At the 85th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management in Copenhagen, Tammy L. Madsen officially began her term as President of the Academy of Management (2025-2026), succeeding Past President Peter Bamberger.
Tammy’s presidency arrives at a pivotal moment, as AOM advances its Vision 2030 strategy, a plan designed to strengthen its global community, expand access to management scholarship, and ensure AOM’s continued impact for decades to come.
Below, Tammy shares her reflections on leadership, her priorities for the year ahead, and her vision for AOM’s future.
Q&A with Tammy L. Madsen
Q: As you begin your presidency, what opportunities do you see for AOM in the year ahead?
Tammy: Strategic leaders look for inflection points. This year, ours is to continue turning Vision 2030 strategic initiatives into visible impact —by building stronger global connections, especially in regions of the world that are underrepresented, expanding our content portfolio for research with new open access journals in partnership with Elsevier, and for practice with initiatives such as AOM Today; developing teaching and methods content and services; amplifying member voices and scholarly impact; advancing our use of AI for products, processes, and policies; and rethinking our processes for enabling DIGs and the organization as a whole. All of the activities are aimed at making AOM an even more vibrant global platform for ideas that make a difference.
None of this would be possible without our ecosystem of volunteers, DIG leaders, Editors, partners, affiliates, Board of Governors and Executive Committee, and our team at HQ. Continuing to communicate with, and enable, our expanding stakeholders is vital to our progress.
Q: How does your role build upon the progress of Vision 2030 so far?
Tammy: My role is to clarify our priorities, to address barriers head-on, and to keep the momentum going—moving from vision to execution. Think of it as shifting gears: from mapping where we want to go, to accelerating how we get there. Some strategic initiatives are in their early stages of development whereas in others, we have completed pilot testing and are beginning a broader rollout of activities. Stay tuned.
Q: Vision 2030 emphasizes inclusivity, innovation, and global reach. How do you see these priorities shaping AOM’s programs and member experiences this year?
Tammy: You’ll see inclusivity in how we connect across regions and communities that historically had less access (Community Accelerator Program); innovation in how we co-create and deliver value and content in both teaching and research; global reach in how we amplify insights that shape management and leadership far beyond our own community, and at the core, AOM’s unwavering commitment to academic freedom — which underpins scientific progress and ensures that evidence and ideas can flourish.
Q: What message would you like to share directly with members as you begin your presidency? How can members across divisions, interest groups, and regions get more involved in shaping AOM’s future?
Tammy: Your voice matters. AOM’s future will be built on the ideas, collaboration, and involvement of its members—so dive in where your passion lies and help shape where we go next. Members can lead from where they are, whether that’s sparking dialogue and debate, collaborating on research projects or teaching initiatives, joining a committee or task force, co-creating webinars, workshops or mini-conferences, mentoring, or building bridges across boundaries.
Q: Reflecting on your own AOM journey, what has kept you engaged and inspired over the years?
Tammy: Community, People, and Purpose. For me, AOM is where intellectual energy meets shared purpose— where I interact with colleagues who push my thinking, challenge assumptions, and remind me why advancing scholarship is at the heart of what we do. That mix of intellectual energy and community engagement is what keeps me coming back.
Q: What’s something members might be surprised to learn about you outside of academia?
Tammy: When I’m not writing about ecosystems, I’m often surfing in them—preferably in warm Hawaiian water with rainbows overhead.
About Tammy
Tammy L. Madsen is the W.M. Keck Foundation Chair in Strategic Management and Innovation at Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business. Her research and teaching is at the intersection of strategy, innovation and evolutionary dynamics – specific themes include competitive heterogeneity and temporary advantage, shocks and growth under uncertainty, ecosystem strategy, and co-innovation platforms.
Tammy has been actively engaged with AOM for the last 30 years, serving in multiple volunteer roles and as the recipient of numerous awards.
