about us
The Western Academy of Management (WAM) began in 1960, and is an independent affiliate of the National Academy of Management
To foster the general advancement of knowledge in the theory and practice of management in its domestic and international, and public and private, applications.
To perform and support educational activities that contribute to intellectual and operational leadership in the field of management.
To promote research in the field of management.
To improve the teaching of management and promote professionalism in the practice of management.
EXECUTIVE BOARD:
Antoaneta Petkova, President
I am a Professor of Management at San Francisco State University. My Research examines the interactions between organizations and their stakeholders that shape the value of organizational actions and outcomes. I am interested in the processes of emergence and accumulation of organizational resources, such as reputation and legitimacy, which take place at the interface between institutions, organizations and their stakeholders. My favorite research contexts are new and emerging markets, such as information technologies and clean energy. I am excited about the potential of entrepreneurship to address social and environmental issues.
I have been a member of WAM since 2007 and have served as a reviewer, doctoral student mentor, track chair, and a two-years representative at large. What I love about WAM is its collegiality, friendliness and relaxed yet professional atmosphere.
Kim Hinrichs, Past President
I am a Professor of Management at California State University, Chico. I earned my Ph.D. in Business Administration from New Mexico State University. The first WAM conference I attended was in 2002 in Santa Fe.
I was initially attracted to WAM because of the support available for doctoral students. I haven’t missed a conference since and for the past few years I have had the privilege to serve on the WAM executive board. I always look forward to the conferences where I have found the atmosphere to be welcoming and inspirational. I appreciate the interesting and beautiful locations that WAM has visited over the years. I find the locations ideal for the kind of conversations with treasured colleagues that make our profession so gratifying.
Chris Bradshaw, 2 Year Representative
Lori Peterson, Vice President & 2023 Program Chair
Lori T. Peterson, Ph.D. has joined the University of Tulsa in the Collins College of Business as adjunct faculty. Her current teaching responsibilities include Principles of Management and Organizational Behavior. In the past, she has been responsible for Business Strategy and Policy as well as several Healthcare Administration courses for both undergraduates and MBAs.
Lori's research interests include technology adoption, healthcare delivery failures including patient safety and quality of care issues, and exploring healthcare organizational strategy aspects to generate greater value chain effectiveness and efficiency, as well as strategic and international issues, advances in higher education including teaching innovations, leadership development, early-stage start-up entrepreneurial ventures, stakeholder engagement, sustainability and social responsibility by organizations specifically in the context of Certified Benefit Corporations.
Jim Downing, Chief Financial Officer
I am a Senior Lecturer of Strategy in the Department of Defense Management at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. My research examines the formation of strategic groups to create unique approaches for engaging an organization's environment. I also have enjoyed conducting wine business research through an entrepreneurship lens to understand how wineries develop differentiation in the fragmented Northern California wine industry. My doctoral studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago provided the foundation for my current research endeavors while stressing the importance of participating in the Academy.
"The greatest aspect of WAM is the people. The organization prides itself with scholars looking to be colleagues and helping others in our research pursuits. I have discovered more co-authors at the WAM conferences than any other academic organization. My research has advanced from the good feedback received at presentations and from fun discussions during social activities - this is what it means to be Whammy. The WAM annual conference is a gathering I look forward to attending every year. The Western Academy of Management attendees are my fellow scholars, these are my friends, these are my colleagues."
Chris Bradshaw is an Assistant Professor of Management at California State University, Stanislaus. Before pursuing graduate studies in business Chris worked for five years in the telecommunications industry. He received his Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management from the University of Missouri in May, 2014.
Chris's research interests include employee help-seeking behavior, conflict within new venture teams, and entrepreneurial motivation. Chris lives in Modesto, California, with his wife and three children.
Kyle Emich, 2 Year Representative
Kyle J. Emich (Ph.D., Cornell University) is an Associate Professor of Business Administration at the University of Delaware’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics. His research explores the role of individual attributes, particularly perceptions and emotions, in team dynamics and other collective environments. It appears in a number of management and psychology journals including the Academy of Management Journal, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Organizational Research Methods, and Psychological Science. His work has also been cited in media outlets such as TIME Magazine, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Scientific American.
Alex Bolinger, Communications
Suzanne Zivnuska, 3 Year Representative
szivnuska@csuchico.edu | Website
Suzanne Zivnuska is Associate Dean for Chico State’s College of Business. Her Ph.D. training in Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management at Florida State prepared her for a dynamic career in teaching and research. She maintains her expertise in optimizing employee performance through her research, teaching, and administrative roles. She has published more than 30 academic articles in areas such as organizational politics and impression management, as well as lifestyle issues related to the interface between work and family, social media use at work, and health at work. She is a recipient of the University’s Presidential Honor for Professional Achievement (2020), and has been identified by Research Gate, a social media platform for researchers, as the most-cited author at Chico State. In addition to her administrative duties and her research, she stays current in classroom pedagogy by teaching human resources, negotiation, and consulting.
Carol Flinchbaugh, 3 Year Representative
Alex Bolinger is the Idaho Central Credit Union Endowed Professor of Management at Idaho State University. His research focuses on groups and teams, entrepreneurship, and service workers.
Alex's work has appeared in the Academy of Management Review, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, the Academy of Management Discoveries, and the Harvard Business Review, among other outlets. He currently serves as an editorial review board member of the Academy of Management Discoveries.
Alex's teaching interests span topics in organizational behavior, negotiation and decision-making, and strategy for students from first-term undergraduates to final-semester MBAs. He is also an advocate of the scholarship of teaching and learning and currently serves as an editorial review board member for the Academy of Management Learning & Education and an associate editor of the Journal of Management Education.
"I will never forget my first WAM as a doctoral student and how welcoming and down-to-earth everyone was. There is a WAM spirit of collegiality and collaboration that enriches our lives as educators and researchers. I encourage you to join us!"