Full profile

Patricia T.
Naya, PhD

I study what happens when organizations promise justice — how those promises are interpreted, experienced, and managed over time, and what these processes reveal about power and the reproduction of inequality.

PhD, Organization & Social Change University of Massachusetts Boston AAUW International Fellow Commonwealth Shared Scholar 2026
Dr. Patricia Tiimah Naya, PhD
Patricia T. Naya, PhD Organizational Scholar · Boston, MA
4 Peer-reviewed publications
7+ Working papers
$200K+ Research funding
15+ Conference presentations
8 Academic awards
Dr. Patricia Tiimah Naya
PhD UMass Boston · Business Administration

Scholarship at the intersection of power, justice, & transformation

Patricia studies what happens when organizations promise justice — how those promises are interpreted, experienced, and managed over time, and what these processes reveal about power and the reproduction of inequality.

She earned her PhD in Business Administration (Organization & Social Change) from the University of Massachusetts Boston in 2026, with a dissertation on The Anti-Racist Organization? Power, Embodiment, and the Politics of Becoming. She also holds an MSc from University College London and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University for Development Studies, Ghana.

Her work has appeared in Academy of Management Learning & Education (A*), Organization (A), and Edward Elgar Publishing. She is a CMS Division (AOM) Most Promising Early Career Paper recipient (2024), an AAUW International Fellow, and a Commonwealth Shared Scholar.

She is founder and CEO of Dream Alliance, and has taught at Northeastern University, Bentley University, and UMass Boston.

Research interests

Organizational transformation Power & inequality Embodiment & sensemaking Organizational identity Paradox theory Qualitative methods Process research Informal economies Green HRM

Dissertation

The Anti-Racist Organization? Power, Embodiment, and the Politics of Becoming

Dissertation chair
Alessia Contu
Committee members
Jared M. Poole  ·  Stephanie J. Creary
Status
PhD Awarded — 2026

Research domains

Organizational Change

Power

Inequality

Sensemaking

Paradox

Embodiment

Informal Economy

Education

2021 – 2026
PhD, Business Administration — Organization & Social Change
University of Massachusetts Boston, College of Management · Boston, MA
Dissertation: The Anti-Racist Organization? Power, Embodiment, and the Politics of Becoming
Committee: Alessia Contu (Chair), Jared M. Poole, Stephanie J. Creary
PhD Award for Academic Distinction, 2023
September 2020 – September 2021
MSc, Prosperity, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship — Distinction
University College London (UCL), UK
Dissertation: Era of Inclusivity: Employees Driving Green Human Resources toward Sustainable Prosperity
Best Dissertation Award, UCL Institute for Global Prosperity Commonwealth Shared Scholar (£48,100)
September 2016 – July 2019
Bachelor of Commerce (HRM Major) — First Class Honours
University for Development Studies, Ghana
Project: Examining the Impact of T&D on Craftsmanship in Wa-Municipality, Ghana
Best Graduating Student & First Female First Class Honors
September 2014 – July 2016
Diploma in Integrated Business Studies — Distinction
University for Development Studies, Ghana
Term paper: Exploring the Relationship between Teacher's Qualification and Student Performance in BECE, Upper East Region
Overall Best Diploma Graduating Student

Awards & fellowships

Most Promising Early Career Paper Award
CMS Division, Academy of Management · 2024
AAUW International Fellow
American Association of University Women · 2023–2024
Commonwealth Shared Scholar
Commonwealth Scholarship Commission · UCL, 2020–2021
Dean Fellowship Award
University of Massachusetts Boston · 2021–2024
PhD Award for Academic Distinction in Organizations & Social Change
University of Massachusetts Boston · 2023
Beacon Emerging Leader Award
University of Massachusetts Boston · 2023
Best Dissertation Award
UCL Institute for Global Prosperity · 2021
Best Graduating Student & First Female First Class Honours — RAINS Cash Prize
University for Development Studies, Ghana · 2019

Teaching experience

5 Courses taught
3 Institutions
94% Evaluation response rate
2022–2026 Teaching span
ORGB 3201 · Course Instructor
Organizational Behavior
Northeastern University · Fall 2025, Spring 2026 (In-person)

Designed and delivered an undergraduate course integrating individual-, team-, and organizational-level analysis of motivation, leadership, team dynamics, and culture. Implemented evidence-based active-learning pedagogy — simulations, role-plays, structured debates, and applied reflection — to support inclusive and engaged learning.

94% student evaluation response rate
MG 345 · Course Instructor
Organizations, Society & Responsible Management
Bentley University · Spring 2026 (In-person)

Designed and delivered an upper-level undergraduate course on organizations and responsible management, integrating ethical, legal, social, and digital dimensions of business decision-making. Implemented active-learning pedagogy including structured debates, case discussions, and an interview-based group project.

