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Zach Huitink

Zach Huitink

Contact Information:

zshuitin@syr.edu

529 Eggers Hall

Zach Huitink

Assistant Teaching Professor, Public Administration and International Affairs Department


Senior Research Associate, Campbell Public Affairs Institute

Research Affiliate, Center for Policy Design and Governance

Courses

  • 2023 Fall
    • PAI 732 Collaborative and Participatory Governance
    • PAI 670 Experience Credit
    • PAI 305 Policy Implementation
    • PAI 712 Public Organizations and Management
    • PAI 760 Public Policy Process
    • PSC 300 Selected Topics - Policy Implementation
  • 2023 Summer
    • PAI 732 Collaborative and Participatory Governance
    • PAI 670 Experience Credit
  • 2023 Spring
    • PAI 732 Collaborative and Participatory Governance
    • PAI 996 Master's Project Course
    • PAI 305 Policy Implementation
    • PAI 712 Public Organizations and Management
    • PSC 300 Selected Topics - Policy Implementation
  • 2022 Fall
    • PAI 732 Collaborative and Participatory Governance
    • PAI 305 Policy Implementation
    • PAI 712 Public Organizations and Management
    • PAI 760 Public Policy Process
    • PSC 300 Selected Topics - Policy Implementation
  • 2022 Summer
    • PSC 470 Experience Credit
  • 2022 Spring
    • PAI 996 Master's Project Course
    • PAI 305 Policy Implementation
    • PAI 760 Public Policy Process
    • PSC 300 Selected Topics - Policy Implementation

Highest degree earned

Ph.D., Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Department of Public Administration and International Affairs, Syracuse University, 2017

Bio

Zach Huitink's research interests focus on areas of national defense, homeland security and veterans’ affairs. Work to date has focused on defense acquisition and contracting practices; public-private partnerships in homeland security and cybersecurity; veterans’ employment, skill building and human capital management; and implementation of organizational change in large public sector enterprises.

Huitink has a successful track record of obtaining extramural funding and working with public, private, nonprofit and university research clients. Huitink has taught master's degree level courses in public administration and national security, and is currently teaching in the ExecutiveMPA@Syracuse program, including coursework on public management and policy topics.

He has extensive training in economics, organization theory, national security and research methodology. He earned a Ph.D. from the Department of Public Administration and International Affairs at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School, with concentrations in organization theory, public management and international security. Huitink previously served as the inaugural D'Aniello Family Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) at Syracuse University, and an externally-affiliated researcher in the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C.

Areas of Expertise

Acquisition and government contracting, public-private partnerships, human capital management, policy implementation.

Research Grant Awards and Projects

"Design and implementation of its Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) Participation Program", Sponsored by City of Syracuse.

"Veteran and Military Spouse Entrepreneur Annual Survey and Panel Study", Sponsored by Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

"CDFI Veterans Collaborative Impact Assessment", Sponsored by PeopleFund.

Selected Publications

  • Journal Article
    • Sanders, G., Huitink, Z. S., "What Does Consolidation Mean for Performance? Concentration, Competition, and Defense Contracting Outcomes." Journal of Strategic Contracting and Negotiation, 2020.
  • Book Chapter
    • Huitink, Z. S., Van Slyke, D. and Brown, T. L., "Contracting in Pursuit of Public Purposes." In The Handbook of Public Administration. Perry, J., Christensen, R. (eds.) Jossey-Bass, 2015.
  • Newspaper Article
    • Van Slyke, D., O'Keefe, S. C. and Huitink, Z. S., "The Coast Guard’s Flawed Icebreaker Plan." Politico, 2016.
  • Technical Reports
    • Huitink, Z. S., Siddiki, S. N., Zhang, H., Mondom, D. and Mathew, A., City of Syracuse Procurement Transformation Report. Center for Policy Design and Governance, 2023.
    • Huitink, Z. S., The Resilience Imperative in Government Contracting. IBM Center for the Business of Government, 2021.
    • Armstrong, N. J., Huitink, Z. S., Birnbaum, N. G. and Van Slyke, R. D., A Strategic Roadmap to Enhance the Role and Impact of the New York State Division of Veteran Veterans Services. Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF), 2019.
    • Huitink, Z. S., Armstrong, N. J., Birnbaum, N. G. and Van Slyke, R. D., Innovation in State-Level Veterans Services: A Comprehensive Review, Case Highlights, and an Enhanced Agenda for State Impact. Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF), 2019.
    • Hunter, A., Sanders, G. and Huitink, Z. S., Is Bigger Better? Evaluating Consolidation and the Threat of Monopolies within Industrial Sectors (CSIS/Defense Industrial Initiatives Report Series). Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), 2019.
    • Hunter, A., Sanders, G. and Huitink, Z. S., Evaluating Consolidation and the Threat of Monopolies within Industrial Sectors (Final Report). Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), 2018.
    • Huitink, Z. S., Armstrong, N. J., Hidek, M. A. and Birnbaum, N., Improving the Delivery of Services and Care for Veterans: A Case Study of Enterprise Government. IBM Center for the Business of Government, 2018.

Presentations and Events

City of Syracuse Diversity Procurement Strategy Workshop, City of Syracuse, "Procurement Transformation at the City of Syracuse: Promoting Vendor Diversity" (September, 2023)

Huitink, Z. S., Siddiki, S. N., City of Syracuse, Procurement Transformation Engagement, "Procurement Transformation at the City of Syracuse: Promoting Vendor Diversity" (August, 2023)

German Marshal Fund Virtual Roundtable Convening of Select International Experts and Practitioners on Bolstering Allied Defense Industrial Capacity, "Looking Ahead: Addressing Challenges to Defense Industrial Capacity" (December, 2022)

Institute for Veterans and Military Families/German Marshall Fund Training Engagement, “Building Capacity to Serve Veterans in Armenia”, Syracuse University, "Intergovernmental and Public-Private Collaboration in U.S. Veterans Care and Services" (February, 2022)

Huitink, Z. S., Birnbaum, N. G., Maury, R., Strategic Offsite of the New York State Department of Veterans’ Services, "Best and Leading Practices in State-Level Veterans Services: A Review" (October, 2019)

Huitink, Z. S., Van Slyke, D., Public Management Research Conference (PMRC), University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, "Contract Design in Variable Environments: Integrating Transaction Cost Economics and Resource Dependence Theory" (June, 2019)

Hunter, A., Sanders, G. S., Karlen, R., Huitink, Z. S., Acquisition Research Symposium, Naval Postgraduate School, "Measuring Service Contract Performance: Preliminary Findings on Effects of Service Complexity, Managerial Capacity, and Prior Relationship" (May, 2019)

Sanders, G. S., Huitink, Z. S., Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), "What Does Consolidation Mean for Performance? Concentration, Competition, and Defense Contracting Outcomes" (February, 2019)

Honors and Accolades

Birkhead-Burkhead Award for Teaching Excellence, Syracuse University/Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs/PAIA Department (June, 2023 - June, 2027)

Outstanding MPP Student, Martin School of Public Policy and Administration, University of Kentucky (May, 2012)

Outstanding MPP Student, Martin School of Public Policy and Administration, University of Kentucky (May, 2011)

Harley W. Howell Outstanding Graduate in Business Administration and Economics, Stead Department of Business Administration and Economics, Coe College (May, 2009)

Outstanding Senior Honor’s Thesis, International Economics and Finance, Stead Department of Business Administration and Economics, Coe College (May, 2009)