Kalin D. Kolev

Associate Professor of Management

Dr. Kalin Kolev is an Associate Professor of Management. Before joining Marquette University in 2014, he was an Assistant Professor at California State University, Fullerton. Kalin received his PhD in Strategic Management from Michigan State University, his MBA from The University of Tulsa, and his Bachelor’s degree from The University of National and World Economy in Sofia, Bulgaria. At Marquette University, Dr. Kolev teaches courses in Strategic Management at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Dr. Kolev’s research draws on behavioral perspectives and agency-based models to investigate managerial decision making across two broad research domains. First, he studies the processes that encompass strategic leadership and corporate governance with an emphasis on how CEOs, TMTs, and boards of directors impact firm strategic choices and organizational performance. Second, Kalin examines the antecedents and outcomes of corporate restructuring activities, such as mergers and acquisitions, and divestitures.

Kalin’s research has been published in a number of top-tier academic and practitioner-oriented journals, including Strategic Management Journal, Journal of Management, Academy of Management Annals, Journal of Management Studies, Long Range Planning, Strategic Organization, Journal of Business Research, and MIT Sloan Management Review. Dr. Kolev serves as an Associate Editor for Journal of Business Research and is a member of the editorial board at Long Range Planning. Kalin is a two-time winner of the Miles Fellow Researcher of the Year Award at the College of Business.

Education

• PhD – Strategic Management, Michigan State University, 2012.
• MBA – University of Tulsa, 2006.
• B.A. – International Business, University of National and World Economy Sofia, Bulgaria, 2003.

Research Interests

Strategic leadership

Mergers and acquisitions, divestitures

Corporate governance

Selected Publications

Kolev, K. D., Schepker, D. J., Wangrow, D., & Barker, V. 2023. The Board Committee Chair Effect: How Much Does It Contribute to Firm Performance. Journal of Management, https://doi.org/10.1177/01492063231206108.

Wangrow, D., Kolev, K. D., & Hughes-Morgan M. 2023. Disparities in College Basketball Coach Dismissals: A Contingency Perspective to Minority Executive Dismissal. Strategic Organization, https://doi.org/10.1177/14761270231184225.

Mah, J., Kolev, K. D., McNamara, G., Pan, L., & Devers, C. 2023. Women in the C-suite: A Review of Predictors, Experiences, and Outcomes. Academy of Management Annals, 17(2): 586-625.

Dykes, B., Kolev, K. D., Hughes-Morgan, M., & Ferrier, W. 2023. Beware the Pitfalls of Agility. MIT Sloan Management Review, 64(3): 1-3.

Markoczy, L., Kolev, K. D., & Qian, C. 2023. Trade-off among Stakeholders: CEO Political Orientation and Corporate Social Irresponsibility. Long Range Planning, 56(2): 102273.

Kolev, K. D., & McNamara, G. 2022. The Role of Top Management Teams in Firm Responses to Performance Cues. Strategic Organization, 20(3): 541-564.

Schijven, M., Kolev, K. D., & Haleblian, J. 2021. The Governance of Learning: Carrots, Sticks, and Stones in Acquisition Capability Development. Strategic Organization, https://doi.org/10.1177/14761270211027841.

Kolev, K. D., Hughes-Morgan, M., & Rehbein, K. 2021. The Role of Female Directors in the Boardroom: Examining Their Impact on Competitive Dynamics. Business & Society, 60: 811-843.

Dykes, B., Hughes-Morgan, M., Kolev, K. D., & Ferrier, W. 2020. Responding to Crises with Speed and Agility. MIT Sloan Management Review, October 15, 2020.

Bingham, C., Hendricks, B., Howell, T., & Kolev, K. D. 2020. Boomerang CEOs: What Happens When the CEO Comes Back?. MIT Sloan Management Review, September 17, 2020.

Kolev, K. D., & McNamara, G. 2020. Board Demography and Divestitures: The Role of Gender and Racial Diversity on Divestiture Rate and Divestiture Returns. Long Range Planning, 53(2): 101881.

Kolev, K. D., Wangrow, D., Barker, V., & Schepker, D. J. 2019. Board Committees in Corporate Governance: A Cross-Disciplinary Review and Agenda for the Future. Journal of Management Studies, 56: 1138-1193.

Dykes, B., Hughes-Morgan, M., Kolev, K. D., & Ferrier, W. 2019. Organizational Speed: A Review and Insights into Competitive Advantage. Strategic Organization, 17: 266-278.

Hughes-Morgan, M., Kolev, K. D., & McNamara, G. 2018. A Meta-Analytic Review of Competitive Aggressiveness Research. Journal of Business Research, 85: 73-82.

Kolev, K., Wiseman, R. M., & Gomez-Mejia, L. 2017. Do CEOs Ever Lose? A Fairness Perspective on the Allocation of Residuals between CEOs and Shareholders. Journal of Management, 43: 610-637.

Kolev. K. D. 2016. To Divest or Not to Divest: A Meta-Analysis on the Antecedents of Corporate Divestitures. British Journal of Management, 27: 179-196.

Haleblian, J., McNamara G., Kolev, K., & Dykes, B. 2012. Exploring Firm Characteristics that Differentiate Leaders from Followers in Industry Merger Waves: A Competitive Dynamics Approach. Strategic Management Journal, 33: 1037-1052.

Honors and Awards

• Miles Fellow Researcher of the Year, College of Business, Marquette University, 2024
• Miles Fellow Researcher of the Year, College of Business, Marquette University, 2020
• Miles Fund Research grant, College of Business, Marquette University, 2019, 2020, 2023
• Research productivity award, College of Business, Marquette University, 2018-21
• Best PhD Paper Award Finalist, 2011 - Kolev, K. D., Wiseman, R., & Belin, M. 2010. Are CEOs Rent-seeking? Role of CEO Celebrity, Risk, and Board Monitoring on CEO Pay, Strategic Management Society Annual Conference

Media Contributions

Dr. Kolev often shares his expertise and opinions on mergers and acquisitions, CEO decision making, and gender bias via interviews and comments on various media sources, including FOX 6 TV Channel Milwaukee, National Public Radio, WUWM 89.7, Spectrum News Milwaukee, and WTMJ Radio.