Susan Madsen

Founding Director, Utah Women & Leadership Project and Inaugural Karen Haight Huntsman Endowed Professor of Leadership

Department(s):
  • Marketing and Strategy

Susan Madsen

Education

EdD, Human Resource Development, University of Minnesota
MS, Exercise Physiology and Wellness, Portland State University
BA, Speech Communication, Brigham Young University

Interactions

Leadership Forum - January 28, 2022

Awards

Dean's Award for Excellence & Impact - 2022Woman of Excellence Award - WIN Women - 2022
The Heart of an Advocate Award - Saprea - 2022
AAUA Neuner Award - American Association of University Administrators - 2021
USU 50 Most Influential Aggies - 2021
George Washington Honor Medal - Freedom Foundation at Valley Forge - 2021
Utah Business Women of the Year - 2020

Biography

Dr. Susan R. Madsen is the Karen Haight Huntsman Endowed Professor of Leadership in the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University. She is also the Founding Director of the Utah Women & Leadership Project and is leading a statewide social change movement titled, A Bolder Way Forward. Professor Madsen and her team have written many Utah research and policy briefs and white papers, research snapshots, partnered reports, newspaper editorials, and other resources. They host many events each year to support the mission of their work.

Susan is also a well-known global scholar, authoring or editing nine books and publishing hundreds of articles, chapters, and reports. Madsen’s research has been featured in the U.S. News and World Report, The Atlantic, The New York Times, Parenting Magazine, Chronicle of Higher Education, The Washington Post, and she is a regular contributor to Forbes. She is a well-known speaker in local, national, and international settings. For example, she has presented at the New York Times, Argentina Parliament Palace, House of Commons in England, Lithuania President’s Palace, Costa Rica Parliament, and NGO sessions at the United Nations. She serves on or advises many nonprofit, community, and education boards and committees, including the Utah Governor’s strategic initiatives, Envision Utah, South Davis Communities that Care, Utah Financial Empowerment Coalition, Women’s Work Utah, and more. Dr. Madsen received a bachelor’s degree from BYU, a master’s from Portland State, and a doctorate from the University of Minnesota. She and her husband Greg are the proud parents of four adult children and six grandchildren.  

For more detailed information about Dr. Madsen, see her detailed bio and her CV. For more information about her writing and speaking, check out her LinkedIn articles, UWLP "In the News," speaking and consulting website, and her Forbes articles. Also, join her on social media: LinkedInTwitterFacebook, and Instagram.

Teaching

MSLE 3800 - Leadership, Fall 2023
MSLE 3830 - Womens Leadership Development, Summer 2023
MSLE 3830 - Womens Leadership Development, Spring 2023
MSLE 6645 - Innovative and Inclusive Leadership, Spring 2022
MSLE 3800 - Leadership, Fall 2021
MSLE 6645 - Innovative and Inclusive Leadership, Spring 2021
MSLE 3800 - Leadership, Fall 2020