WMU faculty member to discuss leading institutions at community breakfast series

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Organizational behavior will be the topic of the upcoming Mercantile Bank of Michigan Breakfast Speaker Series hosted by the Haworth College of Business.

Dr. Doug Lepisto, assistant professor of management, will give a presentation titled "Leading Institutions in Unsettled Times" at 8 a.m. Friday, Sept. 29, in 2150 Schneider Hall.

The event is free and open to the public and begins with breakfast at 7:30 a.m. Reservations are required and can be made by calling (269) 387-6059 or at wmich.edu/business/mercantile-rsvp. Free parking is available at Schneider Hall in Lot 72R.

Lepisto

Lepisto's research centers on explaining how individuals and organizations effectively adapt and change, particularly in the face of uncertainty and ambiguity. He examines these issues through the lens of purpose, identity and culture. Much of his research is ethnographic or otherwise qualitative in nature. Lepisto's dissertation—winner of the Grigor McClelland Best Dissertation award and a finalist for the INFORMS/Organization Science Dissertation Proposal Competition—was an ethnography that explored the surprising formation of a higher purpose in an athletic footwear and apparel company undergoing change.

Prior to academia, he worked on strategy as a management consultant with the Monitor Group (now Monitor Deloitte) and strategic planning with the advertising firm Young and Rubicam. Lepisto earned his bachelor's degree from Kalamazoo College, his master's from University of Chicago, and his doctoral degree from the Boston College Carroll School of Management.

WMU's Haworth College of Business

Western Michigan University's Haworth College of Business, one of the largest schools of business in the United States, is the academic home to more than 3,500 undergraduate students majoring in 18 specialized areas of business. An additional 500 graduate students study business administration and accountancy.

The Haworth College of Business is among an elite group of fewer than 5 percent of business schools worldwide that are accredited at both the undergraduate and graduate levels by the AACSB International—The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. It is among a select 1 percent of business schools worldwide that have additional specialized AACSB accreditation for their accountancy programs.

Upcoming presentations

• Oct. 27: Aaron Zeigler, president and CEO, Zeigler Auto Group

• Nov. 17: Kevin Brozovich, founder and chief people officer, HRM Innovations 

For more WMU news, arts and events, visit wmich.edu/news.