Meet Our Faculty Fellows
Read on for a lens into preparing our next generation of ethical business leaders
Kristen Collett-Schmitt
Associate Dean for the Undergraduate and Specialized Master's Programs at the Mendoza College of Business and Teaching Professor of Finance
What are your current areas of research and teaching?
As a Teaching Professor and academic leader at the Mendoza College of Business, my teaching focuses on making economics accessible, relevant, and engaging for both undergraduate and graduate students. I design courses that emphasize real-world application, aiming to bring economic principles to life in a way that resonates with students from all backgrounds. My current areas of research center on economics education, inclusive pedagogy, and financial literacy—fields that support my broader goal of inspiring genuine student interest and equipping future professionals with practical business understanding.
What would you most like business professionals to know about your area of expertise?
I believe that economics education isn't just theoretical—it’s fundamentally about empowering better decision-making through real-world fluency. Traditional lecture-based instruction often falls short, especially for adult learners, whose attention spans are limited and whose retention suffers without active engagement. That’s why I’m passionate about rethinking how we teach—making learning more engaging, inclusive, and practical. This approach benefits not only students, but also the future leaders and professionals they’ll become.
What is one of the findings from your work over the years that has most inspired your thinking about business?
One of the most powerful insights from my work has been discovering how deeply integrating the role of inclusive organizations into business education cultivates more responsible, ethical, and adaptive leaders. It’s become clear to me that when principles around equity and inclusion aren't treated as an add-on but woven into the fabric of curricula—from case studies to classroom dynamics—students don't just learn business principles; they learn how to lead with empathy, equity, and awareness of systemic challenges. This realization has inspired me to design learning experiences, like inclusive case competitions and pedagogy rooted in real-world contexts, that not only equip students with economic tools but also the moral and social compass to use them wisely.
Read more insights into Professor Collett-Schmitt's work.
NDDCEL partners with stakeholders from industry, academia, and communities to inform, equip and inspire values-based leaders. With an Advisory Board whose energy and ideas help to drive our work and Faculty Fellows who share their mission-aligned expertise, NDDCEL promotes ethical leadership in business by making cutting-edge research accessible and actionable for the business community, and by preparing the next generation of business leaders.