The study is the first to provide an account of AI’s impact on submissions and reviews at a major academic journal. The authors used Pangram, an AI content detector, to analyze submissions to the journal over a five-year period. Altogether, the sample included 6,957 submissions by 11,887 authors, reviewed 10,389 times by 2,519 unique reviewers. The first two years before the release of ChatGPT served as a control group for comparison.

According to their analysis, submissions to the journal have risen 42% since the late 2022 release of ChatGPT. Concurrently, writing quality has rapidly declined. As a result, most of these submissions are rejected, many during the initial screening by deputy editors. Manuscripts with very low AI scores were most likely to be published in any journal.

The editors also found that more than 30% of reviews in Organization Science use some degree of AI. These reviews are harder to read and focus more on theory and less on data. The authors concluded that AI-generated writing in reviews makes it harder for both editors and authors to act on reviewer feedback and can potentially affect manuscript quality.

“Having spoken with editors at other journals, I think we all had a sense that this was going on, but no one had the hard evidence on the extent of it or the implications,” said Pierce, the Beverly and James Hance Professor of Strategy at WashU Olin Business School. “This was an important motivation for us to take this project on. It’s hard for any of us to develop solutions if we don’t fully understand the extent of the problem.”

The authors warned that the current state of AI tools, amplified by existing publish-or-perish incentives, is placing the peer-review system under stress that is not sustainable for academic journals.

“It’s so easy for us to jump to conclusions on how to address AI in the research process, but what we crucially need is ongoing data and analysis to understand what’s actually happening. And what’s happening is changing constantly,” Pierce said.

“For those of us who are heavy users of AI, the speed of advancement is exciting but also frightening. So I hope those who are proposing policy and best practices are also immersed in using the technology. Without doing so, they’ll miss the dynamic nature of the technology and why static policies will be quickly outdated.”

The authors stressed that their study didn’t aim to determine appropriate levels of AI usage — the issue is far too complex. Rather, they hoped to start a conversation that includes journal editors, universities and authors. They’re off to a strong start: In the first week alone, the article was downloaded 10,000 times. Major news and academic outlets including Nature, Forbes and the Financial Times also joined in the conversation.

In the following Q&A, Pierce discusses the emerging crisis in peer review created by AI adoption and the “publish or perish” mentality.

C. Gartenberg, S. Hasan, A. Murray, L. Pierce. More Versus Better: Artificial Intelligence, Incentives,and the Emerging Crisis in Peer Review. Organization Science, published online April 27, 2026. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2026.ed.v37.n3

Study co-authors include Claudine Gartenberg, at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School; Sharique Hasan, at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business; and Alex Murray, at the University of Oregon’s Lundquist College of Business. The Wharton School and Fuqua School of Business provided funding.

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The school is introducing a first-of-its-kind $10,000 AI Workforce Transformation Scholarship to support qualified applicants to its new one-year Master’s in AI for Business program. The scholarship will help recent graduates and displaced professionals reskill for an AI-driven workplace.

In parallel, WashU Olin Business also is expanding its AI-focused executive education offerings, partnering with organizations to move beyond experimentation and drive enterprise-wide impact. By identifying high-value use cases, redesigning workflows and building the capabilities to scale adoption responsibly, the school is helping businesses harness the transformative power of AI at scale.

These initiatives build on more than a decade of AI leadership at the business school, where faculty were early to explore how emerging technologies would reshape business. Today, that depth of expertise is being translated into action, helping organizations apply AI in meaningful ways and equipping professionals to lead in what comes next, according to Joe MacDonald, deputy dean at WashU Olin Business.

“AI is creating one of the most significant opportunities for reinvention in the workforce we’ve seen in decades,” MacDonald said. “Universities have a critical role to play, not only in helping individuals build new skills, but in working alongside organizations to shape how AI is applied in the real world.”

Recent evidence suggests workers are already adapting to this shift. New research from WashU graduate students shows that those who view AI as a tool for learning, not just automation, are more likely to adopt it and invest in building new skills. The findings suggest that success in an AI-driven economy will be shaped less by the technology itself and more by how individuals choose to adapt, learn and apply it over time.

‘AI is creating one of the most significant opportunities for reinvention in the workforce we’ve seen in decades. Universities have a critical role to play, not only in helping individuals build new skills, but in working alongside organizations to shape how AI is applied in the real world.’

