Overview
Coming into academia with over twenty-years in management and consulting in the financial services industry, Kaarst-Brown brings a pragmatic, problem solving orientation to her research and teaching. Her prior work experience in organizational development, human resources management, marketing, project management, quality business, research, and strategic management provide her with a holistic view of organizations and their strategic problems. Dr. Kaarst-Brown has worked and conducted research in Canada, the US, the Caribbean, and Europe.
Research
Kaarst-Brown’s research is driven by a desire to better understand the strategic and practical integration of information technology at multiple levels: institutional, individual, and societal. Working with industry, she emphasizes practical research that advances theory but that can also inform management practice. This translates into publications in top academic journals and also in practitioner journals where interesting findings can be put to use. Research projects include the following: ~ Enterprise Risk Management – perceptions of IT’s role in ERM initiatives. ~ IT Governance and Strategic management of IT, including impact of culture on innovation, championship behavior, conflict, and competitive advantage. ~ Social implications of information technology, including general cultural, gender, and generational issues. Doctoral Level Research Courses: Advanced Qualitative Methods; Social Issues and ICT’s; Doctoral Gateway – Introduction to Research and Methods; Organizational Theories and ICT Research; Conducting Literature Reviews; Conducting Field Research.
Professional
- Senior Editor and Lead Guest Editor for MIS Quarterly Executive
- Co-Facilitator at Annual MIS Quarterly Executive Author’s Workshop and SIM/MISQE Research Workshops (2005-present)
- Co-Chair with Dr. Indira Guzman of IT Culture and Values Track at AMCIS (2008 to 2015)
- Editorial Board for Journal of Enterprise Architecture (2008-2014)
- Former Associate Editor for MIS Quarterly
- Adviser to on-campus Consulting Groups
Teaching
My teaching is focused on helping students learn concepts through analysis and experiential opportunities. My courses push students to develop pragmatic understanding of concepts, while also encouraging development of the softer skills associated with their application. For six years I taught our blended undergraduate/graduate courses on Enterprise IT Consultation. My current master’s courses include IST 625 Enterprise-wide Risk Management (ERM) (instructor and professor-of-record) and a new advanced ERM course on Building Community Resiliency in the Information Era (tentative title). As faculty-of-record for IST 425 Enterprise-wide Risk Management, I am also involved in design and execution of our undergraduate offering.
