Dr. Suzanne M. Carter

Dr. Suzanne M. Carter, Executive Director, Neely Executive MBA Program at Texas Christian University, is a prolific contributor and presenter on organizational reputation and leadership. In addition to her role as executive director, Dr. Carter is a professor at TCU teaching Professional Practice in Strategic Management and currently serves as TWHE Board President, ACE Women’s Network State Representative, and on the Editorial Board, of Corporate Reputation Review. She holds a B.S. in Accounting, from University of Illinois – Champaign/Urbana, a M.B.A. from University of Texas at Austin, and a Ph.D. in Strategic Management also from UT-Austin. Her accolades at TCU include Dean’s Teaching Award, Faculty Award for Outstanding Leadership Development – TCU EMBA program and Outstanding Faculty Member, Neeley Fellows.

When asked about her leadership journey, Dr. Carter responded: “As I reflect on my leadership journey, I realize that I was perfectly content to be an individual contributor – both as a researcher and teacher in the classroom – until the day that I was asked to consider heading up TCU’s Executive MBA program. I had taught in the EMBA program for many years and loved the student profile of that group. My initial inclination was to say ‘no,’ as I had had little experience in leadership. But upon reflection, I realized I had many of the qualifications needed for the role. Beyond my Strategic Management background, I knew I was highly committed to the success of the students and passionate about building a learning environment that allowed the students to thrive. In that role, I was able to hone the additional skills needed for other leadership positions, including working collaboratively and being comfortable with making decisions under conditions of ambiguity and complexity.”

As for her tenure with TWHE, Dr. Carter said, “Working with TWHE and the Board of Directors and serving as the President of TWHE has really showed me that networking and learning from others is imperative and irreplaceable as we work to create our own unique paths to future leadership opportunities. I have always felt it such a privilege to work with such impassioned women. Life and leadership present constant learning experiences. I place a huge value on life-long learning.”

Here is a list of Dr. Carter’s publications, presentations, and speeches:

Krause, R., Wu, Z., Bruton, G., and Carter, S. 2019. The coercive isomorphism ripple effect: An investigation of nonprofit interlocks on corporate boards. Academy of Management Journal, 62 (1): 283-308.

Carter, S. and Greer, C. 2013. Strategic Leadership: Values, Styles, and Organizational Performance. Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, 20(4): 375-393.

Carter, S., Davis, J., and Young, C. 2007. IPO Boards of Directors and Firm Performance: Threshold firms and governance theory boundaries. Journal of Corporate Ownership and Control, 4 (2): 162-169.

Carter, S. 2006. The interaction of top management group, stakeholder, and situational factors on certain corporate reputation management activities. Journal of Management Studies. 43 (5): 1145-1176, (Citation of Excellence Award).

Carter, S. & Ruefli, T. 2006. Intra-Industry reputation dynamics under a resource-based framework: An empirical assessment of the durability factor. Corporate Reputation Review.

Deephouse, D. & Carter, S. 2005. An examination of differences between organizational legitimacy and organizational reputation. Journal of Management Studies 42(2): 369.

Werbel, J. & Carter, S. 2002. The influence of CEOs on corporate foundation giving.  Journal of Business Ethics, 40: 47-60.

Carter, S. & Deephouse, D. 1999. “Tough talk and soothing speech”: Managing reputations for being tough and for being good. Corporate Reputation Review, 2 (4): 308-332. (Best Academic Article Award).

Carter, S. & Sanders, W. G. 1999. Does sticking to your knitting unravel your corporate reputation? In Dynamic Strategic Resources: Development, Diffusion and Integration.  The Wiley Strategic Management Series, Co-Editors M. Hitt, R. Nixon, K. Coyne & P. Clifford, John Wiley & Sons, 165-189.

Carter, S. & Dukerich, J. 1998. Corporate responses to changes in reputation. Corporate Reputation Review, 1 (3): 250-270.

Invited Pieces:

Carter. S. 2018. “Times They Are A-Changin,” – Bob Dylan, In Corporate Reputation Review, Palgrave McMillan.

Carter, S. June 2016. “Distorted Images,” Encyclopedia of Corporate Reputation, Two Volumes, Sage, Editor: Craig Carroll.

Dukerich, J. & Carter, S. 2000. “Distorted Images and Reputation Repair” In The Expressive Organization: A New Way to Simplicity, Co-Editors, M. Schultz, M. Hatch and M. Larsen. Oxford University Press.

Teaching/Curriculum Conference Presentations:

 Carter, S., Davis, K., LaCoste, L. Personalizing their Why: Curriculum/Recruitment/Career Services, EMBA Council Annual Meeting, Virtual, October 28, 2020

Carter, S., and LaCoste, L. Leading in a Multi-VUCA World, EMBA Council Annual Meeting, Seattle, October 2017

Carter, S., and LaCoste, L. Integrating Leadership Development into Existing Curriculum: Creating a holistic model through coaches, teams and faculty, EMBA Council Annual Meeting, Singapore, October 25-28, 2015

Invited Speaker:

The Adaptive Leader, CREW- Fort Worth (Women in Commercial Real Estate) Luncheon, Fort Worth, TX December 2, 2021.

COVID-19 and Your Business, TCU Neeley EMBA Alumni Webinar, April 9, 2020

Agility and Learning. Speaker at TCU ADPi Pride Series, November 18, 2019

Standing out in the crowd: Managing your company’s reputation in the digital age of information overload. Speaker at Frost Bank Lecture Series, April 19, 2018

Agile Leadership. Speaker at the Gladney Center for Adoption Strategy Retreat, Fall 2017.

Critical Thinking across the Curriculum. Speaker at the Neeley Critical Thinking Workshop, Fall 2016.

Shifts in Pedagogy and Process, Panelist at MBA Roundtable Symposium, Tempe, AZ, October 28, 2016.

Being Comfortable with Discomfort, DCEO’s Women in Leadership Forum, Dallas, TX, June 1, 2016.

Boost Your Learning Agility: How to Succeed Across the Boardroom and the Classroom. TWU, Women in Leadership Regional Conference, September 18, 2015


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