I’m Thrilled to Share: The Sustainability Lens Game Is Headed to AOM 2026

I’m so excited to share that our Professional Development Workshop has been accepted for the 2026 Academy of Management Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, taking place July 31–August 4, 2026. This is such a meaningful opportunity, and I’m truly honored that we will be able to share this work with a wider community of educators, researchers, and practitioners who care deeply about the future of management and entrepreneurship education.

Our workshop is titled “Integrating AI Tools in Entrepreneurship Education and Practice,” and it centers on a question that feels especially timely: how can we use AI in ways that strengthen entrepreneurship education and practice while still preserving ethics, creativity, critical thinking, and real human judgment? For me, this is an exciting conversation because AI is moving quickly, and yet the need for thoughtful, values-based, sustainable entrepreneurship has never been greater.

What I find most hopeful about this workshop is that it is not about using AI for the sake of novelty. It is about using AI well. It is about helping educators and entrepreneurs preserve what matters most — creativity, ethical reasoning, strategic judgment, and human connection — while also embracing tools that can enrich the learning process and support better ventures.

Sustainability Sam an AI bot, brings insight, tips, a SWOT analysis, pitch and next steps to Sustainability Lens game plays.

One of the parts I am most excited about is the opportunity to present the Sustainability Lens Game with Sustainablitey Sam as an effective edtech tool for helping people build innovative solutions and more resilient, sustainable, and profitable businesses. The game was designed to help learners think more deeply, ask better questions, and approach entrepreneurship through a broader sustainability lens. At AOM, we will be able to show how this tool can work alongside AI to support stronger entrepreneurship learning in a way that is hands-on, engaging, and practical. Our session is designed as an interactive 90-minute workshop. We will begin with a welcome and overview, move into a series of expert presentations, and then invite participants into a live mini-game demonstration of the Sustainability Lens Game using AI tools. We will close with discussion, Q&A, and shared reflection. I love that the format is not just about talking about ideas, but actually letting people experience them.

I’m especially grateful to be joined by such thoughtful and accomplished colleagues, each of whom brings a valuable perspective to this workshop:

• Athina Skiadopoulou, PhD Candidate in Management at The University of Alabama, has provided wonderful leadership and support in shaping this session, and I am deeply grateful for her collaboration. Athina has been central to the development and organization of the workshop, and her energy and commitment have helped bring it to life.

• Dr. Craig Armstrong, Associate Professor of Management at The University of Alabama, will share insights on AI tools in entrepreneurship education. His contribution will help participants think about how AI can be integrated into entrepreneurship classrooms in ways that support learning, innovation, and skill development.

• Dr. Audra Quinn, Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship / Clinical Entrepreneurship at USC Marshall, will speak about AI use in entrepreneurship practice, with particular attention to the ethical and practical considerations that entrepreneurs need to navigate. Her perspective adds an important applied dimension to the workshop and grounds the conversation in the realities of entrepreneurial decision-making.

• Dr. David Stehlik, Associate Professor of Management and Leadership and Associate Division Director at the University of Saint Francis, will focus on AI-enabled pedagogy and how AI can connect cases, role play simulation, and industry practice. I’m especially excited about this contribution because it speaks to the bridge between classroom learning and the real-world complexity our students will face.

  
  

I’m also glad that this workshop speaks across several areas of interest within the Academy of Management. Although it is sponsored by the Entrepreneurship Division, it also connects with broader conversations in management education, strategy, and organization theory. That kind of cross-disciplinary relevance makes the opportunity even more exciting.

Most of all, I feel grateful. Grateful for this opportunity, grateful for the chance to share the Sustainability Lens Game with such an engaged community, and grateful for the colleagues who are making this workshop possible. And I want to offer a special shout-out to Athina for her leadership and support throughout this process. It has been a joy to collaborate on this work.

I’m very much looking forward to AOM 2026 and to the conversations this workshop will spark about entrepreneurship education, sustainability, AI, and the kinds of businesses we hope the next generation will build. Hope to see you there too! #AOM2026