations
• Engineering
• Philosophy
• Management
• Operations management
• Psychology
• Epistemology
• Demography
• Social psychology

Selected publications

• One Continuous Side: Rethinking Followership with the Möbius Strip

  VTechWorks (Virginia Tech) · 2026-02-07

  article1st authorCorresponding

  What if leading and following aren’t opposites, but the same continuous skill? Using the Möbius Strip as a hands-on metaphor, this session reimagines leadership as shared, dynamic, and courageous—no matter where you stand.

  Publisher

• Strategies for Transformational Leadership Development Among 4-H Youth

  VTechWorks (Virginia Tech) · 2026-02-09

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Published version

  PublisherOA PDF

• Bonding & Bridging Social Capital in Teams

  VTechWorks (Virginia Tech) · 2026-03-04

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Guest lecture for Virginia Tech's LDRS 5544 class on "Leading Teams Through Change."

  PublisherOA PDF

• Youth Transformational Leadership Development: Identifying Bottlenecks and Barriers

  VTechWorks (Virginia Tech) · 2026-02-01

  articleSenior author

  Published version

  Publisher

• Teaching Followership as a Collaborative Approach to Leadership with Eric Kaufman [Podcast episode]

  VTechWorks (Virginia Tech) · 2026-03-21

  articleSenior author

  In this episode, I’m joined by Eric Kaufman, a professor of Leadership Studies at Virginia Tech, for an engaging conversation on developing followership programs in higher education. We also explore key topics such as followership discourse and research, followership education, and the cataloguing of followership materials—a Virginia Tech grant-funded project where he served as Co-Principal Investigator.

  Publisher

• Developing Youth's Capacity to Lead Through Complexities: Exploring 4‐H Extension Agents’ Perception on Barriers and Opportunities

  New Directions for Student Leadership · 2026-05-15

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  As the world faces dynamic challenges affecting societies and organizations, there has been an increasing call for the development of transformational leadership among youth. This focus is critical for preparing for the future and for inspiring hope, trust, and cooperation. Unfortunately, despite the popularity of the transformational leadership domain, the emphasis has largely been on adult leaders. Thus, this study explores 4-H Extension agents' perspectives about barriers to and support areas for fostering transformational leadership development (TLD) among youth. Interviews revealed primary barriers and strategies that influence success with youth TLD, acknowledging the adults can both inhibit and facilitate the process. The findings have important implications for multiple stakeholders, including 4-H Extension services, community organizations, and academic institutions.

  PublisherDOI

• Mobilizing People to Tackle Tough Challenges: The Structural Dynamics of Adaptive Leadership

  VTechWorks (Virginia Tech) · 2026-04-07

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Guest lecture for Virginia Tech's ALCE 6014 class on "Theories in Non-Formal Learning."

  PublisherOA PDF

• Generative AI as a Cognitive Bridging Partner: Applying Adaption–Innovation Theory to Human–AI Collaboration

  VTechWorks (Virginia Tech) · 2026-04-14

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  As organizations increasingly integrate generative artificial intelligence (AI) into leadership, education, coaching, and knowledge work, an important question emerges: How might AI interact with or facilitate cognitive style diversity? Kirton’s (2003) Adaption–Innovation (A–I) theory provides a rigorous framework for understanding differences in problem-solving style, structure preference, cognitive gap, and coping behavior (Fridel, 2023). While AI tools are rapidly entering the workplace, they are rarely examined through the lens of cognitive style (Jablokow, 2026). This roundtable proposes that generative AI can be explored not merely as a productivity tool, but as a structured thought partner that may: support Problem A (task resolution), Influence Problem B (managing cognitive diversity), serve as a potential cognitive bridger, and/or affect coping load across wide KAI gaps. The session aligns directly with the 2026 Symposium theme, KAI at 50: Shaping the Future of Work and Wellbeing, by examining how A–I theory can guide responsible and style-aware AI integration in leadership and teamwork contexts. Rather than positioning AI as a replacement for human cognition, this roundtable situates A–I theory as an interpretive framework for understanding and shaping human–AI collaboration.

  PublisherOA PDF

• From Compliance to Culture: Ethics in Agricultural Education Research

  VTechWorks (Virginia Tech) · 2026-02-02

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Ethics in agricultural and life science research is often treated as a matter of compliance, yet the integrity of our work—and public trust in it—depends on everyday decisions made in labs, classrooms, and communities. This interactive session adapts Virginia Tech’s Innovative Research and Ethical Impact (IREI) model to the context of the American Association for Agricultural Education (AAAE), positioning Southern Region scholars as catalysts for ethical cultures in academia. Participants will (1) explore how social norms and informal mentoring shape “how we do things” in research groups and departments, (2) identify ethical dimensions within their own current or planned projects across the research pipeline—from formulating questions to disseminating findings, and (3) practice strategies for communicating and addressing ethical concerns in ways that align with AAAE Research Values and AFNR priorities such as environmental health, diversity and inclusion, youth development, and safety. Using brief case scenarios and peer discussion, we will foreground questions of who is affected, how, and with what scope and severity, emphasizing the human consequences of decisions in agricultural and related social science research. The session is designed for faculty, graduate students, and academic leaders who want practical, discipline-relevant tools for moving beyond one-off responsible conduct of research trainings toward a sustained community of practice around ethics in academia. Participants will leave with concrete conversation prompts, reflective questions for research teams and classrooms, and an action plan for modeling ethical research and teaching practices within their own spheres of influence.

  Publisher

• Leading in Place with Teams: Building Better Collaboration

  VTechWorks (Virginia Tech) · 2026-01-16

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Workshop for the Provost's Leadership Development Program: 2025-26 Leading in Place Cohort

  Publisher

Frequent coauthors

• Megan Seibel

  Virginia Tech

  17 shared

• Rick D. Rudd

  Virginia Tech

  16 shared

• Richard J. Rateau

  16 shared

• D. Adam Cletzer

  Auburn University

  15 shared

• Ibukun Alegbeleye

  University of Southern Maine

  13 shared

• Jeremy Elliott‐Engel

  University of Hawaii–West Oahu

  12 shared

• Hannah S. Carter

  11 shared

• Diana L. King

  10 shared

Education

• PhD, Agricultural Education and Communication

  University of Florida

  2007

• Master of Science, Agricultural Education and Communication

  University of Florida

  2004

• B.S., Agricultural Education

  The Ohio State University

  2000

Awards & honors

• Distinguished Agricultural Leadership Educator Award (2021)
• American Association for Agricultural Education Outstanding…
• Association of Leadership Educators Distinguished Research P…
• Best Overall Paper at Leading Change Conference (2019)
• Association of Leadership Educators Outstanding Educator Wor…