Sara Soderstrom

Sara Soderstrom is an Associate Professor in Organizational Studies & Program in the Environment at University of Michigan (UM). She is Faculty Director of the Undergraduate Fellows Program at the Erb Institute and faculty associate at Center for Positive Organizations at UM. In her research, Sara aims to contribute an organizational perspective on how society develops solutions to critical global sustainability challenges. Sara studies how individuals within organizations mobilize others, develop coalitions, and access key decision makers when they are trying to implement sustainability initiatives. She has published in numerous management journals including Administrative Science Quarterly, Academy of Management Journal, Organization & Environment and Organization Studies.

Sara teaches multiple courses at the University of Michigan that focus on the intersection of organizations and sustainability. She is a passionate teacher and love engaging with students across multiple courses that focus on the intersection of business and sustainability: Business and the Natural Environment; Sustainability and the Campus; and Business, Sustainability, and Justice. She also frequently teaches Negotiations and Advanced Research Methods.

Professor Soderstrom was a Post Doctoral Fellow at the Erb Institute at the University of Michigan. She completed her PhD at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. Prior to obtaining her PhD, Professor Soderstrom worked as a consultant at McKinsey & Company serving retail and financial services organizations and led a business transformation team in post-merger activities at The Auto Club Group, a AAA umbrella organization. Professor Soderstrom holds MSE degrees in Chemical and Environmental Engineering and a BSE degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan.

Award(s)

• Harold R. Johnson Diversity Service Award, U of M, 2022
• Class of 1923 Memorial Teaching Award for Outstanding Teaching of Undergraduates, U of M, 2020
• Inaugural Services for Students with Disabilities Student Advisory Board: Adam Miller Faculty Appreciation Award, U of M, 2018
• College of LSA Individual Award for Outstanding Contributions to Undergraduate Education, U of M, 2016
• Program in the Environment Instructor of the Year, U of M, 2015
• Suzanne M. Jones Organizational Studies Spirit Award, U of M, 2014
• Academy of Management, Organizations and the Natural Environment Division Best Dissertation Award, 2011
• Field(s) of Study
• Organizational theory, corporate sustainability, organizational change, and social movements

Education

• Ph.D. Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University
• MSE Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Michigan
• BSE Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan