Rate My Professor Sharon Lean

Sharon F. Lean is associate professor and chair of the Department of Political Science at Wayne State University, where she joined the faculty in 2005 following a position as visiting assistant professor at Colgate University. She holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California, Irvine, an M.A. in Social Sciences from Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO-México), and a B.A. in Latin American Studies with honors from Brown University. Dr. Lean's research specializes in comparative politics with a focus on Latin America, Mexico, and Central America. She examines the role of civil society organizations in supporting governmental transparency and accountability, including free and fair elections. She regularly teaches courses featuring short-term study abroad opportunities and advanced seminars in comparative politics.

In addition to her academic role, Dr. Lean served as associate dean of the Graduate School from May 2018 to August 2021 and as director of graduate programs. She has received numerous awards and grants, including Wayne State's 2016 Outstanding Graduate Director Award and 2011 President's Award for Excellence in Teaching, a 2013 Fulbright Scholar Award as a visiting researcher at El Colegio de México, NSF ADVANCE grant as co-PI (2023-2028), Council of Graduate Schools/Mellon PhD Career Pathways grant as co-PI (2021-2023), 100K Strong Met Life Study Abroad Innovation Grant as co-PI (2018), and USAID Democracy Fellows and Grants Program Research and Innovation Grant as co-PI (2016). Her key publications include Civil Society and Electoral Accountability in Latin America (Palgrave Macmillan, 2012), co-editor of Promoting Democracy in the Americas (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2007), “Asserting Integrity in Mexico’s Civic Sector” with Evan Bitzarakis (Public Administration and Development, 2023), "Women’s Civic and Political Participation in the Developing World: Obstacles and Opportunities" (Journal of International Women's Studies, 2021), and “Mexican Political Development” with Alanna D. Jackson (Oxford Bibliographies in Political Science, 2018).