Michael B. Elmes

Michael B. Elmes is a Professor at Worcester Polytechnic Institute's Business School with appointments in System Dynamics. Since joining WPI in 1990, he has developed an international reputation in organizational studies, particularly in social innovation, food justice, and place-based organizational research. He co-founded and directs the Wellington, New Zealand Project Center and founded the Nantucket Project Center.

His educational background includes a B.S. from Union College (1975), M.A. from Colgate University (1979), and Ph.D. from Syracuse University (1989).

Professor Elmes' research focuses on organizational change, social innovation, and food justice, with particular interest in ethical sensemaking at food banks, inequality in industrial food systems, and the role of place in organizational studies. His work bridges Western science and indigenous knowledge systems, emphasizing the importance of context in understanding organizational phenomena. He employs narrative, critical realist, and dramaturgical frameworks in his research.

His publications demonstrate a trajectory from traditional organizational studies toward increasingly socially engaged research addressing food insecurity, climate resilience, and social justice. Recent work integrates sustainability concerns with organizational theory, particularly examining how communities respond to food insecurity and climate challenges.

• WPI Board of Trustees Chair's Exemplary Faculty Award (2022)
• Title VI grant in Business and International Education (2021)
• Fulbright Senior Scholar Award (2005)
• Journal of Management Inquiry Best Paper Award (2016)
• Academy of Management Learning and Education Best Paper Award (2012)
• Two Academy of Management Annual Meeting Best Paper Awards (1996, 2005)

Professor Elmes has advised over 90 student projects, primarily focusing on food security, climate resilience, indigenous concerns, and community development. His Wellington Project Center has secured significant funding including a Title VI grant focused on Climate Resilience Enterprise Opportunities. He has served on numerous faculty committees across institutional, school, and departmental levels for over 30 years.

He directs the Wellington, New Zealand Project Center (co-founded 2010) and founded the Nantucket Project Center (2007), developing sponsor relationships focused on climate change, sustainability, conservation education, human-wildlife interaction, earthquake issues, museum studies, alternative energy, and indigenous Maori concerns. His work with the Taos Institute connects his organizational scholarship with community-based applications.