Sami Ghaddar

Assistant Professor In-Residence

Management &

Entrepreneurship

Sami Ghaddar is an Assistant Professor of Strategy In-Residence at the University of Connecticut School of Business. He leads the Strategic Management Capstone and Content Entrepreneurship.

Dr. Ghaddar’s research examines the efficacy of board-level specialized committees and their impact on firms’ strategic choices. His recent work extends this agenda to AI governance, with a focus on how firms organize oversight of AI and how governance structures shape its strategic use. He is also exploring the use of generative AI in business education, particularly its potential to enhance classroom learning and prepare students for the evolving demands of business.

Beyond the classroom, Dr. Ghaddar oversees two major case competitions at UConn: the UConn Leveraged Buyout Case Competition, established in Fall 2023, and the UConn Strategy Consulting Case Competition, launched in Spring 2024. These platforms give students opportunities to apply their knowledge to real-world business problems under the mentorship of C-suite executives from Fortune 500 companies and distinguished UConn alumni.

Education

• PhD in Business, Bentley University
• MBA, American University of Beirut
• BS in Business, American University of Beirut

Research Interests

• Corporate Governance
• Innovation
• Firm Performance

Selected Publications

Ghaddar, S., & Quinn, M. A. (2026). Innovation under the microscope: the financial benefits of board-level R&D oversight. Journal of Business Strategy, 47(1), 16-37.

Brown, J. A., Anderson, A., & Ghaddar, S. (2023). How board structure affects social performance and stakeholder management: an example from classified boards. In Research Handbook on Corporate Governance and Ethics (pp. 86-111). Edward Elgar Publishing.