Faculty

Mary R. Watson

Interim Dean, Milano School of International Affairs, Management and Urban Policy and Associate Professor of Management

Mary R. Watson is Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Associate Professor of Management at Milano, and former Chair of the graduate programs in Organizational Change and Nonprofit Management. In 2009 she received The New School's Distinguished University Teaching Award. Watson earned her PhD in organization studies from Vanderbilt University.

Watson’s academic work addresses contemporary human capital issues in organizations, with particular emphasis on the social impact of shifting labor market inequalities. She has conducted research on global management, executive career paths, recruitment and retention in nonprofit organizations, downsizing and stock prices, and the evolution of inter-organizational fields. Her research is published in the Academy of Management Journal, the Jossey-Bass Handbook of Nonprofit Leadership and Management, Popular Music, Communication Yearbook, and the IRRA Research Annals, among other outlets.



Watson is a frequent presenter at conferences worldwide on the topics of global leadership, social impact, and management practice. She has been scholar in residence, visiting faculty, or executive coach in programs in India (Indian School of Business), South Korea (Korean Trade Association/HSE), Austria (Vienna University), Australia (University of Adelaide), Switzerland (IMD), and the United States (UNC-Chapel Hill). She has consulted for more than two decades in corporate, higher education, and nonprofit organizations.
Her numerous board and advisory committee roles demonstrate a record of election to leadership positions.

Watson currently teaches Foundations of Organization Change, Management and Organization Behavior, and the Advanced Seminar.