Family Business Fellows

Lourdes Casanova, Senior Lecturer and Gail and Roberto Cañizares Director Emerging Markets Institute, S.C. Johnson School of Management, Cornell University, formerly at INSEAD, specializes in international business with focus on emerging markets. Awarded in 2014 and 2015 one of the 50 most influential Iberoamerican intellectuals and in 2017 one of the 30 most influential Iberoamerican women intellectuals by Esglobal. Fulbright Scholar with Master degree from University of Southern California and PhD from University of Barcelona. Taught, directed executive programs at INSEAD for senior managers including Telefónica, BBVA and Cemex and Brazilian Confederation of Industries.

Co-author with P. Cornelius and S. Dutta: Entrepreneurship and the Finance of Innovation in Emerging Markets. Elsevier. 2017. Co-Author with A. Miroux: Emerging Market Multinationals Report 2018, 2017 and 2016. Co-author with J. Kassum: The Political Economy of an Emerging Global Power: In Search of the Brazil Dream, Palgrave Macmillan 2014, author ‘Global Latinas: Latin America’s emerging multinationals’ Palgrave Macmillan 2009, co-author Innovalatino, Fostering Innovation in Latin America, Ariel 2011, articles in journals including Beijing Business Review, International Journal of Human Resource Management, Business and Politics and Foreign Affairs Latinoamérica. Writer of an op-ed at Latin Trade http://latintrade.com/ and regular contributor to CNN en español http://cnnespanol.cnn.com/.

Daniela is an Assistant Professor of Strategy at the Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University.

Daniel Scur’s research focuses on organizations and how organizational practices affect productivity and labor outcomes across countries and industries. She studies organizational economics with a focus on emerging economies and developing countries. The research questions she is currently working on include why family firms adopt fewer structured management practices (and what to do about it), how school management and personnel policies affect teacher effort and student outcomes, how personnel management affects wages and other employee outcomes in manufacturing firms, and how female leadership influences organizational practices.

Daniela is affiliated with the CEPR and the Productivity Partnership and is also a Research Fellow at the MIT Sloan School of Management, with the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy, and at the London School of Economics with the Centre for Economic Performance.  Her work includes three large data collection initiatives: the World Management Survey, the Development WMS, and the Ownership Survey.

Joe Astrachan is Professor Emeritus and past executive director of the Cox Family Enterprise Center at the Coles College of Business, Kennesaw State University near Atlanta, Georgia, USA. He is also a Faculty Scholar with the Smith Family Business Initiative at Cornell University and a visiting scholar at Witten/Herdecke University.

Dr. Astrachan has received numerous awards for his research and service from family business, entrepreneurship, management, and research-oriented associations including awards form the Family Firm Institute and the Family Business Network International. He has recently (2018) been named one of the top 25 leading scholars in entrepreneurship in a Journal of Small Business Management research article. He is author or coauthor of more than 25 book chapters, 60 scientific publications, and ten books including the much-acclaimed Communication and Conflict in Family Business, and Mechanisms to Assure Family Business Cohesion: Guidelines for Family Business Leaders and Their Families. He is a frequent speaker on the topic having given more than 300 speeches around the globe.  Dr. Astrachan is past editor Family Business Review (1995-2008) and recently stepped down as founding editor of the scientific publication the Journal of Family Business Strategy (2010-2018).

Dr. Astrachan has over 30 years’ experience studying and working with family companies and has spoken in over 35 countries. He has served on a total of 17 boards of privately-owned family businesses (currently serving on eight) in a variety of industries including: heavy equipment, automotive, high-tech (software and service), restaurants, building materials, food manufacturing, retailing and distribution, commercial and multifamily real estate, and healthcare.  Dr. Astrachan comes from a family business background (container and tanker shipping, coal mining and pharmaceuticals). Dr. Astrachan earned his B.A., M.A., M.Phil., and Ph.D. degrees at Yale University.

Gregory McCann is a Stetson alumnus, having graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration. A licensed CPA in Fla. (retired) and a (retired) member of the Florida Bar, McCann is an innovator as a teacher, author, consultant and former director of the award-winning Family Enterprise Center. As director, he led the effort to create the nation’s first undergraduate major in the field of family enterprise, which helped the Center earn three international awards.

In January 2013, McCann became highly involved with Stetson University’s Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) program. He has led the effort to revitalize this program by creating a national group of innovators (called the “Think Tank”); recruiting three prominent leadership experts; and aligning the program with the personal and professional development of leaders.

He is actively involved in numerous professional organizations, including (former board member of) the Family Firm Institute and member of Association of Managers of Innovation. He is, since 2019, a member of the InnerWill Leadership Institute Board of Directors. McCann has earned from Stetson University both the Hand Award for research and creative and professional activity (2010) as well as the McEniry Award for Excellence in Teaching (2002-2003), Stetson University’s highest award. From the School of Business Administration, he has earned the Faculty Awards: for Innovation (2012), Research (2009), Teaching (1999) and Professor of the Year (2000). He is a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, the honor society for AACSB accredited business programs (2003). He is also a consultant to family enterprises, a noted speaker, and author. He speaks, conducts workshops and consults internationally related to family enterprise, character, and innovation.