Director of Ph.D. in Global Leadership Program &
Associate Professor of Global Leadership
PK Deputy Endowed Professor
Section Editor of Arete Journal of Excellence in Global Leadership
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College
Cell: (+1) 812-870-4900
Office: Le Fer Hall, Room 123
Email: kim.lacomba@smwc.edu
Qualitative Research Interests: Global Mindset, Responsible Global Leadership, Global Leadership Doctoral Program Curriculum and Development, Experiences of Emerging Global Leaders, The World as 100 People
Academic Cultural Immersions
Jan 2024 and Oct 2024: Faculty Led Study Abroad: Responsible Global Leadership, Quito and Galápagos Islands, Ecuador, South America
2024: Presentation, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
2023: Faculty Led Virtual Study Abroad: Galapagos Islands- Responsible Global Leadership
2023: Faculty Discovery Visit, Quito and Galápagos Islands, Ecuador, South America
2022: Faculty Led Virtual Study Abroad: Global Leaders of Ireland, Europe
2021: Presentation, Geneva, Switzerland, Europe
2020: Faculty Led Virtual Study Abroad: Germany Global Equine Business, Europe
2019: Research in Carlow, Ireland, Europe
2013: Research throughout the Republic of Ireland, Europe thanks to the Ambassador Jean Wilkowski grant
Kimberly LaComba, Ph.D. is the Director of the Ph.D. in Global Leadership program and an Assistant Professor of Global Leadership at SMWC. With more than 20 years of experience in higher education, she has served in a variety of faculty and administrative roles. Dr. LaComba has taught both graduate and undergraduate students in business and leadership courses. She has developed global partnerships and international study abroad agreements in various countries throughout the world. Dr. LaComba has presented and led engaging workshops at conferences both within the USA and internationally, been awarded grant funding for research and program development, and provided consulting services to higher education institutions focused on a variety of topics such as online curriculum development. Dr. LaComba was previously awarded the Ambassador Wilkowski Global Perspectives Faculty Development Grant that supported her initial cross-cultural research focused on motivation as an academic success factor in the Republic of Ireland. Additional research in Ireland included a qualitative investigation on the experiences of college students' degree choice while specifically considering global leadership and global mindset. Her current research agenda includes qualitative studies in the areas of responsible global leadership in the Galapagos Islands, global leadership doctoral program curriculum and development, and she leads students to widen their global lens through her faculty-led study abroad and virtual study abroad initiatives.
- Ph.D. Global Leadership with an Organizational Management concentration from Indiana Institute of Technology
- Master of Science in Human Resource Management from Indiana State University
- Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with concentrations in Marketing, Finance, and Insurance from Indiana State University
- Certificate in Public Administration
- Certified Quality Matters Reviewer
Recent Presentations & Publications
LaComba, K. & Williams, M. (2024, November). International Leadership Association Global Conference, Chicago, Illinois
LaComba, K. (2024, November). Goal Strategies: How to Get from Doc Student to Doctor [Presentation]. International Leadership Association Doctoral Consortium, Chicago, Illinois.
LaComba, K. (2024, August). Global Leadership [Presentation]. Sabah Women’s Entrepreneurs and Professionals Conference. Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.
LaComba, K. (2024, August). Leadership Journey Panel. Sabah Women’s Entrepreneurs and Professionals Conference. Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.
Reed, John Basil and LaComba, Kimberly S. E. (2023). The Global Leadership Doctorate: New Perspectives on an Emerging Discipline. [Manuscript submitted for publication].
LaComba, K. (2023, April 25). Goal Strategies: How to Get from Doc Student to Doctor [Presentation]. International Leadership Association Doctoral Consortium, Virtual.
LaComba, K. (2022, May). Virtual Study Abroad: Global Leaders of Ireland [Poster presentation]. NAFSA International Educators Global Conference, Virtual.
LaComba, K. (2022, February 10). Goal Strategies: How to Get from Doc Student to Doctor [Presentation]. International Leadership Association Doctoral Consortium, Virtual.
LaComba, K. (2021, October 21). Implementing the Live Case Study Method in Global Leadership Doctoral Curriculum Through an Immersive Virtual Format [Speaker]. International Leadership Association Global Conference, Geneva, Switzerland.
Campbell, E., Hubbard, E., LaComba, K., and Mitchell, J. (2021). Mental Health Symptom Monitoring Surveys for Risk Assessment at Small Colleges [Manuscript submitted for publication]. Global Leadership Department, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College.