Karin Quiñones

Karin Quinones has been teaching and studying leadership-related topics for over 15 years. She earned a Ph.D. and Master’s degree from Rice University in Houston, Texas, and a B.A. from Wake Forest University in North Carolina. She has been teaching at the Cox School of Business at SMU in Dallas since 2008. She also works with clients in Richmond, VA with the University of Richmond. Prior to teaching, she worked in usability engineering and as a research scientist in information technology. 

Her expertise spans a variety of areas including change leadership, leading effective teams, understanding power and influence within organizations, shaping organizational culture, effective decision-making, developing impactful presentations, fostering healthy conflict in teams, and project management. Karin has taught fundamental topics in organizational behavior to undergraduate, MBA, and executive audiences – both in-person and virtually.  

A course Karin created on Executive Leadership was approved by Veteran’s Affairs to be part of a program helping military service members transition to the civilian workforce after their service. She really enjoys engaging with these accomplished Veterans and teaches a new cohort about three times per year. She also developed a course on project management in which students completed real projects for local non-profits in a variety of sectors. Some of these projects were featured in the local media due to their impact.

Karin has a student-centered approach and has been a HOPE Professor of the Year nominee at SMU. For many years she served on a university steering committee focused on helping students gain research and community outreach project experience. 

Outside of work, Karin enjoys volunteering in leadership positions in the community. She served as the Eagle Coordinator for the Boy Scouts and was also a Girl Scout Leader and “Cookie Manager.” She is an avid runner, hiker, and cyclist. She has completed 15 marathons, including 5 Boston Marathon finishes. She combined her love of hiking and running by completing a half marathon up to the top of Pike’s Peak in Colorado (14,115ft). She also enjoys spending time with her husband and children, especially when they go hiking in the mountains together!