Cat Summers

Catherine (Cat) Summers is a social scientist studying the microfoundations of organizational change. Her research reflects her passion for assisting leaders and organizations in navigating sustainability and justice challenges.

Cat is currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise and the Leadership Initiative at the University of Michigan. Her research focuses on leaders that seek to protect nature and human beings. She is interested in why and when individuals pursue complex forms of justice, like environmental justice, and the emergence of non-prototypical leaders in market systems. 

Cat completed her doctoral studies at the University of Virginia's Convergent Behavioral Science Initiative, jointly hosted by the School of Engineering and Darden Business School. Prior to completing her PhD, Cat worked for almost a decade in environmental non-profits, managing corporate donors and working with campaigners on award-winning community projects. 

Please find more about Cat most recent CV on her personal website. 

Educational background

• PhD in Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of Virginia
• BSc in Biology, Queen’s University, Canada

Current research

• Hernandez, M. & Summers, C. (2024) Effective leaders articulate values — and live by them. MIT Sloan Management Review.
• Han, I., Belmi, P., Thomas-Hunt, M., & Summers, C. (2024). Managers can support employees in working-class contexts by promoting growth mindsets. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.
• Hernandez, M., Guarana, C.L., & Owsik, C. (2023). Use your ambivalence to make more ethical decisions. MIT Sloan Management Review, 64(2), 1-4.

Expertise

• Environmental justice
• Leadership
• Research methods