Joe MacDonald

Supporting worker transition through business education

The AI Workforce Transformation Scholarship will provide awards to qualified applicants to Olin’s new Master of Science in AI for Business, a two-semester, on-campus program designed to prepare students to integrate AI into business strategy, operations and decision-making.

Developed in close collaboration with WashU Olin Business’ network of corporate partners, the program reflects the skills and capabilities employers are actively seeking in an AI-driven economy. The program and offers three different industry tracks aligned to core business disciplines: Finance, marketing and technical. Drawing on input from industry leaders, the curriculum emphasizes practical application of AI across core business functions, alongside the critical and analytical thinking required to lead in a rapidly evolving business landscape.

“Employers are going deeper into how candidates have actually used AI, what problems they’ve solved and what kind of impact or ROI (return on investment) they’ve driven,” said Rohit Gupta, a student enrolled in the MBA program. “This is reflected in my upcoming summer role at a large tech firm, where I’ll be working closely on AI-driven enterprise adoption initiatives. For me, that’s shifted the focus from fitting into a defined role to continuously upskilling and figuring out how to create value using AI.”

The MS in AI for Business program will welcome its first cohort of full-time students in the fall.

Helping businesses transform for an AI-driven workplace

WashU Olin Business also is launching a new AI-focused executive education offering, AI Transformation for Business, designed to help organizations move from experimentation to enterprise-wide impact. Built as a customizable series of trainings delivered within organizations, the program meets leaders where they are in their AI journeys, helping them identify where AI can create value, prioritize high-impact use cases and build the capabilities and confidence to scale adoption across their teams.

“We’re at a moment of tremendous opportunity,” MacDonald said. “The organizations that succeed will be those that can unlock the full potential of their people alongside AI, and we see Olin playing a leading role to make that possible.”

Developed with input from business leaders to reflect the realities of deploying AI at scale, the program emphasizes strategy over tools. Participants gain practical frameworks to guide AI adoption, navigate risk and governance, and rethink workflows, operating models and talent in an AI-enabled organization.

 “We’ve been piloting this work with organizations that are already leading in AI,” said Seth Carnahan, an associate professor of strategy at WashU Olin Business. “While many organizations have access to the same AI models, the ones pulling ahead are those investing in redesigning processes and enabling their people to use the technology effectively. That’s where our programs are focused, with an emphasis on helping leaders translate AI into how work actually gets done and where it drives the most value.”

This new offering builds on nearly a decade of the business school’s hands-on work with organizations to implement machine learning, big data and AI and drive workforce transformation. WashU Olin Business’ consulting-based collaborations span a wide range of industries, including retail, sports and pharmaceuticals, and involve both Fortune 500 companies and emerging organizations.

About Washington University in St. Louis Olin Business School
Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis develops leaders and advances the business community by connecting rigorous research, experiential learning and deep industry engagement. Through a research-driven curriculum and an emphasis on applied learning, WashU Olin Business equips students to navigate complexity and drive meaningful impact throughout their careers. The school offers undergraduate, MBA, specialized master’s and Executive Education programs, connecting students and organizations with faculty expertise and real-world business insight. With a network of more than 28,000 alumni and longstanding industry partnerships, WashU Olin Business is a leading producer of Fortune 1000 C-suite executives and is committed to shaping the future of business.

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Early on, Wen discovered he had a knack for understanding the market. But his hobby was very time-consuming.

“Doing manual trades takes a lot of time. I would sit in front of my computer for days, never going anywhere else, studying how the lines were moving, how the market was going, and reading the news. It occurred to me that there had to be a way to automate trades and make my work more efficient. That’s what led to my interest in financial engineering,” Wen said.

Wen plans to graduate in May with a bachelor’s degree in finance and financial engineering from Olin Business School. Financial engineering uses mathematical methods, computational algorithms and engineering tools to build models that will optimize and automate trades — essentially turning market intuition into action. After interning at well-known cryptocurrency company Coinbase, Wen plans to begin his career there as an institutional sales analyst.  

At WashU, Wen’s interests evolved into a mission. Wen wanted to do more than make money. He wanted to prove that cryptocurrency has practical applications that can transform how financial markets function by improving transaction efficiency while maintaining the safety of traditional payment methods. To make that case, he would need more than trading success. He would need the research to prove it.

Below, he discusses his research and what the future holds.

