James Combs

James Combs holds the Della Phillips Martha Schenck Chair of American Private Enterprise and is Professor of Management at the University of Central Florida's College of Business. He also serves as Visiting Professor at the University of Ottawa. His research focuses on family business, franchising, research synthesis, and corporate governance, with publications in top-tier journals including Academy of Management Journal and Strategic Management Journal.

Combs' research examines how corporate governance structures affect family businesses and franchise operations, with particular emphasis on transgenerational control and strategic adaptation. His work on entrepreneurial growth strategies examines how firms navigate uncertainty during scaling phases.

He has received the 2020 Southern Management Association's Hunt Sustained Outstanding Service Award and 2021 Rosenberg Center International Society of Franchising Eminent Franchising Scholar Award. Combs has served in editorial positions for multiple leading management journals and held leadership roles in academic associations including the Academy of Management and Southern Management Association.