Mason Carpenter (PhD University of Texas at Austin) was the M. Keith Weikel professor of leadership at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Wisconsin School of Business. His research in strategic management concerned corporate governance, top management teams, social networks, and the strategic management of global startups and was published widely in leading management and strategy journals. He was also author of numerous books used in leading undergraduate, MBA, and education courses around the world, including Principles of Management published by Flat World Knowledge. He was associate editor of the Academy of Management Review and served on the editorial board of the Strategic Management Journal. At the University of Wisconsin, he was responsible for the undergraduate, MBA, and ExecMBA courses in business, corporate, and global strategy. With others, he had also advised the top management teams and business unit leaders of Fiskars, SABMiller, GE, Harley Davidson, Rockwell International, Vivendi, Kerry Ingredients, Covance, Danisco, Badger Meter, and Banta in the areas of strategy formulation, strategy implementation, and strategic change. His teaching accomplishments included MBA Professor of the Year, notoriety as one of the two most popular professors in several BusinessWeek MBA program polls, the Larson Excellence in Teaching award from the Wisconsin School of Business, and, most recently, a Distinguished Teaching award from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He also worked to integrate experiential and behavioral perspectives of strategic management into the classroom through positions on the BPS and SMS Executive Committees, Doctoral and New Faculty BPS consortia, and the widely-used BPS Strategy Teaching Toolkit. He passed away in 2011 and is survived by his wife and two sons.

Sanjyot P. Dunung is CEO and founder of Atma Global, a developer of learning content and solutions for the corporate, education, and government markets. The firm integrates an understanding of business and social-sciences methodologies to derive perspectives on the global forces shaping business, government, and society.   

Recognized on Fast Company’s prestigious Most Innovative Companies list, her firm developed an award-winning "Netflix-style" digital service, Atma Insights, featuring proprietary, engaging, and essential learning videos on culture, country, business, and global topics for professionals, educators, and students.   

Leveraging her intuitive and seasoned in-depth knowledge as a social scientist with a practitioner-academic mindset, Sanjyot is renowned for her expertise in the multifaceted intersection of business, global affairs, culture, technology, and education, with a focus on the impact of cultures on organizations, individuals, and societies.     

She is a serial entrepreneur and global business executive with expertise in managing businesses through economic cycles and transformational change. A business evangelist and catalyst for growth, Sanjyot has multidisciplinary skills in strategic planning, business development, raising venture and private capital, proprietary product development (SaaS B2C and B2B), channel partner strategy, and leading global teams.   

She is deeply committed to empowering small businesses through education and advocacy. Currently, Sanjyot serves as a board member for the National Small Business Association, the Truman Center for National Policy, and the American Leadership Project. In these roles, she is passionate about supporting small businesses, driving impactful policy changes, and advocating for pragmatic global leadership. Previously, Sanjyot was a member of the Board of Directors of UNICEF USA.    

She has authored seventeen international business books and textbooks including a young adult novel, Maddie & Sayara, that explores the divergent paths of young girls around the world. Sanjyot has appeared on a range of global media and speaks at conferences addressing international business, global cultures, and entrepreneurship. She works to promote equality of opportunity by working closely with global not-for-profits, serving on global boards, and mentoring entrepreneurs. 

Sanjyot has received several awards including the including the 2024 Stevie Women in Business Award for Best Female Entrepreneur—Business Services, 2021 Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business Award, and the 2021 AmChamRepresent Business Transformation Award: Women in Business.

She received a BA, Northwestern University and an MBA, Thunderbird School of Global Management, where she received the Distinguished Alumni Award, serves on the Advisory Board, and is a Professor of Practice.