Claire Menck, Ph.D.

Claire Menck is a dynamic scholar, educator, and seasoned industry executive who bridges the gap between rigorous academic theory and high-stakes business execution. Currently serving as an Associate Professor at National University—and honored with the 2025 Excellence in Teaching Award in the College of Business, Engineering and Technology—she brings over two decades of transformative fieldwork examining crisis management, critical change, and resiliency building, while actively lending her expertise to high-level consulting initiatives. 

Her academic foundation includes a Ph.D. in Leadership & Change from Antioch University, complemented by prestigious accolades such as the Innovative Dissertation Award from the Networked Digital Library of Theses & Dissertations Consortium, Antioch University's Public Scholar Award, and fellowships from Duke University's HASTAC and Tulane University's Newcomb College Institute.

What sets Claire apart is her dual life in the C-suite and the classroom. Before dedicating herself fully to higher education, she built a career spanning culinary arts, restaurant consulting, and tech logistics, earning early recognition as a Young Restaurateur of the World by the International Hotel & Restaurant Association. As a Senior Program Manager at Amazon—where she was also nominated for Mentor of the Year—she directed complex capital technology portfolios and last-mile delivery automation projects valued at over $600 million. She also founded Cream City Consulting, spent years as a Research & Development Chef for Emmi Roth, and served as Academic Director at The Art Institute of Wisconsin, where she famously grew student enrollment from scratch while boosting annual sales by 100%.

Whether she is chairing doctoral dissertations, optimizing quick-service restaurant performance, or leading multinational teams through fast-paced pivots, Claire is known for a rare blend of entrepreneurial grit and strategic vision. She turns complex operational challenges into sustainable growth, mentoring the next generation of leaders while pushing the boundaries of organizational resilience and virtual work environments.