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At WashU, he has pursued a dual degree and is set to complete both a master’s in public health and a master’s in business administration in May. His public health work examines what happens after cancer treatment ends and why survivors often fall through the cracks of preventive care. At Olin Business School, he has focused on how those challenges can be addressed in practice. Together, that training is shaping his goal of closing the gap between knowledge and care.

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Those regulations, though, came with a cost. Recently, President Donald Trump signed an executive order, “Promoting Access to Mortgage Credit,” that takes aim at lending regulations the administration says increase the cost of mortgage loans, limit credit access for qualified borrowers and weaken community bank participation in lending.  

However, by reducing lending regulations and rolling back oversight, Trump’s executive order threatens to destabilize the financial system, according to Brittany Lewis, an assistant professor of finance at Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis.

Lewis is an expert in financial intermediation, household finance and real estate. Her research has uncovered the unintended consequences of financial regulation on bank and nonbank lending. At the request of U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s banking committee, Lewis provided written expert testimony on the potential consequences of Trump’s executive order.

“By effectively immunizing creditors from liability, the order promotes a return to the exploitative lending that precipitated the global financial crisis and signals a regulatory retreat precisely as lending risks are projected to rise,” Lewis writes.

“This rollback of oversight threatens to destabilize the financial system by shielding lenders from the consequences of increased exposure to high-risk assets.”

Below is a summary of Lewis’ memo.

Removing guardrails that protect borrowers

The executive order loosens ability-to-repay (ATR) and qualified mortgage (QM) rules for portfolio-qualified mortgages (portfolio-QM). Portfolio-QM are mortgages that do not fully meet requirements to be a qualified mortgage. This includes mortgages with balloon payments, high debt-to-income ratios and limited documentation. Removing guardrails on portfolio-QM mortgages makes them very fragile, Lewis said. It also foreshadows further loosening of requirements in non-QM.

Prior to the 2008-09 global financial crisis, lenders could underwrite adjustable-rate mortgages based solely on a borrower’s ability-to-repay initial payments, rather than payments after the loan payment reset to its market rate. In the short term, borrowers enjoyed artificially low introductory mortgage payments. Like these pre-crisis mortgages, Portfolio-QM or non-QM mortgage products also could offer artificially low mortgage payments that reset to much higher payments later in the loans’ terms. Loosening ability-to-repay guardrails sets borrowers up for loans with resets they can’t afford.

Lewis’ research shows that these alternative mortgages default at significantly higher rates because borrowers struggle once payments rise, especially in the event of macroeconomic downturns. Consistently, the number of non-QM mortgage originations increased 40% in the first quarter of 2026 and their default rates rose 20% since November 2025, foreshadowing further performance declines as borrower protections loosen.

“I also found evidence that minority-dominant ZIP codes are the most at risk of receiving complex alternative mortgage products, causing higher default, foreclosure and bankruptcy rates, as well as the largest ensuing increase in unemployment in these areas,” Lewis said.

According to Lewis, weakening ability-to-repay standards and expanding such products risks recreating pre–global financial crisis conditions, concentrating risks for lenders and increasing systemic risk for the broader financial system.

Expanding legal protections, decreasing supervision for lenders

The executive order also shifts mortgage regulation toward weaker oversight and stronger creditor protections in several ways that, taken together, resemble pre–financial crisis conditions and raise systemic risk, Lewis explained.

By revising supervisory treatment to a “correction‑first” supervisory model and limiting enforcement actions and penalties unless there is “clear, willful misconduct,” the order lowers regulatory pressure on lenders and effectively shifts risk and burden of proof onto borrowers, especially the most vulnerable.

The irony is that the high-risk mortgage products encouraged in this order require more rigorous supervision, not less, to prevent systemic failure, Lewis said. The accelerated valuation, lower capital charges on warehouse lines of credit — which her work shows are vulnerable to bank runs — and relaxed underwriting scrutiny of high-risk mortgage products can lead to mispricing, higher foreclosure rates and concentrated risk on and off bank balance sheets.

By granting preemptive safe harbors and signaling reduced regulatory oversight, this executive order replicates an environment where high risk mortgages enjoy heightened creditor protections established under the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act (BAPCPA) in 2005, Lewis said. Those legacy protections incentivized the excessive leverage and high-risk alternative mortgage products that destabilized the financial system in 2008-09.

BAPCPA is still in place, limiting mortgage holder insurance in bankruptcy and encouraging excessive leverage by financial intermediaries.

“Strengthening creditor rights in this manner creates a moral hazard because it effectively shields lenders from liability in anticipation of a resurgence in high-risk, nontraditional lending,” Lewis said.

