In December, the tenured professors of McIntire voted to recommend both the promotion of Jeffrey Lovelace to Associate Professor of Commerce and tenure.
An International Research Fellow with the Oxford University Centre for Corporate Reputation, Lovelace also won the Rising Star Early Career Award by the Network of Leadership Scholars and Exeter Centre for Leadership at the UK’s University of Exeter Business School in 2022.
In his time at the Commerce School, Lovelace has taught courses in Cross-Cultural Management & Communications, Strategic Leadership, Leadership Across the Disciplines, and Organizational Behavior. He also serves as Director of the Leadership Minor, guiding the pan-UVA course of study through a rigorous refreshing and relaunching that took place in spring 2020.
A former Assistant Professor at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Lovelace joined the McIntire faculty in 2017 after earning his doctorate from Pennsylvania State University in Industrial-Organizational Psychology. As a veteran U.S. Army Officer who served two tours in Iraq from 2002 to 2014, prior to his academic career, Lovelace has also been an adviser, mentor, and voice for student veterans at UVA, partnering with offices across Grounds to help create a space for veterans in Newcomb Hall.
Lovelace feels extremely fortunate to be a member of both the University and the Commerce School.
“From the students to the location, the broader community, and the alumni, being a part of the McIntire School is really special,” he says, crediting the daily efforts of his faculty colleagues and staff members to advance McIntire’s mission. “Being around this stellar group of talented, dedicated, and selfless people inspires you to give your absolute best on a daily basis, with the goal of creating the best possible experience for our students. Not only that, our faculty and staff are a really fun group of good people to spend time with. Simply put, the people really do make the place here at the McIntire School.”
An Encouraging Community
Lovelace insists that support from the Commerce School’s leadership and the broader community has been integral to his continued development as an academic and his overall success as a faculty member.
“First, conducting research can be a long process that requires resources and patience. The McIntire School has provided every resource necessary to facilitate my work, from providing access to datasets essential to my research to supporting travel to present research at conferences all over the world,” he says. His faculty colleagues, especially those who teach with him in the Management Area, demonstrate a deep commitment to the advancement of knowledge: “They give their time to provide feedback on research ideas or sharing ideas about effective teaching.”
Lovelace notes that at McIntire his highly engaged students keep him on his toes and drive him to persist in evolving how he constructs his courses in order to integrate impactful, current global issues. “As a result, I am a better teacher and researcher.”
He is also impressed by Comm School alumni for their continued participation with the School, which he finds to be a level of involvement that is unique. “I have been fortunate enough to host many of them in the classroom for guest speaker sessions. Through these interactions, I have a real sense of the issues that leaders face guiding organizations today, which helps me better prepare our students and influences how I think about the impact of my research,” he says.
New Opportunities
In his research, Lovelace has been exploring multiple areas of interest related to the factors that influence how leaders make sense of their environment and subsequently provide direction to people and organizations. He has published journal articles, books, and book chapters in various outlets, including Academy of Management Review; Academy of Management Journal; Journal of Management; and The Leadership Quarterly.
In the recent years, he has co-written pieces about executive symbolism, underdog narratives at organizations, and matters related to CEOs and their fame.
He’s excited about the opportunities that lie ahead for him in research and at work within the Leadership Minor.
“I am starting new projects on CEO celebrity and firm reputation, including writing a book chapter as part of my relationship with the Oxford University Centre for Corporate Reputation. Additionally, this fall, I will present my work at conferences in Boston, Oxford, and Toronto, which will facilitate important feedback for my research efforts.”
Lovelace is also energized about the plans within McIntire’s Leadership Minor program. “It presents the chance for students across campus to connect with the McIntire School,” he says.
