Teri Tompkins, PhD

Biography

Teri C. Tompkins, PhD, is Professor Emeritus of Applied Behavioral Sciences at Pepperdine University’s Graziadio Business School. She joined the Graziadio faculty in 2001 and retired on January 1, 2024, when she was awarded emeritus status in recognition of her contributions to the university.

In 2023, Dr. Tompkins received the Graziadio School’s George Award for Outstanding Faculty, presented to a faculty member whose commitment to teaching exemplifies personal leadership, excellence, and generosity of spirit. George Award recipients are recognized for exemplifying integrity, stewardship, courage, and compassion and for their contributions to the Graziadio community and the business world.

During her Pepperdine career, Dr. Tompkins taught across several graduate programs, including the Executive MBA (EMBA), MBA (FEMBA) and Master of Science in Human Resources (MSHR) programs. She designed the core Organizational Behavior course for the Online MBA program, developing its extensive curriculum and delivering the professionally recorded lectures used in the course.

Dr. Tompkins also held numerous faculty leadership positions. From 2015 to 2020, she chaired the department encompassing Applied Behavioral Sciences and Organizational Theory and Management. She served as chair of the Faculty Council and on numerous school and university committees, including the Personnel Committee and the MS in Human Resources Committee.

In 2014, Dr. Tompkins received an $83,000 Waves of Innovation Award in Pepperdine’s inaugural university-wide competition. Selected from more than 150 proposals, her project explored the development of a next-generation Executive MBA program that would expand access to students elsewhere in the United States and internationally while providing traditional EMBA students greater opportunities to pursue emphasis courses.

Her scholarship focused on organizational behavior, leadership, organizational learning, and management education. In 2016, Dr. Tompkins, Ann E. Feyerherm, and Kathryn S. Rogers received the Academy of Management’s Best Paper in Graduate Management Education Award for “How Exemplary Online Teachers Establish Relational Connections in Online Learning.” Dr. Tompkins also authored four casebooks and instructors’ manuals published by Prentice Hall.

Before joining Pepperdine, Dr. Tompkins served on the faculty of the University of Redlands for eight years, where she was twice nominated for Teacher of the Year, received an outstanding service award, chaired a multidisciplinary department, and led several curriculum committees.

Dr. Tompkins was active in professional academic organizations throughout her career. She served on the board of directors of the Western Academy of Management and received its Outstanding Service Award as Representative-at-Large for 2001–2003. She also held significant leadership roles in the Western Casewriters Association, serving twice as program chair and twice as president.

Her academic work was informed by extensive management, entrepreneurial, and consulting experience. She managed functions including marketing, human resources, strategy, and operations across corporate, small-business, nonprofit, and entrepreneurial settings. She started five businesses and co-owned a medical practice while managing a real estate portfolio. Earlier in her career, she held significant regional management responsibilities with Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. and Girls Clubs of America.

As a consultant and researcher, Dr. Tompkins worked with organizations including Motorola, LA Cellular, Boeing, TRW, the U.S. Forest Service, Xerox, LearnShare at Comcast, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, and Philips in Europe and North America. She also consulted with the YMCA, YWCA, California State Department of Rehabilitation, and numerous colleges and universities. Her consulting work focused on organizational learning, positive transformation, team development, and managing challenging workplace behavior.

Dr. Tompkins earned her PhD in Management and Organizational Behavior and her MBA, with emphases in Strategy and Marketing, from Claremont Graduate University. She earned her master’s and bachelor’s degrees in Recreation and Leisure Studies, with a focus on nonprofit management, from California State University, Long Beach.

Since retiring from Pepperdine, Dr. Tompkins has devoted her time to writing fiction, including novels and short stories. Her other creative interests include drawing, painting, and singing in a community choir.

Education

• Claremont Graduate University,  Doctor of Philosophy

• Claremont Graduate University,  Master of Business Administration

• California State University,  Master of Science

• California State University, Bachelor of the Arts