C. Roland Christensen Center for Teaching and Learning, Harvard Business School
Christensen Center Staff Biographies
Willis Emmons
Director of C. Roland Christensen Center for Teaching and Learning & Senior Lecturer
tel: 617.495.6851
E-mail: wemmons@hbs.edu
WILLIAM (WILLIS) EMMONS is Senior Lecturer and Director of the C. Roland Christensen Center for Teaching and Learning at Harvard Business School. As director of the Christensen Center, Emmons oversees programs for developing and enhancing case method teaching skills and supports individual faculty members in their quest for teaching excellence. In addition, he is building the center's capabilities for conducting and disseminating research on best practices and innovations in case method teaching and participant-centered learning and for serving as a convener for symposia on topics of critical importance in the field.
From 1999-2004, Emmons was Associate Professor at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business in the area of Strategy, Economics, Ethics and Policy, where he received the Graduate Teaching Award (2003). At Georgetown he taught courses on strategic management and international business. Emmons was a member of the Harvard Business School faculty from 1989-1999 where, as part of the Business, Government, and the International Economy (BGIE) unit, he taught courses in the M.B.A. and executive education programs. He also has taught extensively in corporate executive development programs and has consulted to corporations and governments on domestic and international issues relating to business strategy and government policy.
Emmons received the A.B. cum laude in Government (Phi Beta Kappa), the M.B.A. with high distinction (Baker Scholar), and the Ph.D. in Business Economics, all from Harvard University. His book, The Evolving Bargain: Strategic Implications of Deregulation and Privatization. (Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 2000), winner of the 2001 Alpha Sigma Nu Book Award, is based on extensive international research and offers a practical framework for understanding the challenges and potential rewards for established and new ventures in the face of domestic and international market liberalization. Emmons has published articles in a number of scholarly journals, including The RAND Journal of Economics, The Review of Economics and Statistics, and The Journal of Economic History.
He is also the author of over thirty Harvard Business School case studies and conceptual notes in the field of business, government, and competition.
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Matt Kuchar
Assistant Director
tel: 617.496.3477
Matt Kuchar is the Christensen Center's Assitant Director. Matt conducts and supports a wide cross-section of the Center's work with faculty, including faculty observations and consultations, video coaching, educational research, and course evaluation analysis. He is most interested in issues pertaining to discussion leadership and discussion dynamics.
At the University of Oregon, he worked as a Faculty Consultant for the Teaching Effectiveness Program while co-directing the University's Writing Lab. Additionally, Matt has taught courses and seminars in argument, writing, academic research, and pedagogy at Colby College and the University of Oregon. He received his B.A. magna cum laude in English and Philosophy (Phi Beta Kappa) from Colby College and his M.A. in rhetorical theory from the University of Oregon.
In his spare time, Matt enjoys sea kayaking, hiking, telemark skiing, and photography.
Clare Flaherty
Coordinator
tel: 617 495 3659
Clare Flaherty joined the Christensen Center in October 2005 after working as a Faculty Assistant in the Negotiation, Organization and Markets unit at Harvard Business School. As Coordinator for the center, Clare maintains the schedules for class observations, liaises with faculty and departments on campus and manages the Christensen Center office. Prior to HBS, Clare was an advertising Associate Producer for Arnold Worldwide and Production Company Office Manager, producing television and radio commercials for regional and national clients.
Clare holds a BA in Television, Theatre and Literature from Ripon and York St Johns in the United Kingdom. She is currently pursuing graduate studies in English and American Literature at Harvard University Extension School.
In her spare time Clare is an amateur triathlete and enjoys reading, jewelry making, and cooking.
Tara Abbatello
Teaching and Learning Specialist
tel: 617.495.0328
Tara Abbatello joined the Christensen Center in August 2006 as Teaching and Learning Analyst. Tara assesses teaching and learning-related data to support the Center's service offerings to HBS faculty. She also assists in the tracking the Center's activities as it continues to expand the scope of its services and faculty clients.
Tara previously worked at HBS as a Faculty Assistant and as a Research Associate. As a Research Associate, she worked with faculty and doctoral students to design and implement experiments and surveys to study negotiation and decision making, with an emphasis on how biases affect decisions. Tara earned her B.A. cum laude in Psychology (Psi Chi) from Boston University.
Outside of work, Tara enjoys reading, baking, and spending time with her husband and their beautiful son. She has also been known to make extremely decadent chocolate truffles.
Lora Fisher
Teaching and Learning Researcher
tel: 617.495.0323
Lora Fisher supports the Center's efforts in a variety of ways, including researching the components of effective case method instruction and performing statistical analyses of collected data. Lora joined the CCTL research team in June 2007 after graduating from Harvard's Graduate School of Education. As a master's student in HGSE's Mind, Brain & Education program, Lora studied the neuropsychological components of learning. She also holds a B.S. in Psychology, with a minor in Business Management, from Brigham Young University.
Lora was introduced to research in Romania, where she supported a longitudinal study of children in state-run institutions. From that experience, Lora became particularly interested in factors of cognitive delay, but has also been involved in research on Problem-Based Learning, general cognitive development and other educational factors.
Lora enjoys spending her free time outdoors, particularly rock climbing or playing in pick-up soccer games. She loves books and, to the delight of her close friends, is currently working on her baking skills.