Meet the New McDonough Faculty: Heather Berry

We are pleased to welcome new faculty members to the Georgetown McDonough community this fall. 

In our Meet the New McDonough Faculty Series, learn more about the interests, specialties, experiences, and personalities behind the talented academics inside the Rafik B. Hariri Building on Georgetown’s campus. 

We spoke with Heather Berry, a professor of strategy, about what she hopes to accomplish at Georgetown through her engagement with students, research, classroom teachings, and beyond.

What are you most looking forward to when it comes to working at Georgetown McDonough?

I am looking forward to working with incredible colleagues who produce impactful research and help to prepare students to tackle complex challenges around the world. I started as a visiting scholar at Georgetown in June, and I have already experienced engaged colleagues and staff during my time on campus. I look forward to meeting and interacting with Georgetown students this fall. 

What institution or previous line of work are you coming from? 

I have been a professor of global strategy and international business for over 20 years, including spending a decade at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a decade at the George Washington University School of Business. For much of this time, I also have been a special sworn employee at the Bureau of Economic Analysis , with access to confidential data on the population of U.S. multinational corporations that I use in my research.

Before I completed my Ph.D., I worked on Capitol Hill in a couple of positions, the last one being Ways and Means Committee associate in the U.S. House of Representatives. While I was doing my Ph.D., I worked at the headquarters of Toyota Motor Sales in Los Angeles, California, as an intern. All of these experiences help to inform both the research topics I explore and the class discussions I have with students.

What is your area(s) of expertise and which subject(s) are you most passionate about?  

All of my research focuses on multinational corporations. In my research and teaching, I try to understand how multinational corporations successfully expand, contract, and compete across multiple product and geographic markets, in addition to exploring the impact these firms have on local and global communities (both positive and negative).

What is your favorite podcast or book and why? 

I listen to and enjoy several podcasts, including Freakonomics Radio, Planet Money, How I Built This, and TED Talks, in addition to several other news and science podcasts. I have been an elected officer for the Strategic Management Division of the Academy of Management for the last five years, and I was involved with creating several video offerings for the division (mostly focused on research methods and theories). 

From this experience, I really appreciate all of the time that goes into both making and being a part of podcasts. My favorite podcasts and videos make me think about a topic in a different way or help me to understand something on a much deeper level. I love that I can listen to a podcast while also accomplishing a menial or house-related task.

How would you describe yourself in a few words? 

This is a hard question. I hope I am supportive, empathetic, dependable, and helpful to my peers (especially my colleagues who have less experience than I do), engaging, knowledgeable, and approachable to my students and respectful of everyone.

What do you hope to ultimately bring to the McDonough community? 

I hope to be a valued colleague at McDonough and to bring my enthusiasm for and knowledge of global strategy and multinational corporations to the McDonough community through my teaching, research, and service activities. I look forward to engaging with students, faculty, and staff. I really appreciate the warm welcome I have already received.