Hi. I’m Tara.

Bios are weird. In academia you write them like they are about someone else but I’m going for first person. I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA. I graduated high school 150th out of 300 students. I took zero AP classes. I applied to one college. I hit my academic stride a bit later than most. Luckily, my mediocre performance landed me admission to that one school. I graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in Political Science and a certificate in Latin American Studies.* I studied abroad on Semester at Sea (don’t call it a boat!) and interned for a Labour MP in the UK Parliament.

I decided grad school would be a good choice because, why not? I moved to Ireland and completed a Master’s in International Studies at the University of Limerick. I was the valedictorian. I hit my stride. I spent five years earning my PhD in business ethics at the Foster School of Business at the University of Washington in Seattle. If you enjoy crying, constantly questioning if you have made a grave error in your life, and statistics then I highly recommend a PhD!

When I visited the University of San Diego I fell in love. Their approach to teaching and research aligned with mine, campus was stunning, I enjoyed the company of the faculty, and it wasn’t raining. I was offered the position of Assistant Professor of Business Ethics. I gladly accepted, packed my bags, and am never leaving. Since my arrival I have earned tenure and been promoted from Associate to Full Professor and am currently the Chair of the Management department in the Knauss School of Business.

My research is about understanding what motivates ethical behavior in a variety of contexts. I am currently writing about recognizing and removing the invisible burdens on women at work called Tightroping. My work has been published in Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of Business Ethics, Journal of Business Ethics Education, North American Case Research Journal, Encyclopedia of Business Ethics and Society, Ivey Business School and various books and conference proceedings. I teach undergraduate, graduate, and executive courses about women in management, business ethics, corporate culture, and leadership. I think the classroom is a magical place. I am also a reviewer for journals and conferences in my academic discipline and am the North American Editor of Journal of Business Ethics Education. 

I am a married with a seven-year-old son and we all live in sunny San Diego. Being a Mom is the best and worst job in the world. I appreciate that being a professor allows me some flexibility with my time but I will fight anyone who talks to me about having work life balance (#doesnotexist). Trash TV is my shame. I was a bartender in college so my cocktail repertoire is solid and mezcal is my favorite. I consider the proper serving of sourdough the entire loaf. Yoga classes set to (what I assume is) the actual temperature of hell make me happy as do my dogs Mr. Crenshaw Sniffers and Mango San Carlos.

*Please note: with those grades now Pitt would have laughed at my application!