Dr. Emily Block

Professor, Alberta School of Business

Dr. Emily Block is the McCalla Professor, Eric Geddes Professor of Management, and the George M. Cormie Chair of Management at the Alberta School of Business. She has a BBA from the University of Notre Dame and a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She teaches negotiations, decision making, and leadership to undergraduates, MBA students, executives, and boards of directors.

Dr. Block has published over a dozen research papers in the field of Organizational Theory and Strategy and is considered a leader in the study of institutional pluralism. Her research focuses on the processes of legitimacy and change, corporate reputation, and international business. She has received recognition for her research and service from the Academy of Management Association, the Academy of Management Journal, and the Oxford Centre for Corporate Reputation. Her work is published in outlets such as the Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Business Ethics, Journal of Business Venturing, and Strategic Management Journal.

As the co-director of Business on the Frontlines at Notre Dame and the director of the Frontiers of Business Initiative at Alberta, Dr. Block has worked in more than 30 countries on over 50 projects concerning the role of business in economic development and improving livelihoods. Her partners include non-governmental organizations such as Catholic Relief Services, World Vision, and Mercy Corps; for-profit corporations such as Newmont Mining and Accenture; and the US Army Special Operations Command. Project examples include using a supply chain approach to reduce the incidents of child sex trafficking, the development of refugee resettlement programs, preventing the spread of gang violence, disaster preparedness programs, and health systems strengthening.