Ben Lough is Professor and Dean at the School of Social Work and Director of Social Innovation at the Gies College of Business. He also holds positions as Senior Research Associate with the Center for Social Development, Faculty of Humanities, University of Johannesburg, and Faculty Director of International Service at the Center for Social Development, Washington University in St. Louis. He is also the associate editor of Voluntaristics Review. Dr. Lough earned his BS in Sociology in 2000 and his MSW in 2003 from Brigham Young University, and his PhD in Social Work with a Doctoral Certificate in New Institutional Economics from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis in 2010. Dr. Lough also worked as a clinical social worker and therapist. His teaching interests focus on community development, nonprofit management, and social innovation. He currently teaches courses on the nonprofit sector, social enterprise, and organizational strategies for social change. He previously taught courses on the management of human service organizations, social welfare policy, and international social work and development.

Dr. Lough’s teaching interests focus on community development, nonprofit management, and social innovation. He currently teaches courses on the nonprofit sector, social entrepreneurship, social work theory, and organizational strategies for social change. He previously taught courses on the management of human service organizations, social welfare policy, and international social work and development. Dr. Lough is currently working with the United Stated Aid for International Development (USAID) to create an agency-wide mental health policy. He also continues to study the comparative advantages of hybrid social purpose organizations over traditional nonprofits.