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Hui’s winning paper offers empirical evidence about how an artificial intelligence (AI) copilot can effectively improve transaction outcomes in the real estate industry. The study shows that, when embedded in the workflow of frontline employees, AI assistance can help transactions move faster, improve customer experience and change how value is created and captured.

In the working paper, Hui, of Washington University in St. Louis, and co-authors Lin William Cong, at Nanyang Technological University, and Yushan Zhou, at Chinese University of Hong Kong, studied an AI copilot embedded in a nationwide real estate platform’s chat system in China. When working with buyers, the AI tool gives agents property recommendations and reply scripts. When working with sellers, it provides agents with pricing guidance and listing-title and description suggestions. Agents can use, edit or ignore the AI suggestions, and clients generally do not see the raw AI output.

Using both a field experiment and evidence from an 18-city rollout, the authors find that AI copilot access raised the probability of a listing selling within three months; shortened seller time-on-market and buyer search duration; raised transaction prices; and increased ratings from buyers and sellers after the sale.

Another takeaway for managers: the gains are larger for less-experienced and lower-performing sales representatives. The findings suggest that AI can help narrow gaps in task-specific expertise by supporting recommendation, communication, pricing and listing-related tasks inside existing workflows.

“Much of the conversation around AI in business focuses on whether it can make individual workers more productive. Our study looks at a broader question: When AI supports a frontline intermediary, can it change how an entire transaction works — including search, pricing, speed and customer experience on both sides of the market?” Hui said.

“The evidence suggests that AI can create value when it is embedded directly into existing workflows as decision support,” Hui said. “In this setting, the copilot did not replace agents; it helped them with measurable tasks such as recommendations, communication, pricing guidance and listing text, while agents remained responsible for client-facing decisions.”

Hui said the study’s core findings — namely the reduced search friction, higher match quality, improved customer experience, and the “leveling” effect for newer agents — may be relevant to a variety of sales, advisory and retail businesses in the U.S. The results are especially applicable in businesses where frontline workers help customers navigate complex choices and where AI can support measurable tasks while humans remain responsible for final decisions.  

Richard Mahoney, Olin’s distinguished executive in residence and former chairman and CEO of Monsanto, initiated and funds the Olin Award, which is now in its 19th year.

Reaffirming schoolwide commitment to AI excellence

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, businesses that quickly identify opportunities created by AI and harness its full potential can gain a competitive edge. WashU Olin researchers have been at the forefront of this trend, with practical research that highlights how businesses can use AI to improve productivity, decision-making and customer outcomes across industries.

In fact, eight of the last 10 Olin Awards have recognized research advancing AI and machine learning or used AI to drive the research itself.

Recently, an anonymous donor made a $300,000 pledge to create the Olin AI Research Excellence Fund, which will provide resources for faculty exploring and pushing the boundaries of AI in business.

“Olin Business School is making a broad, schoolwide commitment to AI research that advances both rigorous scholarship and real-world practice,” said Dan Elfenbein, vice dean for research and a professor of organization and strategy at WashU Olin.

“From a research perspective, this commitment builds on, and leverages, more than a decade of experience and dozens of published studies by our faculty that examine machine learning, e-commerce platforms and AI itself. We have been focused on the ways that technology shapes markets and commerce for a long time. The AI commitment is a natural extension of this prior work and builds on the foundation of capabilities that this work generated.”

Olin faculty also are developing new AI models and data tools that advance research. Armed with such tools, researchers can better study topics such as how people respond to news, why certain songs or ideas become “hits” and how AI can amplify — or reduce — bias in decision-making. They also are studying how AI changes pricing, trust and inequality — and pushing the boundaries of business research, Elfenbein said.

“Just as importantly, that frontier work is feeding directly into the classroom,” he said. “We’re equipping students to lead in an AI-shaped economy with the analytical tools, critical judgment and ethical grounding to deploy these technologies responsibly and effectively.”

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Baer told the audience that being installed as the Knight Family Professor was not simply a professional milestone, but also a personal one.

“As the son of a father who was displaced by World War II and a Romanian mother, I arrived in the United States with only two suitcases, a couple of boxes and a cheese grater, 26 years ago,” Baer said. “Since then, I’ve carried with me a profound gratitude for the opportunities that education and the Olin Business School provided me.”

