Dr. Joyce O. Ajayi teaches professional communication and leadership at the Clinton School of Public Service. Her teaching draws from her experience in law, public service, and higher education, helping students connect leadership theory to the realities of professional life.
Outside the classroom, Dr. Ajayi serves as the Employment Services Manager for the City of Little Rock, where she leads strategic recruitment and workforce initiatives. Her public-sector experience also includes work with the Arkansas Department of Human Services Office of Chief Counsel and service with the U.S. General Services Administration. Earlier in her career, she practiced law in the private sector in Nigeria.
Before joining the City of Little Rock, Dr. Ajayi worked in higher education and public policy with the Arkansas Center for Research in Economics at the University of Central Arkansas. Her research interests include government transparency, public policy, and leadership. She is co-author of Access Arkansas: County and City Web Transparency Report, which examines transparency across Arkansas counties and cities. Her work has also explored complexity leadership and complex adaptive systems in organizational settings.
Her work on government transparency has extended to the federal level. Dr. Ajayi served on the U.S. General Services Administration’s Open Government Federal Advisory Committee, contributing to national conversations on open government and public access to information.
Dr. Ajayi earned a Ph.D. in Leadership Studies from the University of Central Arkansas and a Master of Public Service from the Clinton School of Public Service. She also holds law degrees from Obafemi Awolowo University and the Nigerian Law School.