Angelo and Joyce Kinicki met at Kent State in the 1970s while they were business students. After earning their degrees, they married in 1981 and headed to a warmer climate in Arizona, where they have lived for more than 44 years. The couple have been long-time supporters of the college and recently named the Angelo and Joyce Kinicki classroom in Crawford Hall.
Meet the Kinickis
Angelo is an award-winning professor, author and consultant. He received his undergraduate degree, MBA, and Doctorate in Business Administration from Kent State University. He currently is an Emeritus Professor of Management at Arizona State University and held the Weatherup/Overby Chair in Leadership at the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. He was inducted into the W.P. Carey Faculty Hall of Fame in 2016.
In his academic life, Angelo was the recipient of six teaching awards from Arizona State University and served on the editorial review boards of four scholarly journals. Angelo has published more than 100 articles in a variety of academic journals and is co-author of nine textbooks that are used by hundreds of universities around the world. His contributions in research have been recognized by multiple sources, including being recognized as one of the most influential authors in Organizational Behavior (his area of specialization). Angelo has also been ranked among the top 100 most influential academic authors.
Joyce graduated from Kent State University, where she majored in Industrial Relations and Management. She has worked for Goodyear Aerospace, Dayton Hudson and American Express. She left the corporate environment and started her own consulting business about 35 years ago. She is cofounder and president of Kinicki and Associates, Inc., a consulting company that specializes in organizational change and development.
Angelo and Joyce joined forces to create Kinicki and Associates, Inc. and traveled the world helping organizations create organizational change aimed at increasing organizational effectiveness and profitability.
Joyce developed and implemented customized training programs relating to employee engagement, performance management systems and transformational leadership. She also served as an executive and managerial coach to employees around the world. Joyce worked with operational teams and human resource professionals to improve productivity and reduce turnover.
Favorite Memories
Angelo:
Meeting Joyce while I was a doctoral student. My fondest memories involve her. Many Friday nights were spent ice skating and then having pizza. I also enjoyed her coming to cheer for our doctoral student intramural baseball team and then going to Pizza Hut. I have fond memories of walking around the campus with her, particularly in the fall.
Starting my first research project as a senior while taking a course in Organizational Behavior. The instructor, Chester Schriesheim, took me on as his student and the relationship changed my life.
Joyce:
Halloween in Kent was so much fun! I recall winning a costume contest at Ray’s with two of my roommates. We made elephant costumes. I believe there is a picture in the school yearbook from back then!
Ice skating on Fridays with Angelo.
Campus Involvement
Angelo was selected into the Blue Key National Honor Society and Beta Gamma Sigma and served as the faculty moderator for the American Society of Personnel Administration student organization.
Joyce was an officer of the student American Society of Personnel Administrators (ASPA) chapter and was a member of the Women in Business Club.
Staying Connected
Angelo:
Member of the Dean’s National Advisory Board for several years
Conducted a workshop for faculty on publishing high-quality research and another on teaching with active learning
Joyce:
Presented to undergraduate classes regarding industrial relations and human resources
Created a Management department scholarship fund with Angelo
Kent State Experience
Angelo:
“Given that I needed to work during school while also taking on loans, my time at Kent taught me the value of persistence, discipline and focus. These traits served me well as I managed a dynamic career that included teaching, research, consulting, writing textbooks and service. The diverse student body at Kent State also reinforced my belief in the value of diversity and the importance of accepting individual differences. All told, my experience at Kent State changed my life, and I am forever grateful.”
Joyce:
“I, too, always worked multiple jobs while attending Kent State. That was helpful with my schoolwork because I saw textbook reading come to life in real time at my jobs. I learned the values of doing things right, being timely, being present, being curious, doing more than was required, helping others and the importance of knowing the business and ethics. I still use these traits and skills in my own business. Kent State classwork, along with the work experience, shaped my work ethic and gave me the skill base and courage to start my own business. I am grateful for the learning experience, the faculty, and the culture that was Kent State back then.”
Support of the College
Angelo:
“Life is not always a level playing field, and we both struggled to complete our degrees due to financial constraints. We both worked throughout our educational experience so that we could pay tuition and room and board. We don’t view this as a hardship but rather see it as a hard reality that needed to be overcome. We had to do this because our parents could not fund our education. Quite simply, we want to financially help students who come from a similar background.”
Joyce:
“I had a lot of school debt coming out of Kent. I was grateful for a few grants and then took out loans and worked almost full-time while taking full-time classes. It was hard. I also had tremendous faculty and job mentors while in school. Many years ago, I just decided it was time to give a hand to Kent students behind me, to lessen their financial burdens. It seemed like the right thing to do. Angelo agreed, so I contacted Dean George Stevens, a dear friend, to get the scholarship contributions started.”
You have had the opportunity to meet Sydney Davis, a current student-athlete and business student. Was lacrosse an interest of yours prior to meeting her?
“We had no concept of lacrosse, but meeting Sydney has changed our thinking. We have made contributions to the team as a result of our relationship with Sydney. She has great enthusiasm for lacrosse and her education! We have committed to attending a match this school year. Sydney is so cool. Like us, she is a student that works while taking a full-time courseload. She is smart and resourceful. We enjoy our new connection to her and her sport. We are still learning something new at Kent and for that we are GRATEFUL!"