Joanne Knight and her late husband, Charles “Chuck” Knight, have been steadfast supporters of Olin and WashU for decades.

“Chuck Knight’s legacy is defined by the prepared mind — the belief that through rigorous planning, systematic experimentation and strategic embrace of creative destruction, an organization can navigate technological change and remain competitive,” Baer said. “That philosophy deeply resonates with my own work. My research has shown that creativity is not the result of a stroke of luck, but a product of relentless preparation, rigorous idea development and ultimately sustained commitment to the creative process.”

At the ceremony, Dean Mike Mazzeo offered an introduction, followed by remarks from Dean Emeritus Robert L. Virgil, MBA ’60, DBA ’67, and a medal presentation by Provost Mark D. West.

“In his current role as the inaugural vice dean for executive education, Markus is committed to enhancing Olin’s executive programs and spreading our reach and impact all over the world, continuously seeking new opportunities to disseminate knowledge,” said Mazzeo, who also holds a separate Knight Family Professorship, in addition to the Judy and Jerry Kent Deanship.

The endowed position is just the most recent in an extensive list of named gifts the family has made to the school and the university spanning academics, research, health care and facilities, including the Charles F. Knight Executive Education and Conference Center, the Joanne Knight Breast Health Center and Breast Cancer Program, the Charles F. and Joanne Knight Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and Knight Hall.

The Knights’ daughter, Anne Knight Davidson, accepted the medallion on her family’s behalf. Charles Knight championed master’s in business administration education and enjoyed sharing his expertise with graduate students.   

About Baer

Baer was born in Dillenburg, Germany, and grew up outside of Giessen, a midsized town that is home to the Justus-Liebig University, where he graduated with a master’s in psychology in 2000.

Baer completed doctoral studies in organizational behavior at the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2006, joining Olin that fall.

Throughout his career, Baer has studied the social-contextual factors shaping creativity, problem formulation and how people evaluate and choose new ideas. His current research focus is on innovation and its related activities. Baer’s research has been published extensively in a wide range of leading academic journals, including those focused on applied psychology, general management and strategic management. Reflecting Baer’s broad interests, he has held editorial responsibilities at the Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Product Innovation Management, and Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal.

Moreover, Baer is passionate about sharing his field’s research in the classroom. He has been honored with consecutive teaching awards and was named one of the world’s top 40 business professors under 40 by Poets & Quants.

Baer enjoys hiking with his wife, Alyssa, in inaccessible places around the world such as Kashmir.

About the Knights

The Knight family is among St. Louis’ most committed and generous philanthropic partners. The Knights’ involvement extends across the city, helping organizations devoted to higher education, health care and youth empowerment.

The late Chuck Knight was CEO at Emerson Electric Co. from 1973 to 2000. As a member of WashU’s Board of Trustees from 1977 to 1990, he was instrumental in shaping the university of today.

Though not an alumnus of Olin Business School, Knight adopted it as his own, committed to its success as an important talent pipeline for the St. Louis business community. He helped found and subsequently served as chair of the Olin Business School National Council, which steered Olin’s national rise as a premier destination for business education.

Joanne Knight has been especially engaged in the work of the Alzheimer’s Association of St. Louis, for which she has served in several volunteer and advisory positions, including a term as president. She also has worked with the Central Institute for the Deaf, including as a member of its board of directors. Her service to WashU includes charter membership on the Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center Community Advisory Board and serving as a member of the School of Art National Council.

The Knights’ generosity and support of the university have been recognized with numerous honors. Both received an honorary doctor of science degree from WashU in 1996, and in 2010, the university awarded Joanne a doctor of humanities degree. Chuck received the university’s Robert S. Brookings Award in 1999 and the Eliot Society Search Award in 2007. In 2012, the couple was recognized by Olin Business School with the Dean’s Medal.

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In a December 2025 survey of nearly 2,000 U.S. citizens, WashU graduate students Kiara Kim in Arts & Sciences, and Nathan Mester and Gregory Sun, in Olin Business School, found that whether employees adopt AI into their work largely depends on two factors: how they believe it will affect their current productivity and if they view it as a career-relevant learning tool — the latter being a more significant indicator.

The survey results are reported in a working paper, “AI and the labor market: A worker’s-eye view.“

“While much of the existing research has focused on how AI affects immediate output in specific jobs — such as call centers or software development — the workers in this survey appear to be thinking in longer horizons,” explained Yongseok Shin, the Douglass C. North Distinguished Professor in Economics in WashU Arts & Sciences, who supervised the students’ research.

