The University of Maine at Presque Isle will host Dr. Elise Perrault, Associate Professor of Management at the College of Charleston and Director of the Think Differently Forum, as the next speaker in its 2019-2020 Libra Distinguished Lecture Series on Wednesday, Nov. 20, at 7 p.m. in the Campus Center. This event is free and the public is encouraged to attend.
The theme of this year’s LDLS series is Dirigo, and Dr. Perrault will focus her presentation on how individuals can take the lead in, or direct, their thoughts and outcomes. During her talk, Why is decision-making so painful? How to harness our power to think critically to make better decisions, Dr. Perrault will discuss how we can overcome specific thinking obstacles to engage in critical thinking and progress.
“The lecture will draw together elements of psychology and sociology to help individuals better understand how our brains work when triggered to make decisions and the two painful points in the process,” Dr. Perrault explained. The lecture will be highly interactive with the audience.
Dr. Perrault’s research focuses on strategy, stakeholder management, shareholder activism, corporate governance, social responsibility, and environmental management. In addition to her work at the College of Charleston and with the Think Differently Forum, which is comprised of a term of students and held each semester, she serves as a visiting professor at Brown University, where she teaches in the IE-Brown Executive M.B.A.
Her work has appeared in several peer-reviewed journals—including the Journal of Business Ethics, Business & Society, and the Journal of Management & Organization, and she has delivered dozens of conference presentations around the country and internationally. She has served as a Beyond Grey Pinstripes Ph.D. Scoring Fellow for the Aspen Institute and a State Street Corporate Social Responsibility Fellow.
Dr. Perrault is a recipient of the 2019 Best Paper Award from the Academy of Management Social Issues in Management division, the 2017 Distinguished Teaching Award and 2016 Distinguished Research Award, both from the College of Charleston School of Business, and the 2011 Society of Business Ethics Founders’ Award.
She earned her Ph.D. in Business Strategy and Social Issues in Management from Bentley University in 2012, her M.B.A. in Strategy from McGill University in Montreal in 2007, and her B.A. in Fashion Marketing from the Universite Du Quebec a Montreal in 2002.
The University’s Libra Distinguished Lecture Series was established in 1999. Each year, the LDLS Committee sponsors four to six speakers who come from Maine and beyond, representing a range of disciplines and viewpoints. While the emphasis tends to be on featuring visiting academics, it is not exclusively so. The speakers typically spend two days at the University meeting with classes and presenting a community lecture.
UMPI welcomes the campus and community to hear Dr. Perrault speak on Nov. 20. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Lisa Smith at 207-768-9525 or email lisa.m.smith@maine.edu.