Education
Ph.D. Educational Leadership & Higher Education with concentrations in Political Science and Qualitative & Quantitative Psychometric Measures, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
M.A. Educational Administration, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
M.A. Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL), Horlivka Pedagogical Institute of Foreign Languages
B.A. English, Horlivka Pedagogical Institute of Foreign Languages
About Olena
Olena Lennon, Ph.D., is a Practitioner in Residence of National Security at the University of New Haven. A native of eastern Ukraine, she also serves as an election observer with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and has participated in multiple election observation missions across Eurasia, including in Armenia, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Serbia, and Hungary.
Formerly a Fulbright scholar and most recently a Research Scholar at Woodrow Wilson Center’s Kennan Institute in Washington, D.C., Dr. Lennon has dedicated her research to domestic and international politics of Ukraine, as well as Eurasian geopolitics and security writ large. Dr. Lennon also serves on Freedom House’s team of Ukraine experts that produces a yearly “Freedom in the World” report focused on assessing Ukraine’s domestic political environment. She has also conducted Ukraine country studies training for U.S. advisors to Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense under the auspices of the United States European Command (EUCOM) Office of Defense Cooperation (ODC). Her work appeared in Foreign Affairs, The National Interest, Eurasian Geography and Economics, and other publications. She is a frequent participant in various media outlets, offering commentary and analysis on the war in Ukraine.
Scholarships & Awards
- Fulbright Scholar, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2004-2007
- International Scholar of the Year, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2008
- Excellence in Teaching Award of the Year, Part-Time Faculty, 2019
- Title VIII Scholar, Kennan Institute, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, May-June 2019
Selected Publications
"Russia's War Against Ukraine: A Wake-Up Call for the West," co-sponsored by Mystic & Noank Library, Otis Library & Museum, Inc, Groton Public Library, Public Library of New London, CT, and Waterford Public Library; March 24, 2022.
Lennon, Olena (March 21, 2022), "Why Putin Is Scaling Down His Political Aims while Scaling Up the Fight," Focus Ukraine,
Lennon, O., (January 12, 2022), "The Time Is Right for Ukraine to Revisit the Lessons of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War," PONARS Eurasia,
Lennon, O., (January 19, 2021), "Ukraine’s Decentralization will Empower the Center, but Not in Ways You Think," Focus Ukraine,
Lennon, O., Sotnyk, O. (June 2020), "Ukraine's Strategic Choices vis-à-vis Occupied Donbas: Striking a Balance between the Possible and the Desirable," Krytyka, Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute,
Courses Taught
- PSCI 2222 United States Foreign Policy
- NSEC 4450 / NSPS 6674 / PSCI 4493 U.S. Foreign & Defense Policy
- PSCI 2241 International Relations
- PSCI 1121 American Government and Politics
- NSEC 2254 Global Geography for National Security
- NSEC 4611 The Russia-Ukraine War