Roni Kay M. O’Dell
Author, Scholar, Instructor, Mentor, Public Speaker
Specializing in the United Nations (UN), human development, human rights, the Sustainable Development Goals, democratic negotiation, and participatory development/community engagement.
A concern for human rights and human thriving guides my teaching, mentoring, and scholarship activities.
My service and activities as an educator and scholar, my work with human rights organizations, and my experiences in participating in and leading humanitarian trips around the world are underpinned by the philosophy that all people should have access to education, health care, affordable food and housing, clean sanitation facilities, and more.
Above all, I’m dedicated to creating and strengthening social, political, and economic environments in which all people can thrive.
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Pictured Above: The United Nations Headquarters in New York City. Dr. O'Dell specializes in research on international negotiation and diplomacy. Her recent work assesses the negotiation and implementation process of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Photo taken by Jarred Spellman
More about Roni Kay
Roni Kay O’Dell, Ph.D. is associate professor of political science at Seton Hill University with more than a decade of successful teaching experience, multiple research and writing publications, and work with human rights organizations. Roni Kay specializes in research on international organizations, the United Nations (UN), human development and human rights, the Sustainable Development Goals, democratic negotiation, and participatory development/community engagement.
Her published books include Global Politics: A Toolkit for Learners, co-authored with Sasha Breger Bush, a book written with a learner-centered pedagogical approach to teaching international relations, and Globalization and Human Development co-authored with Devin K. Joshi, which analyzes the history and globalization of the human development approach to international development practice (Publications).
Her current book project analyzes civil society inclusion (especially of marginalized and under-represented groups such as youth or the Global South) in negotiations on worldwide development goals, specifically the Sustainable Development Goals negotiated between 2012-2015 and adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2015.
Roni Kay’s devotion to teaching and learning is evident in her work as political science/global studies department coordinator at Seton Hill University where she spearheaded the establishment of the Model UN program in 2016 as well as the political science/global studies peer mentor program launched in 2018. Both programs mentor and train students to be leaders in global politics. The Model UN team has won multiple awards including Outstanding Delegation Award in 2021 and the Distinguished Delegation Award in 2019 and 2023. Roni Kay was honored by Seton Hill University’s Student Government for her teaching success by receiving the Distinguished Educator Award (2018-19) and the Advisor of the Year Award (2017-18). (Teaching).
Roni Kay is actively involved in human rights organizations, supporting scholarship in global politics, and in organizations that support the United Nations. She currently serves as Director at Large for the Human Development and Capability Association (HDCA) - elected 2023 - and as the co-treasurer for the Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS) - appointed 2023. She has served as the chairperson and western regional representative on Amnesty International USA’s National Resolutions Committee (2014-2017), as chairperson and member of the International Studies Association Global Development Section book award committee (2018-2020), and as an advisory group member for the New York simulation conference of the National Model United Nations Organization (2020-23). Roni Kay obtained her Ph.D. in international studies from the University of Denver, Josef Korbel School of International Studies, and her M.A. in international policy studies, human rights focus, from the Monterey Institute of International Studies (now the Middlebury Institute), and her B.A. from the University of Washington in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus on human rights and policy studies.