New Faculty Highlight: Assistant Professor Kristen Raney
The James & Gail Ellis School of Business Leadership welcomes six new faculty members who have joined the school this semester. In this series, meet the faculty members who are bringing new expertise and perspectives to Ellis.
Meet Kristen Raney, assistant professor within the department of Management. Raney is new to the state of New Mexico coming from Charlottesville, Virginia after finishing a postdoctoral research fellowship at the University of Virginia (UVA) McIntire School of Commerce.
“My impression of both Ellis and UNM were that these were institutions that were really human-first - that is, they cared about the individuals as whole people, not just in their role as faculty, students, staff etc. I got the feeling that this was a place that really valued and fostered the development of community and led with care and compassion. Those things were all attractive to me.”
This semester, Raney is teaching two sections of the capstone course, strategic management.
“I have heard such great things about the UNM students and am super excited to get to know them and work together to create meaningful educational experiences,” said Raney. “What I hope most for is that they will leave feeling more confident in their ability to think critically and strategically, and to make decisions in situations where there is uncertainty or ambiguity.”
“It is such an exciting time in their lives — most of my students are seniors, so this transition feels huge and they are thinking about what the next steps might look like and who they might want to be/how they want to move forward,” said Raney.
Her research examines how individuals and organizations are evaluated, particularly under conditions of uncertainty. She is especially excited to pursue projects related to equity and access, including how social judgments, identity, and organizational contexts shape opportunities and outcomes.
“I hope to learn from my students’ perspectives—the questions they ask, the things they notice, and the experiences they bring to the classroom. I also want to learn what helps them learn best and how I can continue improving as an instructor so I can better support them in reaching their goals. And, as someone still getting to know the community, I’m excited to learn more from them about UNM, Albuquerque, and New Mexico more broadly.”
Prior to UNM and UVA, Raney received her Ph.D. in strategic management from the W.P Carey School of Business at Arizona State University and an MBA and Master's in Public Service from the University of Arkansas.
