Lisa Blomgren

Lisa Blomgren Amsler, Distinguished Professor Emerita and Keller-Runden Professor of Public Service Emerita at Indiana University Bloomington's Paul H. O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, is a renowned expert in collaborative governance, public engagement, dispute system design, dispute resolution, and public sector labor and employment law. She holds a J.D. with High Honors from the University of Connecticut School of Law (1979) and a B.A. magna cum laude from Smith College (1976), where she double-majored in Ancient Greek and Philosophy and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Prior to her academic career, Amsler practiced law for ten years as a partner and associate at Shipman & Goodwin in Hartford, Connecticut, representing public and nonprofit employers in labor negotiations, arbitrations, discrimination cases, and litigation, including arguments before the Connecticut Supreme Court. She joined Indiana University in 1989 as a lecturer in law at the Maurer School of Law and transitioned to the School of Public and Environmental Affairs (now O'Neill School) in 1992 as assistant professor, advancing to associate professor in 1998, full professor in 2003, and Keller-Runden Professor in 1999. She directed the Indiana Conflict Resolution Institute from 1997 to 2007 and held visiting appointments at the University of Nevada Las Vegas Boyd School of Law (2010-2012), University of California Hastings College of the Law (2007), and Syracuse University's Maxwell School.

With over 140 publications, Amsler's scholarship has profoundly influenced public administration and dispute resolution fields. Key works include the book Dispute System Design: Preventing, Managing, and Resolving Conflict (Stanford University Press, 2020, co-authored with Janet K. Martinez and Stephanie E. Smith); “Collaborative Governance: Integrating Management, Politics, and Law” (Public Administration Review, 2016); and co-edited volumes such as The Collaborative Public Manager (Georgetown University Press, 2009) and Big Ideas in Collaborative Public Management (M.E. Sharpe, 2008). Her 2005 article on new governance was selected as one of Public Administration Review's 75 most influential, and her research on the repeat player effect and workplace mediation ranks among the most downloaded in conflict resolution. Amsler has earned the Dwight Waldo Award (American Society for Public Administration, 2019), Indiana University Bicentennial Medal (2020), ABA Section of Dispute Resolution Outstanding Scholarly Work Award (2014), fellowships in the National Academy of Public Administration (2007) and Labor and Employment Relations Association, and multiple teaching awards including the IU Trustees Teaching Award (2010). Her work bridges theory and practice, shaping collaborative public management and legal infrastructures for governance.

Professional Email: lbingham@iu.edu