Martindale Center for the Study of Private Enterprise
Main Office: Rauch Business Center, Suite 350 / 621 Taylor Street / 610.758.4771
Current Faculty: Todd A. Watkins, Ph.D., Executive Director, and Director of the Microfinance Program, Stephen H. Cutcliffe, Ph.D.; Alberto Lamadrid, Ph.D.; Catherine Ridings, Ph.D.; Richard N. Weisman, Ph.D.; George P. White, Ph.D.; Andrew Ward, Ph.D.
Faculty Emeriti: J. Richard Aronson, Ph.D., 1937-2023 Deceased, founding Director, Jesus M. Salas, Ph.D., former Associate Director and Director of The Family Business Institute, Judith A. McDonald, Ph.D., former Associate Director and Director of the Canadian Studies Program, Robert J. Thornton, Ph.D., former Associate Director and former Editor of Martindale Publications.
Staff: Trisha S. Alexy, Martindale Program Manager; Melissa M. Gallagher, Administrative Coordinator.
Founded in 1980 thanks to a generous endowment from Elizabeth Fairchild Martindale and Harry Turner Martindale '27, the Martindale Center for the Study of Private Enterprise is an interdisciplinary resource in Lehigh University's College of Business. The Center engages students, faculty, and the business and policy communities in active inquiry tackling questions central to understanding and fostering sustainable private enterprises and inclusive economic systems throughout the world.
Each year since 1980, the Martindale Student Associates Honors Program has enabled a select group of the very best Lehigh juniors and seniors, from disciplines across the entire university, to actively explore global business and economic issues through research travel to organizations around the world, and interviews and meetings with decision makers, distinguished executives, and scholars. Students’ original research is published in the Center’s academic journal, Perspectives on Business and Economics. The program is the flagship of the Martindale Center and a hallmark of Lehigh’s commitments to student engagement, research excellence, and globalization.
Martindale's Microfinance and Microenterprise Program, launched in 2005, advances understanding of the development and impact of microfinance locally and globally. It comprises a broad range of activities including faculty research, undergraduate and graduate student research, academic-industry initiatives, workshops and conferences, opportunities for field immersion in the US and abroad, and a community lending practicum and internships for students.
The Martindale Center produces a range of scholarly publications and provides sponsorship and support for faculty research, lectures, conferences, and visiting scholar and executive-in-residence programs.
Contact Us: Martindale Center for the Study of Private Enterprise Rauch Business Center, Lehigh University College of Business 621 Taylor Street, Suite 350, Bethlehem, PA 18015 ***** Executive Director: Todd A. Watkins 610-758-4954 / taw4@lehigh.edu ***** Martindale Program Manager: Trisha S. Alexy 610-758-5664 / tsa2@lehigh.edu ***** Administrative Coordinator: Melissa Gallagher 610-758-4771 / mmg314@lehigh.edu ***** Website: https://business.lehigh.edu/centers/martindale-center
