Lauren Rivera is the Peter G. Peterson Chair in Corporate Ethics and Professor of Management & Organizations at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. Her research unpacks how the way people define and evaluate merit shapes social inequalities. Her best-selling book Pedigree: How Elite Students Get Elite Jobs (Princeton University Press) investigates on-campus recruitment and hiring for elite professional service firms and the roles that social class, gender, and race play in this process. She is currently working on a variety of projects examining discrimination in education and employment. Dr. Rivera’s research has been featured in the Atlantic, Economist, Financial Times, Fortune, Harvard Business Review, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and NPR and has received a variety of awards from the American Sociological Association. She was named one of the world’s top business school professors by Poets & Quants and Thinkers50. She received her B.A. in sociology and psychology from Yale University and her Ph.D. in sociology from Harvard University. Before entering academia, she worked at Evite.com and Leo Burnett Hispanic, and was a Consultant at Monitor Group London. 

Hiring, discrimination, inequality, personnel practices, organizations, elites, social class, gender, education, qualitative and mixed methods

• PhD, 2009, Sociology, Harvard University
• AM, 2006, Sociology, Harvard University
• BA, 2000, Sociology and Psychology, Yale University, Magna cum laude; distinction in both majors

• Assistant Professor, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, 1/1/2013
• Professor, Management & Organizations, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University
• Associate Professor, Management & Organizations, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University (on leave AY 15-16)

• Consultant, Monitor Group, 2000-2002

• Chair's Core Course Teaching Award, Kellogg School of Management
• Kellogg Chairs' Core Course Teaching Award, Kellogg School of Management, 2021
• Saroj Parasuraman Award (Runner-Up), Academy of Management
• Granovetter Award for the Best Article in Economic Sociology, American Sociological Association, 2020
• Distinguished Article Prize, American Sociological Association, Section on Sex & Gender, 2017
• Best Book Award, American Sociological Association, Section on Sociology of Law, 2016
• Outstanding Article Prize, American Sociological Association, Section on Inequality, Poverty, and Mobility, 2016
• Max Weber Book Prize, American Sociological Association, Section on Organizations, Occupations, and Work, 2016
• Mary Douglas Book Prize, American Sociological Association, Section on Culture, 2016
• William Julius Wilson Early Career Award, American Sociological Association, Section on Inequality, Poverty, and Mobility, 2016
• Thinkers50 - Most Influential Management Thinkers, www.thinkers50.com, 2016
• Axiom Business Books Silver Medal, Axiom Business Books, 2016
• Named one of the world's best business school professors under 40, Poets and Quants, 2015
• Best Paper Prize, The Davis Conference on Qualitative Research, 2014
• Kellogg Chairs' Core Course Teaching Award, 2013-2014
• Granovetter Award for the Best Article in Economic Sociology, American Sociological Association, 2013
• Geertz Award for the Best Article in the Sociology of Culture, American Sociological Association, 2013
• Best Paper Proceedings, Academy of Management, 2011

• Referee, Sociology of Education, 2009-
• Editorial Board, American Sociological Review, 2021-2024
• Editorial Board, Research in the Sociology of Work, 2017-2020
• Editorial Board, Sociology of Education, 2013-2018

Leadership, workplace diversity, hiring, decision-making, influence, teams, qualitative and mixed methods

Beyond Diversity

Individual. Interpersonal. Institutional. Intentionally designed to be in-person, this program empowers you as DEI Leaders to take proven concepts and translate them into bold actions, creating meaningful change for yourself, your employees, and your organization.

Navigating Workplace Conflict

This program is designed for anyone working in organizations where people problems and personalities challenge productivity. It is ideal for small businesses in which developing a collaborative culture is essential, as well as large organizations with complex reporting relationships. Organizations that are experiencing fundamental change, those that are trying to absorb new acquisitions, family businesses preparing for generational transitions and geographically-challenged teams are perfectly suited for this program.

Leadership in Organizations (MORS-430-0)
This course provides students with the social science tools needed to solve organizational problems and influence the actions of individuals, groups and organizations. It prepares managers to understand how to best organize and motivate the human capital of the firm, manage social networks and alliances, and execute strategic change. This is accomplished through knowledge of competitive decision making, reward system design, team building, strategic negotiation, political dynamics, corporate culture and strategic organizational design.

Leadership in Organizations (BUS_INST-303-0)
Social science tools for solving organizational problems and influencing individuals, groups, and organizations. Competitive decision making, reward system design, team building, strategic negotiation, political dynamics, corporate culture, and strategic organizational design. Prerequisites: ECON 201-0 and ECON 202-0.