The James A. Huston Excellence in Scholarship Award is given annually to a professor who has made noteworthy scholarly contributions to his or her field of endeavor. This year’s Huston Award went to Dr. Maria Nathan, who has achieved a national reputation for her research on crisis management, organizational learning, and strategic planning in both profit and non-profit organizations. A research colleague writes: “Her research is both academically insightful and highly practical, a relatively rare combination among scholars today.”
Dr. Nathan’s work “brings in perspectives from sociology, psychology, and individual learning behavior to the arena of crisis management.” Her article in Futures is a pivotal piece in the field, connecting the theory of sensemaking to crisis management.
With more than 50 articles in refereed journals, Dr. Nathan has delivered over 30 papers at national and international conferences in the United States, Europe, and Asia. She has received two dozen awards and grants, most during her time here at University of Lynchburg. Among these are Best Paper and Best Symposium at the National Academy of Management. She was a Fulbright Fellow in China in 2004; she has received the Mednick Award, and grants from IBM, Indiana University’s Center for Philanthropy, the Lily Foundation, and the Kellogg Foundation. She has been a Sam Walton Fellow and a Fulbright Senior Specialist.
A member of four editorial review boards, Dr. Nathan serves as an Associate Editor for the International Journal of Organizational Analysis. In recognition of her thorough reviews, she has received the Academy of Management best reviewer award for the past five years.
