BSE 1985, MS 1987

Dr. Kimberly D. Elsbach received a BSE in 1985 and an MS in 1987, both from the University of Iowa.

She went on to receive a PhD from Stanford University and is professor emerita at the Graduate School of Management, University of California, Davis. She is also a fellow of the Academy of Management, international research fellow at the Center for Corporate Reputation, Oxford University, and co-founder of the Davis Conference on Qualitative Research.

Kim's research focuses on perception – specifically how people perceive each other and their organizations. She has studied these perceptual processes in variety of contexts ranging from the California cattle industry and the National Rifle Association, to Hollywood screenwriters and NASCAR fans. Some of her recent work examines how crying at work affects perceptions of professional women at work and how self-perceptions influence one’s willingness to take ideas in creative collaborations.

Throughout her career, Kim has received a number of awards and honors including the 2018 Best Publication Award from the Journal of Management Studies, and the 2010 Paper of the Year Award from Human Relations. She has also had two papers named to list of 17 most interesting publications in organization and management literature from the past 100 years by the Academy of Management Journal Editorial Review Board. She has served as editor-in-chief of the Academy of Management Annals and a series editor for the Organizations and Management Book Series and for Qualitative Organizational Research.

Inducted: April 2023