“People are not only using AI to do tasks faster, but also to help them learn new skills, plan career moves or transition into new fields,” he said.

The majority of survey respondents indicated that they dedicate more time to learning now than before ChatGPT. This trend is driven primarily by those who view AI as a useful skill-building tool. Notably, this appears to be consistent across all age groups in the study, not just with younger employees — bucking the trend of employees spending less time learning as they age.

Additionally, the authors found that workers who view AI as a complement to their work have increased their effort at work since the introduction of AI. That’s because AI is generally used to automate the relatively easier tasks in one’s job, freeing workers to focus on harder tasks. This isn’t the case for workers who view the technology as a substitute for their work, though.

“Despite initial concerns that AI would replace workers, our research shows many employees are working harder than ever because they’re spending more of their time on the complex tasks,” said Kim, a doctoral student in economics.

Together, these findings suggest that AI’s ultimate impact on the labor market is not a mechanical consequence of its technical capabilities, the authors said. Instead, it emerges from the interaction between those capabilities and workers’ decisions about adoption, effort and learning.

How AI could reshape early careers, long-term success

The findings highlight the disadvantages that younger people face in today’s job market, according to Shin.

Many occupations follow an apprenticeship-like ladder: junior employees start with routine tasks, then graduate to more complex work as they gain experience. The survey confirmed that workers recognize this structure. Additionally, a majority agreed that routine tasks commonly performed by junior-level employees help build the skills needed for more advanced responsibilities.

By automating lower-level tasks that once served as on-the-job training, AI might disrupt the traditional career ladder, he said.

Exacerbating that disadvantage is the fact that experienced workers are aggressively training themselves using AI tools to prepare for career advancement, according to the survey.  

Lifetime earnings are strongly tied to how much workers invest in their “human capital” by building skills over time. If AI disproportionately helps the already-motivated learners — those who see it as a complement to their own effort and a tool for long-term development — then AI could exacerbate earning gaps driven by these learning choices, the authors concluded.

“Our research shows that forward-looking workers who increase both their effort and their learning in response to AI will get the biggest gains from the technology,” Kim said. “Conversely, early-stage employees and those who fail to plug into AI-driven learning could find themselves not just behind in today’s tasks but structurally disadvantaged over their entire careers.”

The WashU Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government, and Public Policy provided grant funding for the research.

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The event will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 14, in Graham Chapel on Washington University in St. Louis’ Danforth Campus and will include a 45-minute lecture followed by a Q&A. Students, alumni, faculty, staff and members of the greater St. Louis community are invited to attend this free event. Registration is requested to ensure adequate seating.

In Mackey’s 44 years as CEO, the natural and organic grocer grew from a single store in Austin, Texas, to 540 stores in the U.S., U.K. and Canada, with annual sales exceeding $22 billion and more than 105,000 employees.

A staunch advocate for free-market principles, Mackey co-founded the “conscious capitalism” movement and authored “The Whole Story: Adventures in Love, Life and Capitalism,” and “Conscious Capitalism: Liberating the Heroic Spirit of Business.” He has dedicated his career to reimagining the role of business as a force for good and continues to support initiatives focused on global poverty, animal welfare and employee health.

His influence as a mission-driven leader has earned him numerous accolades, including being named one of Fortune’s “World’s 50 Greatest Leaders.” Under his leadership, Whole Foods Market also was named to Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” list for 20 consecutive years.  

The event will be moderated by journalist Charlie Brennan. Brennan is a host of KETC-TV’s “Donnybrook,” a locally produced talk show on PBS. He hosted “The Charlie Brennan Show” on KMOX Newsradio for nearly 34 years before retiring in 2022. Brennan was inducted into the St. Louis Radio Hall of Fame in 2009 and was named one of the “Most Influential St. Louisans” five years in a row by the St. Louis Business Journal. Brennan is a leader in the community, focusing particularly on efforts to clean up and beautify the region. A graduate of the Carroll School of Management at Boston College, Brennan lives in St. Louis with his wife and children.

Immediately following the event, local food trucks will be on site serving food at no cost to students who attended the event.

About the series

The Brauer Lecture Series was created to explore and encourage dialogue on the American free enterprise system. The series supports student growth and development by hosting leading scholars from across the United States.

This lecture series supports WashU Olin Businesss’ vision of providing world-changing business education, research and impact.

