Notre Dame's innovative program continues mission of addressing complex global challenges with new leadership
The University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business has appointed Alfonso Pedraza-Martinez as the new faculty director of the Meyer Business on the Frontlines Program, effective July 1, 2025. Pedraza-Martinez, the Greg and Patty Fox Collegiate Professor of IT, Analytics, and Operations, brings extensive experience in humanitarian operations, disaster management and supply chain management to a program that has become a cornerstone of Mendoza’s commitment to creating positive global impact.
"Frontlines has been a distinctive, mission-focused component of the Notre Dame MBA since the program began in 2008," said Martijn Cremers, Martin J. Gillen Dean of the Mendoza College of Business. "Alfonso will strengthen Frontlines' research while continuing the program's contribution to building stable and prosperous communities worldwide."
The Program, with its focus on applying business principles to address critical challenges facing vulnerable communities, aligns well with Pedraza-Martinez's research interests and expertise. As he takes the helm, he is eager to continue collaborating with students, co-authors, and humanitarian organizations while exploring how business schools can effectively respond to global disasters.
"This is an outstanding Mendoza program fully aligned with the Catholic mission of Notre Dame, and it is especially relevant to my research as it is designed for MBA students to use business skills to address humanitarian concerns such as poverty, violence, economic exclusion, and infrastructure issues," said Pedraza-Martinez, highlighting the synergy between his academic focus and the program's mission.
Co-founded by two Mendoza scholars, Viva Bartkus, professor emerita, and Carolyn Woo, former dean, the Meyer Business on the Frontlines Program advances the dignity of work and that everyone has the power to contribute to society. Bartkus led the program until her retirement in 2023. The program partners graduate students, faculty and alumni with organizations worldwide, co-creating pragmatic solutions that create jobs or establish conditions for economic growth. Since its inception, Frontlines teams have worked in more than 35 countries on more than 100 projects focusing on agriculture, entrepreneurship, infrastructure, education, finance, tourism, and technology.
Pedraza-Martinez's journey to humanitarian operations began in 1999 when he worked as an emergency response planner with the government of Bogotá, Colombia. His role involved projects to reduce flood risk, rebuild infrastructure, and assist inhabitants with shelter and other public services in a country in a civil war.
"I became very curious about what was behind coordinating all these dynamics and realized I needed to go into academia to get a deeper understanding of these complex operations," Pedraza-Martinez said of his experience. This curiosity led him to pursue doctoral studies at the Institut Européen d'Administration des Affaires (INSEAD), a global business school based in France and Singapore, under the guidance of Luk Van Wassenhove, a leading scholar in humanitarian logistics.
After joining the Mendoza faculty in 2023, Pedraza-Martinez founded the Humanitarian Operations (HOPE) Lab to develop research and share knowledge that organizations such as the Red Cross could implement in the field. His pioneering research, including "Field Vehicle Fleet Management in Humanitarian Operations: A Case-based Approach," published in the Journal of Operations Management, was the first of its kind on humanitarian logistics and helped shape understanding of how international humanitarian operations manage ground transportation.
Pedraza-Martinez's research portfolio extends beyond vehicle fleet management to include humanitarian funding and donor markets, volunteer management, water management in sub-Saharan Africa, information management during crises, and the consequences of operating in areas during armed conflict. Recently, he has begun exploring the environmental impact on operations related to climate change.
"Businesses have a natural social component because they answer social needs."
"I study how organizations and communities can prepare for and respond to disasters and humanitarian crises worldwide, while facing resource constraints," Pedraza-Martinez explained. "Businesses have a natural social component because they answer social needs."
His academic contributions have earned him multiple recognitions, including the 2022 Luk Van Wassenhove Career Award from the European Working Group on Humanitarian Operations. He has edited special issues in three flagship academic journals: Production and Operations Management, Journal of Operations Management, and European Journal of Operational Research. Pedraza-Martinez also served as president of the College of Humanitarian Operations and Crisis Management at the Production and Operations Management Society.