Core faculty

Morela Hernandez

Ligia Ramirez de Reynolds Collegiate Professor of Public Policy; Faculty Director, Leadership Initiative (on leave)

Morela Hernandez is the Ligia Ramirez de Reynolds Collegiate Professor of Public Policy at the University of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. She also holds an appointment at U-M's Ross School of Business. Hernandez is an organizational psychologist doing important work at the intersection of leadership and diversity. She is an internationally recognized scholar with deep expertise in applying behavioral science insights to design and improve organizational systems and decision-making practices. 

Hernandez is widely published in a number of top-tier academic journals, including Academy of Management Review, Journal of Applied Psychology, Personnel Psychology, and Psychological Science. Her work has also appeared in media outlets such as Time magazine, the New York Times, MIT Sloan Management Review, and The Washington Post, as well as featured on National Public Radio. She is on a number of editorial boards including Academy of Management Journal and Journal of Applied Psychology, and serves as associate editor for Academy of Management Review. Most recently, Hernandez was the Donald and Lauren Morel Associate Professor of Business Administration at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business. 

At the Ford School, Hernandez teaches courses on leadership and diversity, and is the faculty director of the school's Leadership Initiative. She has worked as a leadership development coach for senior-level executives and consults with a number of government agencies, social profit organizations, and global companies on topics related to diversity and inclusion as well as large-scale organizational change. Hernandez received her PhD from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.

**Professor Hernandez is currently on leave**

Educational background

  • PhD, Duke University
  • BA, Rice University

Professional affiliations

  • Advisory Board, Sloan Management Review (MIT)

Current research

Stewardship, leadership, ethics, intergenerational behavior, workforce diversity

Recent publications

For a full list of recent publications, please visit Hernandez's personal site.