“I was born in Nashville, and I grew up watching my dad do business in Nashville. No matter where we went, we always ran into someone he knew and I would get to hear stories about what he did. I learned early that business is built around conversations.”

-Dr. Emily Lean

After spending time in the legal and insurance and securities industries, Emily went on to pursue her PhD in Management from the University of Arkansas with an emphasis in Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management. In 2008, she co-founded Lean Management, bringing her expertise and vision to the company from its inception. She served as a professor of management at Union University for twelve years and has served as the Associate Dean at the Austin Peay State University College of Business since 2020.

As a tenured professor of management with over 15 years of experience in business, Dr. Lean offers both academic excellence and real-world expertise. She has published in A-ranked journals on topics such as ethical leadership, work-life balance, organizational commitment, DEAI, mission, and addressing sensitive issues like sexual harassment and intimate partner violence in the workplace. Dr. Lean has also presented her research at prestigious international conferences, including the Academy of Management and the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology. She has spent nearly two decades equipping MBA students with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed. In addition to her academic achievements, she has partnered with leaders, trained employees, and developed continuing education programs for organizations ranging from local businesses to national nonprofits and international financial institutions. Most recently, Dr. Lean was invited to join the Societal Impact Advisory Board with Peregrine Global.

Emily and her husband, Jeff, have been married for over twenty years and founded Lean Management together. They are raising their two sons, Liam and Elliott, out in the country just north of Nashville where she grows all sorts of fruits and vegetables.