Biography

Dr. Michael J. Rivera joined the Fox School of Business in September 2014 and serves as Associate Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship. In this role, he teaches courses in creative problem solving, business model innovation, and innovation adoption and diffusion at the graduate level, including Executive MBA. Prior to joining Fox, Dr. Rivera held roles in teaching and administration at La Salle University, Drexel University, University of Notre Dame, Purdue University, Indiana University, Black Hawk College, Ivy Tech Community College and Montgomery County Community College.

With a strong focus on bridging theory with practice, Dr. Rivera’s classroom is an active, industry-connected one that prioritizes hands-on practice through live case studies and team activities. Additional time for self-assessment encourages each student to cultivate his or her individual growth. Dr. Rivera’s goal is for every student to develop the skills that employers find most valuable—the ability to think creatively and solve real problems—so that each is on a path to long-term, sustainable success.

This spirit of innovation and creative problem solving flows into Dr. Rivera’s administrative roles at Fox. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he is also the Academic Director of the Executive MBA program. In this role, he oversees an expanding program, with cohorts currently running in Philadelphia, PA; Tokyo, Japan; Paris, France; Singapore; and Bogota, Colombia. Dr. Rivera’s expertise in global negotiations and forming partnerships has allowed the program not only to grow, but also to earn some of its highest rankings in the U.S. and around the world.

Dr. Rivera is also the Managing Director of the Center for Executive Education, which provides customized, accessible, interactive professional development workshops to senior executives and emerging leaders across industries. This new initiative is already working closely with leading local and international businesses to provide key business and leadership skills to their employees.

Dr. Rivera’s interests include creativity and innovation management, the emerging field of human capital analytics, and how the two connect to shape business strategy. He not only contributes original research in these areas, but also shapes these fields in other ways through his consulting and through the human capital analytics app DevelapMe, which he co-founded.

Dr. Rivera, a lifelong Philadelphian, holds a B.S. and an MBA from Taylor University, an M.S. from Indiana University, and a Ph.D. from Purdue University. He lives in Montgomery County with his wife Rachel and son Michael. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling, cooking, hiking, biking, and playing music.