Human Behavior in Organizations · Course Instructor
Introduction to Organizational Behavior
Bentley University · Fall 2026 (In-person, scheduled)

Designed and delivered an introductory undergraduate course integrating individual-, group-, inter-group-, and organization-level analysis of behavior and its link to organizational effectiveness. Emphasized team dynamics, workforce diversity, and the global contexts of work, and equipped students with analytical frameworks for understanding and influencing organizational behavior. Implemented active-learning pedagogy including a business simulation, case studies, and team-based projects to build competence in working across difference.

Scheduled — Fall 2026
MGT 330 · Instructor of Record
Business Environment & Public Policy
UMass Boston · Fall 2023; Summer 2024, 2025 & 2026 (In-person & Online)

Designed and delivered a core management course on business–government relations and strategic decision-making in both in-person and online formats. Integrated current business cases, breakout rooms, and collaborative digital tools to maintain high engagement across modalities.

4.5/5.0 in-person 2023 · 4.0/5.0 Remote 2024 · 3.64/5.0 Online (Asynchronized) 2025
MGT 303 / 330 / 470 · Teaching Assistant
Managing Organizations · Public Policy · Entrepreneurship
UMass Boston · Fall 2022 – Spring 2025

Supported course design and delivery for three core management courses. Facilitated discussion sections, provided individual student support, and assisted with assessment design and grading across multiple semesters.

Service & community

Institutional service

  • Board Member, Center for Innovative Teaching, UMass Boston (2022–2026) — organizing workshops on inclusive teaching practices and evaluating teaching grant proposals
  • Commissioner, Restorative Justice Commission, UMass Boston (2023–2026) — co-developing conflict resolution policies and leading working groups on organizational change
  • Commonwealth Scholarship Alumni Advisory Panel (2023–2025) — selected as one of 116 representatives from 31,000+ alumni globally to advise on scholar engagement
  • Reviewer, Academy of Management Annual Meeting (2025)
  • Reviewer, Business Ethics (2026)
  • Reviewer, Journal of Management Inquiry (2025)

Professional membership

  • Member, Academy of Management — CMS & OMT Divisions
  • Member, European Group for Organizational Studies (EGOS)
  • Member, African Academy of Management

Community engagement

  • Founder & CEO, Dreams Alliance, a social impact organization (2017–present)
  • Community Partnership Office, UMass Boston (2022–2023) — developed a 360° framework for assessing institutional community partnerships
  • Founder & Principal Investigator, Black Diaspora Career & Care Summit, UMass Boston (2025) — served 80+ students across career, immigration, and professional networking

Professional experience

Founder & CEO — DREAM Alliance
Ghana

Design and implement leadership development programs, manage cross-sector partnerships with educational institutions, NGOs, and government agencies, and maintain a systematic evaluation framework for measuring program impact.

2017 – Present
Human Resource Associate
Ghana Health Service, Wa, Ghana

Managed HR operations for a regional healthcare organization serving 1,000+ employees. Designed and implemented training and development programs, streamlined recruitment and database management, and led needs assessment and capacity building across regional health centers.

2020 – 2021
Assistant to Regional Audit Lead
Ghana Audit Service, Wa, Ghana

Supported development of risk-based audit strategies for regional operations. Collaborated with audit teams to evaluate organizational processes and compliance, contributed to strategic planning and reporting, and developed monitoring systems for audit recommendation implementation.

2018

Selected conference presentations

16th PROS Symposium · June 2025
Power Relations and Organizational Becoming: A Process Study of Anti-Racist Change Initiatives
Eretria, Greece · with Poole & Contu
AOM 84th Annual Conference · August 2024
"Those of Us Who Stay": The Cost of Finding the Right Home for Gendered and Racialized Academics
Chicago, IL · CMS Division · with Contu & Poole
Most Promising Early Career Paper Award
40th EGOS Colloquium · July 2024
Organizational Anti-Racism as a Contested Site of Politics
University of Milan-Bicocca, Italy · with Contu & Poole
Danish Gender Conference · September 2024
Embodying Paradox: Navigating the Inclusion-Exclusion Paradox among Black and Brown Women
Copenhagen Business School, Denmark
18th Org. Studies Summer Workshop · 2024
Organizational Anti-Racism as a Contested Site of Politics
Greece · with Contu & Poole
Critical Management Studies Conf. · June 2023
If Not Now, When? If Not Here, Where? Becoming an Anti-Racist Organization and the Politics of Being Woke
Nottingham, UK · with Contu & Poole
39th EGOS Colloquium · July 2023
Organizational Anti-Racism and the Politics of Becoming
Cagliari, Italy · with Contu & Poole
AOM 83rd Annual Conference · August 2023
Becoming an Anti-Racist Organization — CMS Division
Boston, Massachusetts · with Contu & Poole

Contact

Open to scholarly collaborations, speaking invitations, media inquiries, and conversations about research at the intersection of organizations, power, and justice.