Drew Pearl is an Assistant Professor of Leadership and Community-Engaged Learning at Kansas State University’s Staley School of Leadership. He serves as the subject matter expert on community-engaged learning for K-State’s Applied Learning Imperative and is a core faculty member in the interdisciplinary Leadership Communication doctoral program.

Drew’s primary research area focuses on how colleges and universities define and institutionalize community engagement, and he directs one of the co-labs of the American Council on Education’s (ACE) Carnegie Elective Classifications Research Lab. His other research interests include the motivations for and impacts of community-engaged learning, academic publishing in higher education community engagement, and the professional experiences of boundary spanners and community engagement professionals.

Drew earned a Ph.D. from the McBee Institute of Higher Education at the University of Georgia, an M.P.A. from the University of Georgia, an M.M. from the University of New Mexico, and a B.M. from the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University.

Drew is also actively involved in the Engagement Scholarship Consortium, and currently serves as co-chair of the Conference Committee and as a member of the Executive Committee. From 2021 to 2024, he served as Executive Editor of the Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship.