Sana Chiu

Associate Professor

Bio

Dr. Sana Chiu is a scholar, educator, and advisor working at the intersection of strategic leadership, corporate governance, and sustainability. She is an Associate Professor of Management & Leadership at the C.T. Bauer College of Business, University of Houston.

Her work tackles questions that matter both in the literature and in the boardroom: How do leaders make consequential decisions under pressure? What separates credible ESG strategy from symbolic action? How do governance structures shape ethical and sustainable outcomes? Her research examines how leaders, boards, and organizations navigate high-stakes choices where financial performance, stakeholder expectations, and sustainability collide, focusing on governance, stakeholder management, and organizational change. Her scholarship appears in leading outlets including Academy of Management Annals, Journal of Management, Journal of Applied Psychology, Leadership Quarterly, Journal of Business Ethics, and Journal of Management Studies, and has been recognized with multiple Best Paper Prizes and the Elizabeth D. Rockwell Research Award in Ethics and Leadership.

Committed to bridging scholarship and practice, Dr. Chiu completed the Executive Program in Board Governance at Harvard Business School, is a CFA-certified Sustainability Professional (ESG), and holds the ISSB FSA Level I credential. She designs and teaches executive education and MBA programs across Asia and North America and works with boards and leadership teams on governance, ESG strategy, and stakeholder risk.

Dr. Chiu serves as the inaugural Chair of the Impact & Outreach Committee and Representative-at-Large for the Social Issues Management Division of the Academy of Management (2,000+ members worldwide). She is an Associate Editor at Business & Society, serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Management, and is a two-time recipient of the Strategic Management Society's Outstanding Reviewer Award (2023, 2024).

Originally from Taiwan, Dr. Chiu earned her Ph.D. in Strategic Management from the University of Missouri–Columbia and an M.A. in Telecommunications Management from Michigan State University. She joined Bauer College in 2017 and has received multiple teaching honors, including the 2024 Lucile and Leroy Melcher Excellence in Teaching Award. She welcomes collaborations that translate evidence into stronger governance, credible sustainability strategy, and measurable long-term value.

Research Interests

• Strategic Leadership and Decision-making
• Corporate Sustainability Strategies (Environment, Social, and Governance)
• Corporate Strategic Change (portfolio restructuring: divestitures/M&As)
• Organizational Virtues, Ethics, and Character of Strategic Leaders

Selected Publications

• Li, A., Chiu, S., Kong, D., Cropanzano, R., & Ho, C.W. 2026. A sensemaking model of investor reactions to CEO achievement expression. Journal of Management (Financial Times 50, IF: 17.3, ABDC: A*, ABS4*)
• Gloor, J., Chiu, S., Walls, J., & Faktor G. 2026. Chasing—or Escaping—the Limelight of Sustainability Media Attention? Narcissism's Opposing Effects for Women and Men CEOs on Environmental Performance. Journal of Management Studies (FT 50, IF: 11.61, ABDC: A*, ABS4)
• Sabz, A., Chiu, S., & Pathak, S. 2026. Executive Job Demands and Corporate Social Irresponsibility An Investigation of Corporate Divestiture Setting. Journal of Business Research (IF: 11.3, ABDC: A, ABS3).
• Salaiz, A., Chiu, S., Vögtlin, C., & Walls, J. L. 2025. Responsible Leadership and Sustainability: The Interplay of Modes and Models of Corporate Governance, in Manon, F., Lindgreen, A., ET AL. (Eds) Routledge Companion to Responsible Business, Routledge, London.
  
• Chiu, S., Kong, D., & Celly, N. 2024. CEO Regulatory Focus and Environmental Resource Scarcity on Employee Downsizing Management Decision. (Impact Factor: 5.59)
  
• Chiu, S., Hoskisson, R.E., Kong, D., Li, A., & Shao, P. 2023. Predicting primary and secondary Stakeholder Engagement: A CEO motivation-Means Contingency Model. Journal of Business Research. (ABDC Ranking: A; Impact Factor: 10.97)
  
• Cristofaro, M., Bao, Y.J., Chiu, S., Hernández-Lara, A.B., & Perez-Calero, L. 2022. Affect and cognition in upper echelons' strategic decision making: Empirical and theoretical studies for advancing corporate governance. Frontiers in Psychology.
• Kong, D., Chiu, S. & Christopoulos, G. 2022. Face of morality: Powerful CEOs' facial characteristics and moral foundations. Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences.
• Miller, C., Chiu, S., Wesley, C., Vera, D., & Avery, D. 2022. Cognitive diversity at the strategic apex: Assessing evidence on the value of different perspectives and ideas among senior leaders. Academy of Management Annals, 16: 806-852. (ABDC Ranking: A* ; 5-year Impact Factor: 27.3)
• Chiu, S., Pathak, S. & Sabz, A. 2022. The impact of advisor status on corporate divestitures and market reactions. Journal of Business Research, 144: 107-121. (ABDC Ranking: A; Impact Factor: 10.97)
• Chiu, S. & Sabz, A. 2022. Can corporate divestiture activities lead to better corporate social performance? Journal of Business Ethics, 179: 849-866. (Financial Times 50; ABDC Ranking: A ; 5-year Impact Factor: 8.09)
• Chiu, S., Pathak, S., Hoskisson, R.E, & Johnson, R. A. 2022. Managerial commitment to the status quo and corporate divestiture: Can power motivate openness to change? The Leadership Quarterly, 33(3): 101459. (ABDC Ranking: A* ; 5-year impact factor: 12.4)
• Li, A., Chiu, S.., Kong, D., Cropanzano, R., & Ho, CW. 2021. How CEOs Respond to Mortality Salience during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Integrating Terror Management Theory with Regulatory Focus Theory. Journal of Applied Psychology, 106(8):1188-1201. (Financial Times 50; ABDC Ranking: A* ; 5-year impact factor: 13.72)
• Walls, J., Salaiz, A., & Chiu, S. 2021. Wanted: Heroic leaders to drive the transition to 'business beyond usual' Strategic Organization, 19(3): 494-512. (ABDC Ranking: A ; 5-year impact factor: 5.77)
• Salaiz, A., Chiu, S., & Walls, J. L. 2021. Sustainability agency at the top of the organization: Microfoundations research on corporate sustainability , in Teerikangas, S., Onkila, T., Koistinen, K., & Makela, M. Research Handbook of Sustainability Agency. London: Edward Elgar.
• Pathak, S. & Chiu, S. (equal authorship) 2020. Firm-advisor ties and financial performance in the context of corporate divestiture. Journal of Business Research, 121: 315-328 (ABDC Ranking: A ; Impact factor: 10.97)
• Chiu, S. & Walls, J. 2019. Leadership change and corporate social performance: The context of financial distress makes all the difference. The Leadership Quarterly, 30(5): 1-13 (ABDC Ranking: A* ; 5-year impact factor: 12.4)
• Chiu, S. & Sharfman, M. 2018. Corporate social irresponsibility and executive succession: An empirical examination. Journal of Business Ethics, 149(3): 707-723. (Financial Times 50; ABDC Ranking: A ; 5-year Impact Factor: 8.09)
• Chiu, S., Johnson, R.A., Hoskisson, R., & Pathak, S. 2016. The impact of CEO succession and successor origin on the scale and scope of divestiture. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4): 617-633. (ABDC Ranking: A* ; 5-year impact factor: 12.4)
  ☝ Best Paper Award Runner-up 🏆
• Chiu, S. & Sharfman, M. P. 2011. Legitimacy, visibility, and the antecedents of corporate social performance: An investigation of instrumental perspective. Journal of Management, 37 (6): 1558-1585. (Financial Times 50 ; ABDC Ranking: A* ; 5-year Impact Factor: 18.02)
  ☝ Best Paper Award 🏆
• Johnson, R. A., Schnatterly, K., Johnson, S. & Chiu, S. 2010. Institutional investors and institutional environments: A comparative analysis. Journsl of Management Studies, 47(2) 1590-1613. (Financial Times 50 ; ABDC Ranking: A* ; 5-year Impact Factor: 11.61)
• Chiu, S., Fan, W., & Chong, Y. 2013. Entrepreneurship in China's private sector: Guangxi's Elite Optical. Harvard Business Publishing/ABCC.

Books

Salaiz, A., Chiu, S., & Walls, J. L. 2021. Sustainability agency at the top of the organization: Microfoundations research on corporate sustainability , in Teerikangas, S., Onkila, T., Koistinen, K., & Makela, M. Research Handbook of Sustainability Agency. London: Edward Elgar.

Academic Associations & Editorial Boards

• Associate Editor, Business & Society (5-year impact factor: 8.1)
• Editorial Boards (current & past): Journal of Management, Organization Science, Journal of Business Research
• Associate Editor, Academy of Management Conference Program
• Action Editor, Frontiers in Psychology (Special Issue: Affect and Cognition in Upper Echelons' Strategic Decision Making)
• Representative-at-Large and PDW Organizer (Junior Faculty Consortium), Social Issues Management Division, Academy of Management
• Strategic Management Society (SMS)-Strategic Leadership & Governance Division
• Alliance for Research on Corporate Sustainability (ARCS)
• Responsible Research in Business and Management (RRBM)

Activities & Interests

• I enjoy listening to podcasts related to travel, world history, culture, and sustainability topics, as well as watching theatrical and musical performances.
• I also love exploring the world and have visited over 60 countries across six continents, including Antarctica, as of 2026 - I am also a passionate supporter of Sustainable Tourism.
• My family and I are proud sponsors of Performing Arts Houston and Drum Corps International.

Contact Info

Phone:

  

Email:

  schiu@bauer.uh.edu

Room:

 Melcher Hall 310H

Website:

  Visit Web Site

Courses

• MANA8380 Strategic Management (Doctoral seminar)
• EDBA8306 Quantitative Analysis (Executive Doctorate of Business Administration seminar)
• MANA7347 Environment, Social, & Governance/Leading Sustainability (MBA)
• MANA6A83 Strategic Analysis (MBA)
• Strategic Leadership and Management (Executive Education)
• MANA4385 Introduction of Strategic Management (Undergraduate)
• MANA4347 Corporate Ethics & Social Responsibility (Undergraduate)
• Learning with Case Methods (MBA/EMBA/MS Workshop)

Education

Ph.D. in Strategic Management (Major), Research Methods and Statistics (Minor) - University of Missouri-Columbia
CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) Institute - ESG Investing
GRI Certificate - Integrate SDG and Human Rights in Sustainability Reporting
IFRS Certificate - Sustainability Professional (Level II candidate) by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB)
Harvard Business School - Corporate Board Governance Executive Program
Harvard Business School - Case Method Certification|