Risa M. Mish

Biography

Risa Mish is a professor of practice and the Day Family Senior Lecturer of Business Ethics at the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management, part of the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business. She created and teaches the MBA and Executive MBA core courses in Critical and Strategic Thinking; created and taught the Cornell-Tsinghua FMBA core course in Critical and Strategic Thinking; has taught elective courses in leadership and influence; and was the founding faculty director of the Johnson Leadership Fellows program.

Mish is the inaugural recipient of the Provost Award for Teaching Excellence in Graduate and Professional Degree Programs at Cornell University created to "recognize excellence in teaching among faculty who teach primarily at the professional school and/or graduate program level". She has also received the MBA and Accelerated MBA Core Faculty Teaching Awards, selected by classes to honor the teacher who "best fosters learning through lecture, discussion and course work in the required core curriculum"; the Apple Award for Teaching Excellence, selected by the MBA graduating class to honor a faculty member who "exemplifies outstanding leadership and enduring educational influence"; the Best Teacher Award, selected by the graduating class of the Cornell-Tsinghua dual degree MBA/FMBA program offered by the Johnson School and the PBC School of Finance at Tsinghua University to recognize "a faculty member whose teaching was the best in the classroom"; the Stephen Russell Distinguished Teaching Award, selected by the five-year MBA reunion class to honor a faculty member whose "teaching and example have continued to influence graduates five years into their post-MBA careers"; the Globe Award for Teaching Excellence, selected by the Executive MBA graduating class to honor a faculty member who "demonstrates a command of subject matter and also possesses the creativity, dedication, and enthusiasm essential to meet the unique challenges of an EMBA education"; and the Star Award for Teaching Excellence, selected by the Executive MBA Americas graduating class to honor the faculty member whose "exceptional performance made the most significant contribution to the student learning experience".

Mish serves as a keynote speaker and workshop leader at global, national, and regional conferences for corporations and trade associations in the consumer products, financial services, health care, high tech, media, and manufacturing industries, on a variety of topics, including critical thinking and problem solving, persuasion and influence, and motivating optimal employee performance.

Before returning to Cornell, Mish was a partner in the NYC law firm of Collazo Carling & Mish LLP (CC&M), where she represented management clients on a wide range of labor and employment law matters, including defense of employment discrimination claims in federal and state courts and administrative agencies, and in labor arbitrations and negotiations under collective bargaining agreements. Prior to CC&M, Mish was a labor and employment law associate with Simpson Thacher & Bartlett in NYC, where she represented Fortune 500 clients in the financial services, consumer products, and manufacturing industries. She is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court and state and federal courts in NY and MA.

Mish is a member of the board of directors of SmithBucklin Corporation, the world's largest trade association management company, headquartered in Chicago. She formerly served on the board of directors of TheraCare, Inc., headquartered in NYC, as a trustee of the Tompkins County Public Library, vice chair of the board of directors of the Community Foundation of Tompkins County, and member of the board of directors of the United Way of Tompkins County.

Awards and Honors

• Provost Award for Teaching Excellence in Graduate and Professional Degree Programs (2021) Cornell University
• The Stephen Russell Distinguished Teaching Award (2024) 5-Year Residential MBA Reunion Class
• Core Faculty Teaching Award for the Two-Year MBA Class (2024) Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management
• Earl Hill Jr. Faculty Achievement and Diversity Leadership Award (2024) The Consortium
• Apple Award for Teaching Excellence (2016 - 2017) Cornell University

Recent Courses

• NBA 5885 - Advanced Critical Thinking for Business Leaders
• NCC 5050/LAW 6266 - Critical and Strategic Thinking
• NCCT 5050 - Critical and Strategic Thinking
• NBAB 5880 - Critical Thinking for Business Leaders
• NCCE 5050 - Critical Thinking for Business Leaders

Academic Degrees

• JD Law School, Cornell University, 1988
• BS Cornell University, 1985