Made possible by Stephen and Camilla Brauer, the series features highly regarded thought leaders and public figures addressing the positive influences that free-market economics and the American free enterprise system continue to play in economic growth, public policy and world affairs.

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Mazzeo is a distinguished scholar and researcher in the field of empirical industrial organization. His co-authored book, “Roadside MBA: Back Road Lessons for Entrepreneurs, Executives and Small Business Owners,” uses storytelling to illustrate the important concepts taught in leading master’s in business administration (MBA) programs through the lens of small- and medium-sized enterprises across the United States.

The deanship was made possible thanks to a landmark $10 million dual-purpose gift from longtime university benefactors Jerry Kent, BSBA ’78, MBA ’79, and his wife, Judy Kent. In addition to establishing the endowed deanship, their pledged gift, made through With You: The WashU Campaign, included $5 million to create the Judy and Jerry Kent Business of Health Catalyst Fund.

Annual income from the deanship endowment will allow Olin’s leaders to attract top talent, respond to emerging opportunities and push the boundaries of excellence in business education.

During the ceremony, university leaders and Jerry Kent hailed Mazzeo for his bold strategic thinking and collaboration with students, faculty and the greater business community.

“In under two years of Mike’s leadership, Olin has taken a huge leap forward toward its future,” Provost Mark D. West said. “The school’s strategic plan, All Together Now, outlines a clear and compelling vision that differentiates Olin among its peers while underscoring the clear value of impactful research and business education for its students and the broader community.”

A champion for Olin

Mazzeo used his installation address to celebrate Olin’s history and the people who have contributed to its success. Mazzeo said one of Olin’s unique aspects is its relationship with the business community, enabling the school to create an outsized impact. This close-knit community not only looks to Olin to find and grow talent and produce valuable insights for their businesses, but they also show up for Olin faculty and students, giving generously of their experience, time and resources. Chief among them are Jerry and Judy Kent.

The Kents have been unwavering champions of Olin for nearly 30 years. Jerry Kent has been a member of the school’s national council for more than 25 years and chair since 2023.

In 2008, the Kents established the Kent Scholars Program, which provides four-year scholarships to undergraduate business students. To date, the Kent scholarships have been awarded to nearly 100 students. The couple regularly host dinners and special events to connect with their scholarship students.

The Olin story cannot be told without the Kents, Mazzeo said.

“With your philanthropy and your personal generosity, you’ve provided not only an education for so many, but also a sense of family and that signature Olin community,” Mazzeo said.

“With this gift, Jerry and Judy have ensured that the story of Olin will continue to be one of outsized impact. This deanship is a vision, one that’s rooted in Olin’s history of what it means to lead this school to strengthen its impact and steward its legacy.”

About Mazzeo

Mazzeo joined Olin in 2023 after spending 25 years at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, where he worked as a researcher, scholar and educator and in strategic leadership roles.

As a scholar, Mazzeo has developed new statistical methodologies for examining the relationship between product differentiation and market competition, with insights spanning the airline, banking and other industries. He served on the editorial board of the Review of Industrial Organization.

Mazzeo earned his PhD in economics and his bachelor’s in economics and urban studies from Stanford University. In Chicago, Mazzeo served as director and chair of the board of Howard Brown Health, one of the Midwest’s largest LGBTQ+ health nonprofits. In 2025, he was named to St. Louis Magazine’s Business 500 list, which recognizes the region’s most impactful and innovative leaders.

About the Kents

Judy Kent is an active volunteer and philanthropist in the St. Louis community. She is a member of the Stages St. Louis board and is an emerita director of Easterseals Midwest, which serves individuals with disabilities and their families. 

Jerry Kent is a recognized entrepreneur and trailblazer in the telecommunications and technology industries. He is chairman and CEO of Cequel III, which he co-founded, and TierPoint, an information technology and data center services provider, both based in St. Louis. He has served on WashU’s Board of Trustees for many years and is a member of the board’s executive committee.

A Granite City, Ill., native, Kent earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Olin.

“Judy and I are thrilled and proud to continue our support here at Washington University, especially the Olin Business School. Olin gave me the foundation, and Judy and I the relationships that helped fuel our success,” Kent said.

Jerry Kent served on the search committee that hired Mazzeo and recalled being impressed from their first meeting.

“He’s been masterful in managing through the unique challenges that Olin faces,” Kent said. “We’re lucky to have his leadership, and Judy and I know he will take Olin to new heights.”

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